Sheriff's Office • 100 North Fifth Avenue West • Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 726-2340 • www.stlouiscountymn.gov
Gordon Ramsay
Sheriff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 6, 2023
Media Contacts:
Dewey Johnson, St. Louis County Emergency Management Coordinator
(218) 726-2936
Shane Bauer, Grandma's Marathon Executive Director
218-727-0947
Grandma's Marathon, emergency responders to hold training discussion on potential threats
Grandma's Marathon is still more than two months away, and just as the runners are training for the big day, so are race organizers and the emergency responders who work to ensure a safe experience for all.
On Friday, April 7, Grandma's Marathon and St. Louis County Emergency Management are hosting a table top exercise for public safety personnel throughout St. Louis and Lake Counties. The exercise will begin at 10 a.m. at the St. Louis County Emergency Operations Center, 5735 Old Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth. The media is invited to observe the training and interview participants between 10-11 a.m.
A tabletop exercise is an informal, discussion-based activity used to train participants on roles and responsibilities, emergency management plans, policies and procedures. This exercise will focus on three threats/hazards the marathon might face and is designed to raise awareness of local and regional resources available, and the roles of race officials, fire departments, law enforcement, EMS, key community agencies and other partners who would work together in response to any incident on race day.
"In emergency management, it's often said, you don't want to be exchanging business cards at the scene of a disaster," said Dewey Johnson, St. Louis County Emergency Management Coordinator. "A lot of us in this region have been working together for years, but there are always new faces, and so it's good to have these discussions so we can go into this event with a shared understanding of who's responsible for what, and what capabilities each of us can provide should it be needed."
"Everyone thinks about what happened in Boston, but the reality is we also face weather challenges and other potential hazards spanning a 26-mile course that includes two counties and involves tens of thousands of people," said Shane Bauer, Grandma's Marathon Executive Director. "It's why we're grateful for the variety of perspectives that come from the many partners who work with us each year to ensure our race is safe. Through activities like this one we can learn from each other and all be better prepared should an incident ever occur."
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