Volunteers Sought to Portray Concertgoers for Simulated Mass Casualty Training at SPAC

SARATOGA SPRINGS — New York State Park Police will conduct a simulated training exercise focusing on a mass casualty response on April 30 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. The training will focus on coordination and emergency response during several simulated scenarios envisioning an incident involving injuries to a large number of concertgoers at the venue.

Park Police are seeking volunteers to portray concertgoers from 7 a.m. to noon. Weapons used during training exercises are incapable of firing a live duty round.

The exercise will involve personnel from Park Police, New York State Police, Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, Saratoga Springs City Police and Fire Departments, local EMS Agencies as well as operations staff from Saratoga Spa State Park, Live Nation and SPAC. Additionally, Saratoga Hospital, Albany Medical Center and their regional partners will concurrently be exercising how the simulated event will affect their emergency plans.

The area around SPAC will be closed to the public.

Those interested in volunteering should provide name, phone and email to contact information. Volunteers will need to provide a signed volunteer service agreement at the time of service. A copy is available at: parks. ny.gov/documents/inside-ouragency/PublicDocuments/Permits/ VolunteerServiceAgreement English.pdf.

Send completed volunteer agreements and/or questions to ParksEmergencyMgmt-Exercises@ parks.ny.gov.

SARATOGA

SPRINGS —

Former city Mayor John Michael (J. Mike) O’Connell, passed away peacefully in Saratoga Springs during the early morning on Saturday, Feb. 25, the city announced this week. He was 87.

Mayor O’Connell, a Republican, served two terms as the 15th mayor of Saratoga Springs, from 1996-1999.

O’Connell was born Dec. 23, 1935 at Saratoga Hospital and graduated of St. Peter’s Academy in 1953, according to an obituary published by William J. Burke & Sons/ Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Homes. He worked as N.Y. Deputy State Comptroller from 1983 to 1987, prior to being named Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety in Saratoga Springs (1987-1991) and being elected to office as Commissioner of Finance, which he served from 1991-1995.