May 15, 2015 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (SH2015-19) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION R. Steve Huffman Public Information Officer (251) 208-2857/Fax: (251) 208-2861 E-Mail: huffman@cityofmobile.org OPERATIONAL READINESS EXERCISE/DRILL TO BE CONDUCTED The National Preparedness Assessment Division (NPAD) in conjunction with FEMA Urban, Search and Rescue (US&R) has worked to develop an accreditation program for the purposes of typing, validating, and cataloging disaster response assets across the nation. The effort was started with the intent to pre-identify viable response assets the nation could call on during times natural disasters, terrorist attacks, or other major events. The process consists of two elements, an Administrative Readiness Evaluation (ARE) and an Operational Readiness Evaluation (ORE). In August of 2014 the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department’s Urban Search and Rescue team Alabama Task Force One (AL-TF1) went through the Administrative Evaluation and became the first in the nation to pass this standard, over the course of the last year four other programs have been administratively evaluated (MD, NJ, VA, and TX) to date AL-TF1 is still the only program to have passed. Additionally, three have been operationally evaluated (NJ, VA, and TX) to date none have passed. On Monday May 18th AL-TF1 will be conducting an Operational Readiness Exercise (ORE) for the purposes of completing the final component of the new national accreditation program. If AL-TF1 is found to be compliant with the criteria outlined in the operational evaluation it will once again be the first in the nation. The ORE is composed of five different elements, Mobilization, Transportation, Base of Operations, On-Site Operations, and Demobilization. The On-Site portion requires the team to demonstrate all the search and rescue disciplines they may be called upon to perform based on the defined operational capabilities for our resource type, these include; wide area, technical, and canine search, as well as the rescue disciplines of rope, confined space, structural collapse (shoring, breaching, heavy lifting), extrication, water operations, and hazardous materials. The drill will begin at 8:00 a.m. with mobilization from the homeland security offices at 720 Museum Dr. From there the team will convoy to the USS Alabama which will serve as their base of operations for the exercise. The exercise will be conducted at several locations across the city including Water Operations in Mobile Bay, Structural Collapse scenario at the Fire Department Training Center, a wide area search operation at Josephine Allen, and a Haz-Mat scenario at the Battleship and is scheduled to run until 10:00 PM. The exercise scenario involves an F-3 Tornado, which evolves into an F-4 Storm that touches down in the Pinebrook area crosses Airport Blvd/Azalea Rd moves through the Springhill Area. The supercell weakens some and then dissipates over the Mobile delta after leaving a path of destruction through Crichton, Toulminville, and Happy Hills. The exercise will cover several sites: Site #1 Structure Collapse - Mobile Fire Training Center – 860 Owens St. Site #2 Water Ops - Little Sand Island. Site #3 Wide Area Search – Happy Hills - Simpson Ave & E. Franklin Dr. Site #4 Industrial Complex – U.S.S. Alabama – 2703 Battleship Parkway. Base of Operation (BoO) – U.S.S. Alabama – 2703 Battleship Parkway. Mob Site – AL-TF1 Program Office. All times for the exercise are approximate. 6:00 a.m. - Tornado touches down 6:45 a.m. - Team is activated (Mob Site) 8:00 a.m. – Team Mobilizes (Mob Site) 11:00 a.m. – Convoy from Mob Site to USS Alabama. 11:30 a.m. - Team arrives at BoO at Battleship Park. 1:00 p.m. – Helicopter low flyover of Disaster Area. 1:30 p.m. – Rescuers out in boats Site #2. 1:30 p.m. – Search and Rescue canine team checks the rubble pile Site #1. 1:45 p.m. – Helicopter removes victims from Little Sand Island Site #2. 2:30 p.m. – Helicopter lands in training academy parking lot for an extraction of rescuer Site #1. 6:00 p.m. – Haz Mat Incident Site #4. 6:30 p.m. – Helicopters fly in recon team for Wide Area Search at Site #3. ###