March 26, 2009
Thursday

Ketchikan, Alaska - Local volunteers are needed to participate in a large scale maritime mass evacuation exercise in Ketchikan on April 29, 2009. The exercise is being jointly planned by the City of Ketchikan, Alaska, Holland America Line, Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Volunteers will role play passengers and crew that have been evacuated from a large passenger ship at sea. The main goal of the exercise is to practice accountability and shore side care for all the evacuated. A selected number of volunteers will be assigned as "injured" and processed through the medical response system, others will help exercise the Customs and Border Protection clearance procedures, and the remainder will test the ability of the response organization to account and track all evacuees. Although this exercise is based on a maritime incident, the processes exercised apply to all mass rescue events including airline or natural disaster incidents.

On exercise day, April 29th, volunteers will check in at 7:00 a.m. at the Ted Ferry Civic Center. Exercise play is expected to end by 2:00 p.m. A light lunch and snacks will be provided. Volunteers will be required to attend a short meeting at 6:15 p.m. on April 27 or 28, 2009 at the Ted Ferry Civic Center. At this meeting, role playing assignments and instructions will be provided.

Volunteers are requested to register at www.massrescue.us and review exercise schedules. Local volunteers are critical to the success of this exercise. Consider joining the fun and improving local emergency response. Get together with your friends, teammates, church members, or family and register together. For questions, please email rick.n.janelle@uscg.mil.

Source of News:

U.S. Customs & Border Protection

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