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Countywide Terrorism Response Exercise Sept. 16 at Sports Complex
Sep 15, 2005 (MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES: The media will be required to report to the media/observer area. The attached shows a map of the area and an agenda for the day. Tomorrow, the VOICE folks will guide you in the right direction, but this map and agenda will give you a feel for the day's layout.) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Paul Filla, Lee County Public Safety, 344-5406 COUNTYWIDE TERRORISM RESPONSE EXERCISE SEPT. 16 AT SPORTS COMPLEX FORT MYERS, Fla. (September 15, 2005) - Lee County Emergency Management officials and emergency response agencies will conduct a full-scale training exercise to evaluate the county's response to a simulated terrorist attack at the Lee County Sports Complex on Six Mile Cypress Parkway, Friday, September 16. The exercise will start at 9:00 am and end at approximately 1:00 pm. The exercise, coordinated by Lee County Emergency Management, will test multiple response agencies skills in the following areas: Fire Departments ability to respond to an incident involving weapons of mass destruction and their capacity for mass decontamination of victims Law Enforcements ability to respond to the scene, sum up the situation, clear the area and search for additional weapons and/or terrorist Emergency Medical Service ability to triage, treat and transport victims to county hospitals Mass Transits ability to evacuate large number of victims to county hospitals Medical Examiners ability to handle mass fatalities County hospitals ability to receive, perform secondary decontamination and treat victims County emergency response and management agencies ability to perform effective command and control over the situation Agencies directly involved in the exercise will be: Lee County Emergency Management Lee County Emergency Medical Service Lee County Sheriff's Office Southwest Florida Regional Domestic Security Task Force Lee County Medical Examiner South Trail Fire District Fort Myers Fire Department HAZMAT team Lee County Bomb Squad Lee County SWAT Lee County Health Department Lee Tran Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Marshal's Office Lee County Public Safety Communications Lee County Department of Parks and Recreation Lee Memorial Hospital Cape Coral Hospital Gulf Coast Hospital Other county and regional agencies as requested to support with mutual aid The exercise cannot be successfully executed without a large number of volunteers and volunteer agencies to support the exercise. Some of these agencies are as follows: Lee County Chapter of the American Red Cross Salvation Army of Lee County Lee County Sheriffs Office V.O.I.C.E. volunteers Lee County Medical Reserve Corps Southwest Florida Police and Fire Academy North Fort Myers CERT Association Edison Community College Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau The exercise is being conducted primarily with grant money provide through the State of Florida from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Domestic Preparedness. Therefore, the exercise will be conducted in accordance with the comprehensive National Incident Management System (NIMS). No roads will be closed as a result of the exercise. However, traffic in the vicinity of the exercise site could be heavier than normal due to actual evacuation of simulated victims. Citizens are requested to avoid this area if at all possible during the exercise timeframe. Editors Note: Media representatives are invited to attend the exercise activities September 16th. Reporters must contact the Lee County Public Safety Public Information Officer at (239) 344-5406 or 477-3600 if they desire to cover the event. |