DAVENPORT, IOWA -- On March 7, 65 representatives from 49 Quad Cities responding organizations converged on the new Scott County Emergency Operations Center to take part in a three-hour table-top exercise.
Participants said the exercise improved the flow of information the coordination of various emergency agencies in the event of an actual emergency.
"By continuing to exercise new potential threats, it keeps the material fresh and the participants on their feet," said Shelly Chapman, Rock Island County Board executive assistant. "It makes you think out of the box while still utilizing the general principles that we are all comfortable with."
Explosions, contaminated victims and buildings, Emergency Response Decontamination, and public information were all included in the scenario. According to its creators, the objective of this exercise was an intentionally unlikely scenario, a Radioactive Dispersal Device aka,"dirty bomb."
While this scenario is unlikely, officials said the coordinated response it would require applies to most any large-scale intentional or accidental incident.
The exercise began with an operations-style briefing, as responders would receive before a real incident.
The briefing included objectives, intelligence, weather forecast, operations, safety, public information and a summary by the incident commander. The briefing familiarized the audience with presidential directives and national policy requiring common responses among all responding agencies for large-scale incidents.
This drill provided the Quad-City Area response agencies, supporting organizations, the Rock Island Arsenal, and other large companies in the area, the opportunity to discuss issues they may face prior to, during, and after the detonation of a dirty bomb in the community.
The intent of the exercise was to improve the overall operational response, coordination and collective decision-making process. Experienced responders and supporting organizations from across the Quad Cities participated, including: city responders from Rock Island and Moline, Ill.; Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa; and Rock Island Arsenal fire, police, dispatch, transportation; as well as city administration, who under this scenario would be part of the very first responders on scene under mutual aid agreements.
County officials also participated in the exercise from Rock Island and Scott County emergency management agencies, sheriff's departments, health departments, as well as street and Geographical Information System departments. During a real event, these agencies would bring follow-on response, support city responders, and begin to organize and coordinate additional response and resources.
Other participants included state-level representatives from Illinois and Iowa to include police and the Fusion Centers of Transportation, who would assist in the response and organize closing off or re-routing major transportation routes. States provide direct and routine assistance to local jurisdictions through emergency management programs and by routinely coordinating efforts with federal officials.
Federal partners from Rock Island Arsenal tenant organizations, Rock Island District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Weather Service would have been the initial responding agencies with this scenario. Under legal guidelines, federal response can be requested when an incident occurs that exceeds or is anticipated to exceed local or state resources -- or can respond when an incident is managed by federal departments or agencies acting under their own authorities -- the federal government uses the national response framework to involve all necessary department and agency capabilities, organize the federal response, and ensure coordination with other response partners.
"This was a big step for our office to be able to participate in the exercise," said Ray Wolf, National Weather Service. "This exercise provided insight on how best to staff NWS operations in support of such an event, whether or not on-site support is needed, and the importance of communication flow to the media through the public information officer."
"Joint Munitions Command has a multitude of employees that have past and present military experience to include combat experience, law enforcement experience and emergency management / Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Enhanced Conventional Weapons expertise," said Rich Lennon, continuity of operations contractor, Joint Munitions Command at Rock Island Arsenal. "Getting the key agencies together and providing a venue for the agencies to network and building relations will have untold benefits in an actual emergency."
Private sector organizations in the exercise included Exelon, 3M, Trinity and Genesis medical centers. The Quad City Airport and John Deere Corp. participated to address their emergency management requirement in this worst case scenario. Drill officials said private sector organizations play a key role before, during, and after an incident. They must provide for the welfare and protection of their employees in the workplace. In addition, emergency managers must work seamlessly with businesses that provide water, power, communication networks, transportation, medical care, security, and numerous other services upon which both response and recovery are particularly dependent.
Nongovernmental and volunteer organizations such as The Arc of the Quad Cities Area, Red Cross, and Salvation Army also attended. These organizations provide shelter, emergency food supplies, counseling services, and other vital support services to support response and promote the recovery of disaster victims. These groups exercised their ability to provide specialized services that help individuals with special needs, including those with disabilities.
Nita Ludwig Rock Island County Health Department Emergency Communications Coordinator said, "This Table Top Exercise helped us think about our role in recovery in this type of incident."
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