Regional emergency response training happens this week
In case you missed this notice from the county, I wanted to make sure your were aware of these planned exercises in case you are driving through town on Tuesday and wonder what is going on.
On Tuesday, Sept. 28, a large, regional emergency exercise will take place at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center. People in the area may see an increase of emergency vehicles around the convention center but should not be alarmed.
Pierce, King and Snohomish counties are training to respond to coordinated terrorist attacks across the region. The exercise is an opportunity for multiple emergency disciplines to work together while managing the various emergencies occurring in their jurisdictions and determine where response gaps exist so they can be resolved.
In addition to exercise personnel being at the convention center, each county’s emergency operations center will activate for the exercise. People may see activity around these sites during the event.
Along with fire departments and law enforcement participating, local emergency management, communication centers, health agencies, state and federal partners are involved in the exercise. It will be evaluated to capture areas of success and improvement for the region. All exercise locations and participants will follow COVID-19 protocols.
The Complex, Coordinated Terrorist Attack exercise is four years in development and is funded from a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant awarded to King County Office of Emergency Management. The exercise was originally scheduled to occur in 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic.
Grateful for you,