Saturday, September 24, 2011

Operation Mountain Guardian: Simulated Terrorism In Denver Friday


More than 100 agencies from several different jurisdictions are taking part in a terrorism attack drill on Friday, the largest ever performed in Denver. The mock terror drill, Operation Mountain Guardian, will simulate four coordinated terrorist attacks in the Denver metro area, according to Fox31. Operation Mountain Guardian is modeled after the tragic Mumbai, India terrorist incident from Nov., 2008.

According to 7News, the drill will be conducted in 10 different locations around the Denver metro area including:

Park Meadows Mall
Smedley Elementary School
Denver Union Station
Community College of Aurora (Lowry Campus)
Denver International Airport
Sky Ridge Medical Center
University of Colorado Hospital
Catholic Charities (NW Denver)
Sports Authority Field at Mile High

Denver metro residents need not be alarmed by the test of regional response during a terrorist-driven catastrophic scenario which will include simulated weapons, smoke, emergency vehicles and other emergency response sights and sounds throughout the day, CBSDenver reports.

However, it may be difficult to remember that this is just a practice, as Westword reports that the "victims" will even be adorned with fake blood and wounds.

Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said to CBSDenver that there is no immediate concern about terrorism in the Denver metro area, this is just a test of preparedness.




The exercise is scheduled to begin at 0500 hours and end by 1630 hours.

NEWS ADVISORY: Operation Mountain Guardian (continued)





ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND



Operation Mountain Guardian is a terrorism-based full-scale exercise sponsored by the North Central All-Hazards Emergency Management Region, Denver Urban Area Security Initiative, and Front Range Metropolitan Medical Response System. The exercise is a Homeland Security Grant funded event made possible due to grant funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through FEMA Region VIII and the State of Colorado Governor’s Office of Homeland Security.



The North Central All-Hazards Emergency Management Region is one of nine emergency preparedness and response Regions within the State of Colorado. The North Central Region (NCR) is organized around ten counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin and Jefferson.



One purpose of the NCR is to improve Region-wide emergency preparedness, response and homeland security capabilities through coordinated planning, training and exercise efforts. This exercise is evidence of the growing public safety partnership between regional emergency response agencies.



Operation Mountain Guardian is part of a Regional Training and Exercise Plan established in 2009. Planning for Operation Mountain Guardian began in January 2010 and has included several building-block events designed to prepare responders to effectively participate in the full-scale exercise.



The overall Operation Mountain Guardian exercise objectives are:



1. Communications: Assess the ability to establish and maintain multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional communications in response to a terrorism incident.



2. Hazmat Response and Decontamination: Evaluate the capability to coordinate multiple hazmat response teams and assess their ability to perform initial response actions.



3. Public Safety & Security Response: Evaluate the ability to establish scene security and crime scene preservation, coordinate a multi-jurisdictional response, and manage intelligence information in order to mitigate the effects of the event.



4. Explosive Device Response Operations: Evaluate the capability to manage and coordinate explosive device response operations using regional bomb squad teams.



5. Onsite Incident Management: Evaluate the ability to implement the Incident Command System (ICS) and establish multi-jurisdictional command and control.



6. Triage and Pre-Hospital Treatment: Examine the ability of EMS to provide effective pre-hospital emergency medical care in response to a terrorism incident.



7. Medical Surge: Evaluate medical surge capability at area hospitals.



While Operation Mountain Guardian is primarily a Homeland Security Grant funded exercise, the event will also rely heavily on local government emergency response agencies, military organizations, volunteer organizations as well as local charitable organizations.





**The following agencies are expected to participate:





1
84th Civil Support Team

51
Golden Police Department

2
Action Care

52
Greenwood Village Police Department

3
Adams County Office of Emergency Management

53
Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management

4
Adams County Sheriff’s Office

54
Jefferson County Public Health

5
Adcom 911

55
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office

6
American Medical Response

56
Lafayette Fire Dept

7
Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office

57
Lakewood Police Department

8
Arvada Fire Department

58
Larkspur Fire Department

9
Arvada Police Department

59
Littleton Fire Department

10
Aurora Fire Department

60
Littleton Police Department

11
Aurora MMRS

61
Lone Tree Police Department

12
Aurora Office of Emergency Management

62
Longmont Fire

13
Aurora Police Department

63
Longmont Police Department

14
Aurora Public Safety Communications

64
Louisville Fire Department

15
Boulder County Sheriff’s Office

65
Louisville Police Department

16
Boulder Fire Department

66
Metropolitan Area Communications Center

17
Boulder Police Department

67
Mountain View Fire Dept

18
Brighton Fire Protection District

68
National Disaster Medical System

19
Brighton Police Department

69
North Central Region

20
Broomfield Police Department

70
North Metro Fire Rescue District

21
Buckley AFB Fire Department

71
North Washington Fire

22
Castle Rock Fire Department

72
Northglenn Ambulance

23
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

73
Northglenn Police Department

24
Colorado Division of Emergency Management

74
Office of Bombing Prevention

25
Colorado Information Analysis Center

75
Park Meadows Mall

26
Colorado Office of Information Technology

76
Parker Police Department

27
Community College of Aurora

77
Platte Valley Medical Center

28
Cunningham Fire Protection District

78
Porter Adventist Hospital

29
Denver 911

79
Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital

30
Denver Electronic Engineering Bureau

80
Regional Transportation District

31
Denver Fire Department

81
Rural Metro Ambulance

32
Denver Health & Hospital Authority

82
Sable Altura Fire Department

33
Denver Health Paramedic Division

83
Salvation Army

34
Denver International Airport

84
Sheridan Police Department

35
Denver MMRS

85
Sky Ridge Medical Center

36
Denver Office of Emergency Management

86
South Adams County Fire

37
Denver Parks & Recreation

87
South Metro Fire Rescue Authority

38
Denver Police Department

88
St. Anthony’s Hospital

39
Denver Public Schools

89
St. Anthony Summit Medical Center

40
Denver Sheriff’s Department

90
St. Joseph Hospital

41
Denver UASI

91
Swedish Medical Center

42
Douglas County Office of Emergency Management

92
Thornton Fire Department

43
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

93
Thornton Police Department

44
Englewood Fire

94
Tri-County Health Department

45
Englewood Police Department

95
University of Colorado Hospital

46
Environmental Protection Agency

96
VA Hospital

47
Fairmount Fire

97
West Metro Fire Department

48
Federal Bureau of Investigation

98
Western Ambulance

49
Federal Protective Service

99
Westminster Police Department

50
Franktown Fire Department

100
Wheat Ridge Fire Department




101
Wheat Ridge Police Department

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