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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 17, 2009 No. 09-060 Vigilant Guard exercise begins Thursday in Topeka, next week in SalinaA series of planned “disasters” will kick off in Kansas Thursday, June 18, as part of a regional training exercise to better prepare first responders for large scale emergencies and terrorism activity. The event, called Vigilant Guard 09, involves local, state and federal response partners from FEMA Region VII (Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri). The exercise includes a scenario which simulates the introduction of foreign animal disease into the state starting June 18 and concludes with a train disaster in Salina June 22 and 23. Both scenarios include aspects of terrorism. To respond to the threat of foreign animal disease in the exercise scenario, the state will activate its Emergency Operations Center in Topeka, where decisions will be made and actions taken to contain the simulated disease. State agencies participating include Kansas Division of Emergency Management, Kansas Animal Health, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Highway Patrol, Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Wildlife and Parks and Kansas National Guard. “Foreign animal disease is a significant threat to the Midwest, given our agricultural focus and our vast livestock industry,” said George Teagarden, Kansas Livestock Commissioner. “This exercise will allow us to test our plans and ensure local, state and federal responders in the region are familiar with how such an event would progress.” ***Media are invited to cover the foreign animal disease exercise from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Topeka at the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) at 2800 SW Topeka Blvd. Photos and video opportunities will be available and interviews with state officials involved in the exercise. The foreign animal disease exercise will conclude at the end of the day June 18 and the focus of events will shift to Salina starting Monday morning, June 22, with a simulated train disaster at the Crisis City rail venue located at the (Great Plains Joint Training Center) and escalating throughout the day and into June 23. “Residents of Salina can expect increased emergency responder activity June 22 and 23 around the Great Plains Joint Training Center, Crisis City and the Salina Airport Authority,” said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, Kansas adjutant general and director of Kansas Division of Emergency Management. “This exercise includes approximately 80 Kansas National Guard members, members of the Kentucky and Iowa National Guards, hundreds of local and state emergency responders such as police, fire, hazmat responders and search and rescue teams including K-9 search units. It will also include the use of unmanned aerial systems to search for disaster victims.” “Kansas emergency responders get a lot of hands-on disaster response experience, given the number of tornados, floods and winter storms we see each year, but this exercise adds terrorism and a number of other events with a regional component,” Bunting said. “It will be an excellent opportunity for local and state responders to train together with the National Guard at the Crisis City disaster site.” ***Media is invited to cover the Salina exercise June 23. Media from Salina and surrounding areas may drive to the site as early as 8:30 a.m. and stay throughout the day (anticipate conclusion by approximately 4p.m.), while Topeka media will be given the opportunity to travel to Salina on a UH-60 Black Hawk. Reporters and photographers planning to cover the event must RSVP by 11 a.m. Friday, June 19 to: sharon.watson3@us.army.mil or 785-274-1192/785-806-4063. Additional information will be needed for those planning to fly on the Black Hawk for flight manifests. Those flying on the Black Hawk will need to be at the State Defense Building (2800 SW Topeka Blvd) no later than 9:30 a.m. The flight back to Topeka is scheduled to arrive at 2 p.m. at the State Defense Building. -30-
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