| Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
4100 Chain Bridge Rd, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Phone: 703-246-3801, TTY 703-385-4419 and Fax: 703-385-1687
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fire
09/14/2006
Who: |
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department
Virginia Task Force One-Urban Search and Rescue (US&R)
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What: |
Field Training Exercise Simulating an International Deployment to an Act of Terrorism
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When: |
Wednesday, September 20, 2006, 7 a.m. through Thursday, September 21, 5 p.m. (Continuous Operations)
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| Where: |
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy & Various Locations in the County
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The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department’s international urban search and rescue resource, Virginia Task Force One (VATF1), will conduct an Operational Readiness Exercise, as a means to evaluate its disaster response capacity and capability.
The demanding exercise will be conducted in “real-time,” complete with a team mobilization and deployment to the “affected country;” once on site, the Task Force will face differing situations which require problem solving and perform continuous operations at numerous locations. The scenarios used will simulate the results of casualties and structural damage seen after an explosion. The team will perform continuous day/night/day operations including reconnaissance, victim rescue, concrete breaching and patient medical care, as well as K9 search, and hazardous materials recognition and mitigation.
Exercise evaluators and role players are a diverse group of international and domestic search and rescue response professionals; this will provide the Task Force an unbiased assessment of its performance. The evaluation will allow the Task Force to gain United Nations certification for international response, making Fairfax County the only US-based US&R resource so designated.
The Operational Readiness Exercise is a joint collaboration of the Department with its federal partners; the United States Agency for International Development and the Department of Homeland Security; Federal Emergency Management Agency. The United Nations (Geneva) will also take part.
Media is permitted and encouraged to attend.
For more information, call Daniel L. Schmidt or Lieutenant Raul G. Castillo, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, 703-246-3801 and TTY 703-385-4419. Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all county programs, services and activities. Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request.
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