Dunn County Neighbors conducts evacuation drill, discusses tornado and interior-evacuation plans

Brady and Scott, members of the Neighbors facilities and safety teams, told the committee the campus ran an evacuation drill and tabletop exercise and reviewed procedures for warnings and full evacuations.

The committee heard the exercises are intended to test staff response, communications and outside-agency coordination. Scott said the full evacuation drill moved residents and volunteers acting as residents to an alternate county building where the campus would stage residents while longer-term arrangements were found. Brady said the tabletop exercise and the drill included the local fire department and 911 dispatch and that the drill “went really well.”

Staff described tornado-warning and fire responses. For warnings and severe-weather watches, staff said residents typically shelter within the same household and gather in designated interior hallways where reinforced construction is present. Brady said interior evacuation is preferred when possible in a fire; residents can also be transferred to another household on campus or to partner facilities. He added that memorandums of agreement with nursing homes outside a 50-mile radius exist to receive residents if a true, large-scale evacuation were necessary.

Supervisor Lyon asked whether staff call in extra workers for a warning; Brady said daytime warnings are usually handled with existing daytime staffing, while a nighttime emergency would likely require calling in additional personnel. Staff also said they tested a mass-notification system to call or text nursing staff in emergencies. Brady and Scott noted some residents decline to leave rooms during warnings; staff said they document refusals and attempt to negotiate safer positioning if residents choose to remain.

No formal committee action was taken; the discussion was recorded as part of operations oversight.