Sunday, June 6, 2010

Drills Continue ~

Jetport emergency drill concluded

By David Hench dhench@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

Local and federal emergency responders launched a disaster drill today to test their ability to work collectively in a major emergency.

The test simulated a plane crash into the Fore River. The event included numerous pieces of emergency apparatus on the Veterans Memorial Briidge and closed the northbound lanes to traffic.

The drill included fire and police from Portland and South Portland, the jetport, the Coast Guard, and Continental Airlines, which agreed to participate in the drill, as well as several other federal and stgate agencies.

A full-scale jetport emergency drill is required by the Federal Aviation Administration every three years.

Following the simulation, participants met to critique the response and look for ways to improve.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Jetport-emergency-drill-underway.html

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Drill at St. Augustine Airport Simulates Crash and Response







ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- The dozens of victims of today's "crash" at the St. Augustine Airport all walked away at the end of the day, because it was all a drill.

Emergency response agencies from throughout the area responded to an "airliner in distress" heading into the airport this morning.

According to St. Johns County Fire Rescue spokesman Jeremy Robshaw, more than 50 responders were on scene to treat the 25-30 "victims" as the plane made a belly landing.

In reality, a Navy plane flew over, leaving behind the crashed plane and victims, who were already in place.

Once the "crash" happened, the rescuers went into action.

Injuries ranged from cuts and bruises to severe trauma.

At the end of the drill, everyone was fine and the rescuers were better trained to handle a real emergency.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=156978&catid=3

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Mock disaster drill tests residents' emergency preparedness skills

By KRISTY CHU
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

MISSION VIEJO – Almost 20 members of the community demonstrated their emergency preparedness skills in a mock disaster drill Tuesday before graduating from Ladera Ranch's 2010 Community Emergency Preparedness Academy program.

The community joined with the city of Mission Viejo to host the mock disaster scene that simulated a 7.3-magnitude earthquake. Volunteer "victims" were made up to look bloodied and injured at the disaster scene staged in the Kershaw Garden and Civic Center parking lot in Mission Viejo. Participants in the CEPA program used the skills they had been taught during an eight-week course to tend to the "victims" in mock car crashes, damaged neighborhoods and in other scenarios.

Article Tab : Some of the 2010 Community Emergency Preparedness Academy program graduates from Ladera Ranch with a wrecked car used during the mock disaster scene.
Some of the 2010 Community Emergency Preparedness Academy program graduates from Ladera Ranch with a wrecked car used during the mock disaster scene.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF BLUGRIND, LARMAC BOARD PRESIDENT AND CEPA VOLUNTEER

LARMAC board president and CEPA volunteer Jeff Blugrind said the mock disaster is an important part of emergency preparedness training.

"Working with (people) that you haven't been working with for seven weeks makes the mock disaster more realistic," Blugrind said. "In a real disaster situation, the possibility of having to use the skills you learned with people you don't know is much greater."

After demonstrating their skills during the mock disaster, 64 students from Ladera Ranch and Mission Viejo received a graduation certificate, an American Red Cross First aid certificate valid for two years and a CPR certificate valid for one year.

CEPA is an eight-week series of workshops that teaches participants basic skills to care for people in emergency situations. Participants receive training on disaster operations, fire safety, earthquake preparedness, CPR and AED, First Aid, search and rescue, neighborhood watch and disaster psychology.

This was the community's fourth year to host the CEPA workshops. Blugrind said 35 students were enrolled in the program, with 24 graduates and 18 participants in the mock disaster. The Ladera Ranch CEPA workshops were led by the Orange County Fire Authority, the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the American Red Cross, Mission Hospital, Doctor's Ambulance and the Santa Margarita Water District. The Ladera Ranch program – funded by LARMAC and the OCFA – is free for participants. The Remington Apartments also donated their facilities to host the CEPA meetings.

Participants must be at least 18. Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita and Trabuco Canyon are also involved in CEPA. Program workshops are not limited to residents in that particular city. Visit cepaoc.org to find out more about upcoming CEPA workshops in Orange County.


http://www.ocregister.com/news/disaster-251977-mock-cepa.html

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Soldiers learn how to transport ammunition

 Pam Baccam
A large number of soldiers and Marines from around the nation will arrive at Pine Bluff Arsenal Saturday to participate in a national military exercise called "Golden Cargo". The exercise will end June 18.

Residents in the area should expect to see more military vehicles on the roadways in and around Pine Bluff and White Hall during this time.

Golden Cargo is a multi-functional logistics exercise, which aids in training Soldiers to handle and transport ammunition safely across millions of miles between installations. It is real-world training from the top of the command to the individual levels.

The exercise is sponsored by the U.S. Joint Munitions Command and executed by Soldiers of the U.S. Army Reserve and U.S. Marine Corps

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=105988&catid=2

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