Before the Call — Exercise Library

#045

Exercise #045 · Mass Gathering MCI · Ride Failure

Fire Ball — Ohio State Fair

Columbus, Ohio · July 26, 2017 · Opening Night · 1 Killed · 7 Injured · Wrong Ride Named in First Report

Mass GatheringMCIAddress ConfusionCrowd Management

#044

Exercise #044 · Long-Duration Federal Disaster Recovery

Space Shuttle Columbia — The Recovery

East Texas · February 1, 2003 · 250-Mile Debris Corridor · 25,000 Searchers · 100 Days

Multi-AgencyMass CasualtyLong-Duration OperationsHazmatEvidence Recovery

#043

Exercise #043 · Infrastructure Training Series

West Fertilizer Company Explosion

West, Texas · April 17, 2013 · 15 Killed · 260 Injured · 20 Minutes from First Call to Detonation

Industrial EAPMass Casualty

#042

Exercise #042 · Infrastructure Training Series

Olympic Pipeline Explosion — Whatcom Creek, Bellingham

Whatcom County, Washington · June 10, 1999 · 277,000 Gallons of Gasoline · Three Lives Lost

Pipeline EAPCaller Recognition

#041

Exercise #41

Oroville Dam Spillway Crisis

Butte County, California · February 7–14, 2017 · 188,000 Evacuated

Dam EmergencyMass Evacuation

#040

Exercise #040 · Special Events Dispatch · Bomb Threat

“You Have 30 Minutes”

An anonymous call. A dispatcher who couldn’t find the address. 22 minutes until detonation.

📅 July 27, 1996📍 Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia

#039

EXERCISE #039 • RANSOMWARE / CAD-DOWN

Nine Days Without CAD

The Bucks County ransomware attack and what it actually looks like to run a center by hand

📅 January 21–30, 2024📍 Bucks County, Pennsylvania

#038

Exercise #038 · Emerging Technology

When the Cars Don’t Listen

Autonomous vehicles, a dead-end street, and 53 minutes on hold

📅 July 2025 & December 20, 2025📍 San Francisco, California

#037

Exercise #037 · Still Developing

LaGuardia Airport: Air Canada Flight 8646

When the fire truck you sent becomes part of the incident

📅 March 23, 2026📍 LaGuardia Airport, Queens, NY

#036

Exercise #036 · Catastrophic Infrastructure Failure

Taum Sauk Upper Reservoir Failure

"The whole mountain came down at once."

📅 December 14, 2005📍 Reynolds County, Missouri

#035

🏅

Exercise #035 · Mass Casualty Event · Pre-Planned Infrastructure · Multi-Agency Coordination · 4-Day Manhunt

Boston Marathon Bombing — Boston, Massachusetts

Pre-Planned InfrastructureMass Casualty Event

#034

🎶

Exercise #034 · Mass Casualty Event · Special Events Dispatch · Radio Saturation · Multi-Agency Coordination

Route 91 Harvest Festival — Las Vegas, Nevada

Mass Casualty EventSpecial Events Dispatch

#033

🔥

Exercise #033 · Call Handling Under Scrutiny · Contextual Awareness · Hearing vs. Listening

Josh Powell — Graham — Graham, Washington — Pierce County (South Sound 911 jurisdiction)

Call Handling Under ScrutinyHearing vs. Listening

#032

🔍

Exercise #032 · Missing Person · Welfare Check · Suspicious Circumstances

Susan Cox Powell — The Disappearance — West Valley City, Utah

Missing PersonWelfare Check

#031

Exercise #31

Aurora Century 16 Theater Shooting

Active ThreatMass Casualty

#030

Before the Call · Exercise #030

🧯 Flower Branch Apartment Explosion

Silver Spring, Maryland — 8701 Arliss Street (Flower Branch Apartments) · August 10, 2016 · Natural gas explosion · 7 deaths / 65 injured · Prior gas-odor 911 call (July 25) · Utility not notified

Gas OdorUtility Handoff

#029

Before the Call · Exercise #029

🚇 L'Enfant Plaza Metro Smoke Incident

Washington, DC — L'Enfant Plaza Station & Yellow Line tunnel toward Potomac River Bridge · January 12, 2015 · Tunnel smoke event · 1 death / 91 injuries · Wrong-tunnel initial direction · Unified Command breakdown

Underground ResponseWrong-Tunnel Dispatch

#028

Before the Call · Exercise #028

🚁 Potomac River Midair Collision

Near Reagan National Airport (DCA), Washington, DC — Potomac River / Runway 33 final · January 29, 2025 · Tower / mixed helicopter + airline traffic · Separate frequencies · Stepped-on instruction · Altitude conflict

ATC / DispatchBlocked Transmissions

#027

Before the Call · Exercise #027

🛟 Madeira Beach Water Rescue

Madeira Beach, Florida — John's Pass (Gulf / Inlet area) · July 2, 2025 · Jet ski distress offshore · 1 drowning · 14-minute 911 call · Delayed dispatch

Water RescueDelayed Dispatch

#026

Before the Call · Exercise #026

🌊 Fort Smith Flash Flood Drowning

Fort Smith, Arkansas · August 24, 2019 · Pre-dawn flash flooding · 1 trapped motorist · High call volume

Water RescueCaller Panic

#025

🎯

Exercise #025 · Serial Event · Multi-Jurisdictional · Witness Description · Investigation

The Beltway Sniper Attacks — Washington, D.C. Metro Area — Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia

Serial EventMulti-Jurisdictional

#024

✈️

Exercise #024 · Aviation · Water Rescue · Multi-Jurisdictional · ATC Coordination

US Airways 1549 — Miracle on the Hudson — Hudson River, New York City

Aviation EmergencyWater Rescue

#023

🚂

Exercise #023 · Train Derailment · Water Rescue · Remote MCI · Infrastructure Gap

Amtrak Sunset Limited — Big Bayou Canot — Mobile, Alabama

Train DerailmentWater Rescue

#022

💥

Exercise #022 · Gas Pipeline · Residential · Infrastructure Failure · Utility Notification

San Bruno Pipeline Explosion — San Bruno, California

Gas PipelineInfrastructure Failure

#021

🚔

Exercise #021 · Active Threat · Multi-Jurisdictional · Targeted LE · Officer Safety

The Christopher Dorner Manhunt — Southern California & Big Bear Lake

Active ThreatOfficer Killed

#020

🌪️

Exercise #020 · Wildfire · Fire Tornado · Firefighter LOD · Extreme Fire Behavior

Carr Fire & Fire Tornado — Redding, California

WildfireExtreme Fire Behavior

#019

🎸

Exercise #019 · Nightclub Fire · Mass Casualty · Call Taking

The Station Nightclub Fire — West Warwick, Rhode Island

Nightclub FireMass Casualty

#018

✈️

Exercise #018 · Aviation Crash · Residential · MCI

Colgan Air Flight 3407 — Clarence Center, New York

Aviation CrashResidential MCI

#017

🌉

Exercise #017 · Structural Collapse · Water Rescue · MCI

I-35W Mississippi River Bridge Collapse — Minneapolis, Minnesota

Structural CollapseWater Rescue

#016

🏨

Exercise #016 · High-Rise Fire · Mass Casualty

MGM Grand Hotel Fire — Las Vegas, Nevada

High-Rise FireMass Casualty

#015

🌍

Real-World Incident — February 28, 2001 · Puget Sound, Washington

Earthquake Dispatch: What Shaking Looks Like Before, During, and After the Ground Moves

M6.8 Earthquake52 km Deep · 30–40 Seconds of Shaking · $2 Billion in Damage · 400+ Injured

#014

🔍

Real-World Incident — May 30 – September 2025 · Chelan County, Washington

Triple Homicide, Four-Month Manhunt, 2,900 Square Miles — When the Incident Doesn't End

3 Children Killed · 4-Month Manhunt · Remains Found Less Than 1 Mile from Crime Scene2,900 Square Miles Searched · $2M+ in Aerial Assets · Viral Misinformation Requiring Public Debunk

#013

🚂

Real-World Incident — December 18, 2017 · DuPont, Pierce County, Washington

Amtrak Cascades Train 501 — Inaugural Run, Derailment onto I-5, Simultaneous Rail and Highway MCI

3 Killed · 57 Passengers & Crew Injured · 8 Motorists InjuredInaugural Run on New Route · Positive Train Control Not Active · 78 mph in a 30-mph Curve

#012

🌉

Real-World Incident — March 26, 2024 · Baltimore, Maryland

Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse — 6 Killed, 3-Minute Warning Window, Port of Baltimore Closed 11 Weeks

6 Killed · Bridge Collapse at 1:30 a.m.3-Minute Window Between Mayday and Collapse

#011

🚂

Real-World Incident — February 3, 2023 · East Palestine, Ohio

East Palestine Train Derailment — 38 Cars Derailed, Vinyl Chloride Release, Mass Evacuation

38 Cars Derailed · Hazmat Release · 2,000+ Residents EvacuatedConsist Information Withheld from Dispatch for Over an Hour

#010

🌉

Real-World Incident — February 24, 2026 · Lincoln, Nebraska

Union Pacific Timber Railroad Bridge — Fire, Collapse, Salt Creek Environmental Response

February 24, 2026 · Incident Still Under InvestigationNearly Century-Old Timber Bridge Fully Involved on Arrival · Collapsed 5:30 a.m.

#009

⛰️

Real-World Incident — March 22, 2014 · Snohomish County, Washington

Oso Landslide — Deadliest Landslide in U.S. History, 43 Dead in Steelhead Haven

43 Dead · Deadliest Landslide in U.S. HistoryIncident Spanned Miles — Not Yards

#008

🌪️

Real-World Incident — May 22, 2011 · Joplin, Missouri

Joplin Tornado — Deadliest U.S. Tornado Since 1953, 158 Dead in Warned Event

158 Dead · Deadliest U.S. Tornado Since 1953Vast Majority of Residents Ignored First Siren

#007

🏢

Real-World Incident — June 24, 2021 · Surfside, Florida

Champlain Towers South Collapse — 98 Dead, Partial Collapse of 12-Story Residential Building

98 Dead · 12-Story Building Partially CollapsedFirst Calls Came In Calm — Scope Emerged in Minutes

#006

🔴

Real-World Incident — June 12, 2016 · Orlando, Florida

Pulse Nightclub Shooting — Orlando, 49 Killed in 3-Hour Mass Casualty Incident

49 Killed · 53 Wounded · 3-Hour Standoff603 Total 911 Calls During Incident

#005

🌀

Real-World Incident — September 27, 2024 · Western North Carolina

Remote Dispatch Across a Region That Disappeared

100+ Dead · 19 PSAPs Forced Offline~90,000 Calls in 72 Hours · 55% Surge

#004

🌺

Real-World Incident — August 8, 2023 · Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

Lahaina Fire — Deadliest U.S. Wildfire in Over a Century

102 Dead · Historic Town Destroyed80+ Sirens Never Activated

#003

🔥

Real-World Incident — November 8, 2018 · Butte County, California

Camp Fire — Deadliest Wildfire in California History

85 Dead · 18,800 Structures DestroyedInfrastructure Collapse · Towers Lost

#002

🌊

Real-World Incident — July 4, 2025 · Kerr County, Texas

Texas Hill Country Floods — Guadalupe River / Camp Mystic

136 Dead · 117 in Kerr CountyTwo Dispatchers · 435 Calls

#001

🏔️

Real-World Incident — February 17–18, 2026

Castle Peak Avalanche — Sierra Nevada, CA

Mass Casualty EventWilderness SAR