An explosion has just destroyed the courthouse in Friday Harbor and it’s your job to keep San Juan County running.
At least, that’s what the municipality’s employees were told at a March 8 emergency training.
“It’s not really about the courthouse burning down,” said Brendan Cowan, director of San Juan County Department of Emergency Management, who spearheaded the event. “It’s about figuring out what to do if we lose access to one of our buildings and how long it takes to organize a response.”
In a real emergency, members of the Red Cross, Town of Friday Harbor and other organizations would be deployed as well, said Cowan, but this drill focused on San Juan County employees.
Thirty representatives from the county, and a few outside agencies, joined forces to maintain government operations after its central location for services was destroyed.