Simi Valley Emergency Preparedness Expo
[Source: Freq Of Nature]

UPDATE: Photos from the 2003 Simi Valley Emergency Prepardeness Expo have been added to the web site.
posted by Tracy Justus at 5/10/2003  

Simi Valley Emergency Preparedness Expo
[Source: City of Simi Valley; Photo: Tracy Justus]

The ninth annual Simi Valley Emergency Preparedness Expo will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2003 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., in conjunction with the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce Street Fair. The events will take place on Tapo Street, north of Eileen Street.

A realistic demonstration of agencies working together to rescue victims will begin at 1:00 p.m. A volunteer victim will be extricated from a simulated crashed automobile by Ventura County Firefighters using the ``Jaws of Life."

In addition there will be numerous public safety exhibits, vendors, and an array of units and equipment from various local agencies. The Expo will feature:

American Red Cross
Simi Valley Building and Safety Division
Simi Valley Neighborhood Councils
Simi Valley Police Department
SWAT's new Rescue Vehicle, K-9, Traffic Motorcycle, DARE
Simi Valley Public Works Department
Ventura County Environmental Health Department
Ventura County Fire Protection District
Smoke House, Hazardous Materials Decontamination
Ventura County Public Health Department
Ventura County Sheriff's Department

This marks the third year that the Emergency Preparedness Expo will be held in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce's popular Street Fair.
posted by Tracy Justus at 5/7/2003  

Huge Homeland Security Drill Planned
[Source: Washington Post]

By Edward Walsh and John Mintz

This is the scenario: At noon in Seattle, a hidden bomb explodes south of the central business district, causing more than 100 casualties. Significant levels of radiation are detected near the site of the explosion and it soon becomes apparent to local officials that this was no ordinary bomb, but a radiological dispersal device, commonly known as a "dirty bomb."

The next day and some 2,000 miles to the east, people complaining of flu-like symptoms begin to trickle into hospitals in the Chicago area. Over the next 24 hours, the number of arriving patients escalates dramatically. Local officials diagnose the cause of the illness and ask the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to confirm their worst fear -- a deadly, biological agent has been released near Chicago.

These fictional events are set to unfold over five days beginning May 12 in what federal officials say will be the largest homeland security exercise in U.S. history. Dubbed TOPOFF 2 (for Top Officials), the exercise will cost an estimated $16 million and involve more than 100 federal, state and local agencies, the American Red Cross and Canadian government agencies and organizations.
More...
posted by Tracy Justus at 5/5/2003