Quake at epicenter of disaster scenario
Region is put on alert for 6-day simulation
When a simulated earthquake hits the Buffalo Niagara region for a drill that begins in 12 days, more than 2,000 military personnel and civilian emergency first responders will be a common sight on the ground and in the air.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport will be protected not only by local police, but by National Guard troops during the training exercise Nov. 1-6.
Eight helicopters will be shuttling medical personnel and "victims" from the primary drill site in the City of Tonawanda to Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, and tactical vehicles, such as Humvees and mobile labs, will be involved in the ground transportation mix.
Top brass from the New York State National Guard came to Western New York on Monday to let residents and the media know that it will only be a drill. They say they want to avoid any chance of people mistaking the Vigilant Guard exercise for the real thing, which is what happened last month in Washington, D.C., during a Coast Guard drill on the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
But there is no question the military and civilian personnel want the simulation to be as dramatic and realistic as possible, so they can test how well they work together and identify missteps in order to avoid making them if the real thing were to occur.
Construction workers already are building three big debris piles — a collapsed building, parking garage and hospital — at the former Spaulding Fibre plant in the City of Tonawanda. The piles will include mannequins, audio of injured people moaning and hazardous materials.
"We've focused our efforts on New York City in the last two years but wanted to look at other opportunities because half of the state's population exists outside New York City," New York National Guard Brig. Gen. Patrick A. Murphy said in explaining why Western New York was selected for the exercise.
A 5.9-magnitude earthquake was picked as the scenario because the damage it would cause is similar to other types of disasters, including weapons of mass destruction, Murphy said.
"It gives us the opportunity to test all kinds of procedures and protocols," he said. "There's hardly anything an earthquake doesn't affect."
Search-and-rescue teams, cadaver dogs and other emergency personnel also will be given the chance to update certification of their credentials during the drill.
In addition to National Guard members traveling from Massachusetts, Vermont and Pennsylvania, rescue workers from many other states and Canada also will be joining in the drill.
Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station will be used to house as many as 1,000 Guard members, and additional accommodations will be set up for displaced individuals, though there will not be many people serving in those roles. Field hospitals will be established in anticipation of local hospitals becoming overloaded.
Sites in Lockport at the old Harrison Radiator plant on Walnut Street and in Niagara Falls at the former Public Safety Building on Hyde Park Boulevard will be used as training locations.
Erie County Emergency Services Commissioner Gregory W. Skibitsky said the overall operation will put personnel, equipment and lines of communication to the test.
"This is where you learn," Skibitsky said. "This is where you perform and find out what works and then modify to apply your best practices."
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