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First Responders Say Everything Went Smoothly at Pile-up

First Responders Say Everything Went Smoothly at Pile-up - Monday, February 11, 2008 at 10:29PM EST

Reported by: Andy Mehalshick
Monday, Feb 11, 2008 @10:29pm EST
HAZLE TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY- The nasty weather on Sunday is being blamed for a massive chain reaction crash near Hazleton.

One person was killed and dozens of others were injured. Monday first responders say, pre-planning made the difference between life and death.

It was a race against time and the elements. Fast moving snow squalls and high winds versus emergency responders from the Hazleton area. 68 vehicles in all crashed on Interstate 81.

Ironically it comes almost one year after the Valentine’s Day snowstorm that wreaked havoc across Pennsylvania. But this time was different. Hazle Township, Hazleton City and West Hazleton, put their emergency response plan into action. That plan was born after the debacle last year.

We spoke with the lead officers at Sunday’s scene, Hazle Township Fire Chief Scott Kostician and EMT Dennis Ganc. "I'll tell you it was tremendous. Everything flowed, everybody knew their part, everybody took a role. We were able to get a hold of the agencies, get our resources together on scene, get them in the staging area, just went really smoothly," said Kostician.

The emergency plan focused on patients first, and because of better communication, they were reached very quickly, despite the massive amount of wreckage. "Last year was a nightmare. Our units got stuck on the interstate, lots of chaos. Much smoother this time, state police worked well with us and allowed us to go north on the southbound lanes, and that allowed us to get patients off quicker," added Ganc.

11 months of pre-planning for just about every scenario made all the difference on the snow covered interstate. And these first responders say they will meet again this weekend, to review what they did on Sunday to once again plan for the next emergency.
 


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