10/06/2026
THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS!
The Holmes County Emergency Management Agency extends a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the School Bus Crash Mass Casualty Incident Full-Scale Exercise held at the Holmes County Fairgrounds on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
This exercise brought together multiple agencies and organizations to practice and strengthen coordination, communication, emergency response, patient care, and school response during a large-scale emergency.
Participating agencies and partners included:
• West Holmes Local Schools – Bus Driver and Administrative Staff
• Pomerene Hospital –Medical Director Dr. Reisinger
• Killbuck Township Fire Department
• Holmes Fire District #1
• Prairie Township Fire Department (Holmesville)
• Western Holmes Fire & EMS
• Holmes County Sheriff’s Office
• Metro Life Flight
• Holmes County Emergency Management Agency
We also extend a special thank you to all our patient volunteers who helped make the exercise realistic, and to Rigz Towing for transporting the school bus to and from the Holmes County Fairgrounds.
Exercises like this provide our schools, first responders, healthcare partners, law enforcement, and emergency management personnel with an opportunity to train together, strengthen partnerships, and identify areas for improvement before a real emergency occurs.
Following the MCI exercise, first responders had the opportunity to participate in a school bus extrication training provided by Howell Rescue Systems. The availability of a retired school bus provided responders with a unique, hands-on opportunity to practice stabilization, access, and extrication techniques in a realistic training environment.
Thank you to everyone who gave their time, expertise, equipment, and resources to make this exercise and training a success and help strengthen emergency preparedness and response capabilities throughout Holmes County!