Weapons Of Mass Destruction Drill

Tuolumne County, CA – The Sierra Mountains are a source of water for the state, so what if terrorists try to poison area reservoirs or a shooter takes aim on the ground, is Tuolumne County ready to take action?

To answer that question, the county’s Office of Emergency Services will be conducting a mock drill next Wednesday, April 22, during the day sponsored by the California Army National Guard 95th Civil Support Team (WMD). The public could see or hear huge helicopters flying overhead, military personnel and swat team members as part of the exercise, which is taking place in Kennedy Meadows and Hetch Hetchy Water and Power in Moccasin.  The drill will also be a way to test any communication problems, according to Office of Emergency Services Coordinator Tracie Riggs. “During the Rim Fire we know communication…was a concern for us. We really want to utilize other resources that are available to us for communication,” says Riggs. She also points out that these resources are free and available where and whenever an emergency arises.

Here is the OES’s list of agencies participating in the exercise:

• Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services
• Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office
• Tuolumne County Environmental Health
• Tuolumne County Fire/Cal FIRE
• Tuolumne County Public Health
• Tuolumne County Ambulance
• Tuolumne County Emergency Medical Services
• Federal Bureau of Investigations WMD
• Hetch Hetchy Water & Power
• Yosemite National Park
• U.S. Forest Service
• San Francisco Police Dept.
• Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians
• California Highway Patrol
• Sonora Regional Medical Center

Here is OES’s list of primary objectives during the drill:

• Dispatch and deploy resource capabilities
• Establish and maintain communications
• Conduct HAZMAT entry and analytical operations
• Conduct medical operations coordinating victim triage, treatment, and transport