POST FALLS - Medical agencies on both sides of the border blazed a new trail on Wednesday.

For the first time, a live mock disaster drill, specifically a three-vehicle accident, involving firms in North Idaho and eastern Washington was held.

"We've worked with each other for years, but we haven't practiced a major disaster," said Mark Mueller, assistant clinical director of Valley Hospital's emergency department.

Mueller said such a multi-state training hasn't been held for various reasons, including a lack of funding, political and geographic boundaries and agencies in both states being on different radio systems.

"The two states don't necessarily talk," Mueller said. "We're making them talk today."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has called for such training and awareness of regional disaster situations.

Mueller said with no dividers along Interstate 90 on the Idaho side the stretch is prone to multi-vehicle accidents that require patients to be transported to medical centers in both directions.

"We want to make sure patients immediately go to an open trauma bay," he said, adding that sometimes two medical facilities need to be involved.

Wednesday's mock crash at Kootenai County Fire and Rescue's new training campus along Seltice Way in Post Falls was modeled after a fatal crash two years ago along I-90 in Post Falls.

In the training, emergency personnel responded, extrication was needed and patients were transported non-code to Kootenai Medical Center and Valley Hospital. The drill was meant to tax local resources, forcing them to branch out and ask for help.

At Valley, a blood bank was called upon to assist the patients. Doctors at both hospitals participated.

"We're greasing the communication and streamlining it," said Lynn Borders, head of Kootenai County EMS who helped organize the training. "It's important that we work with our neighbors. For us, it starts with communication."

Kootenai County is on a 700-megahertz system. Spokane is considering going to a similar system.

A training exercise on the Washington side is planned for next year.

"Our goal is to start small and build on it over the years," Borders said of the training. "We won't stop after this exercise."