Snowmass history: Disaster drill

“A disaster? The drill almost was” reported The Aspen Times Oct. 27, 1983. “Despite the educational value for emergency personnel who participated in it, last Thursday’s disaster drill at the Stonebridge Inn in Snowmass Village was damaged by flaws that could have proved fatal to some of its ‘victims,’ had the situation been real. In retrospect, the major fault found with the drill was in poor inter-agency communication – a flaw that has been noted in nearly every disaster drill staged. In this case emergency crews outside the Stonebridge had ‘absolutely no idea what was going on inside the building,’ and no reports on the condition of the victims inside, as Pitkin County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Kendrick pointed out…. Planned by the Snowmass Wildcat Fire Department head Brad Jefferson as a major lodge fire compounded by various peripheral crises, the drill got off to a shaky (though believable enough) start when two real disasters occurred just as the drill was scheduled to begin. The first was a fire at the Aspen Alps, followed by a civil dispute involving weapons in the Capitol Creek area. And although the Aspen Volunteers Fire Department controlled the fire before proceeding to the disaster drill, the same fire flared up again as the drill ended, requiring firefighters to return to the Alps for the final leg of a long night … Despite the problems, lives were ‘saved’ and the fire was contained. And as one observer noted, if a drill doesn’t point out problems, its purpose hasn’t been achieved.” 

Aspen Historical Society actively preserves and passionately presents local history in an inspired and provocative manner that will continue to anchor the local community and its evolving character. For more, visit aspenhistory.org.