A child was abducted in Perham Sept. 6. Fortunately, it was only a test.
Twenty-eight members of the Perham Volunteer Fire Department searched high and low on the north side of town Wednesday night, searching for a missing child as part of a mock drill.
Within about an hour and 15 minutes, the girl and her mother were located--hiding in some trees in the industrial park area. The mom and daughter (wife and child of one of Perham's firefighters) volunteered to be the "missing" individuals for the drill. Only the PFD's training officer knew where the mom and child were hiding.
"We combed the north half of Perham...We simulated what we would do in such a situation," said Perham Fire Chief Tracy Schmidt. Firefighters were split into five teams, and much of the search work was a door-to-door sweep, said Schmidt.
Firefighters were given a sheet of paper with a photo, height, weight and age; and information regarding where the abduction victim was last seen.
ADVERTISEMENT
Reaction from residents, as the firefighters patrolled neighborhoods and asked questions, was very positive, said Schmidt. It was explained to the public that was approached by the firefighters that the mock-abduction was only a drill. They were very appreciative that the fire department was training for such an occurrence, said Schmidt.
The speed with which the child was found surprised even some of the firefighters.
"But we weren't testing a timeline so much as the procedure and communications... Methodically breaking down the community into sections, and the door-to-door experience," said Schmidt.
