Crews responded to scenarios where tornadoes struck Emmanuel Nursing Home and Maria Joseph Manor within minutes of each other Tuesday evening.
While it was a drill, one Danville firefighter was actually overcome by the heat. A.J. Barnes, a member of the Continental Fire Company, was checked out at the scene by a Danville ambulance crew. She said she was a "little warm."
"This is probably the biggest drill I can remember with two incidents at the same time," said Leslie Young, chief of the Mahoning Township East End Fire Department.
Montour County Emergency Management Agency and fire officials said the drill went well with simulations of three fatalities in the 200 block of rooms at Emmanuel and 25 injuries. There were three simulated injuries at the adjacent Nazareth Memory Center, said Mary Ann Chaklos, executive director of Maria Joseph Continuing Care Community.
"We hope this will never happen. But the firefighters on scene — you would have never known it was a drill. They functioned like it was a real emergency," Chaklos said.
About 40 employees and residents from the nearby Meadows Independent Living Community portrayed the victims and wore tags so firefighters knew what their injuries were, said Dawn Orzehowski, Maria Joseph's director of marketing.
At Maria Joseph Manor, a resident was evacuated from the penthouse by a ladder truck. Other residents experienced smoke inhalation and were treated at the scene by ambulances, she said.
A ladder truck from Northumberland brought the resident to safety. Danville's ladder truck also was positioned at the back of Maria Joseph Manor. A ladder truck from Bloomsburg responded to Emmanual.
Nick Sandri, a 15-year-old junior firefighter from Danville's Friendship Fire Company, posed as an entrapped firefighter who was rescued by a rapid intervention team from Point Township. Sandri said he was trapped by falling debris in the Maria Joseph Manor auditorium. He said he called "mayday" three times on his radio for help.
Young said firefighters were first called to Emmanuel where they evacuated eight victims in five minutes. When the call came in for Maria Joseph, she said she sent resources there immediately.
Montour County also activated its emergency operations center in its Emergency Management Agency building.
Fire companies participated from Danville, Mahoning Township, Bloomsburg, Washingtonville and Northumberland. Danville Fire Police directed traffic. Ambulances and Mahoning Township police were also at the scene.
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