[Tang-Residents] FW: "Urban Shield" training this weekend

[Michael J Collins]

FYI


Subject: "Urban Shield" training this weekend

Dear Colleagues,

Please be aware that regional law enforcement training exercises will take place in the Cambridge and Boston area on Saturday and Sunday, May 3 and 4. There will be a training exercise on campus on Saturday. Information is below.

Regards,
Ruth T. Davis
MIT Department of Facilities

MIT Northwest Campus Area
On Saturday, May 3 from approximately 11:40-12 p.m. at the MIT Building on 195 Albany Street, there will be an exercise to enable public safety agencies, like the Cambridge Police, Fire and Emergency Management Departments, to work collaboratively in a simulated environment and effectively manage a real-world scenario.  The simulated situation in Cambridge will be an injured officer with tactical medic and EMS integration.  More information about this weekend's training is outlined in the press release detailed below, which was issued by Mayor Walsh's Office of Emergency Management.
 
As a result of the training, Cambridge citizens may observe public safety personnel responding to simulated emergencies. Each scenario will be run multiple times, and we urge residents not to be alarmed. There is no danger to anyone in the area, and exercises will be done in cordoned-off areas away from the public.
  
*Press Release - DRAFT*
 
Urban Shield: Boston to Test Region's First Responders Members of the Public May See Public Safety Personnel Responding to Simulated Emergencies. Exercise Will Consist of Several Events Throughout City and Region. No Danger to the Public. 
 
BOSTON-- On Saturday, May 3, the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management will host Urban Shield: Boston, a 24-hour regional training exercise that simulates large-scale public safety incidents in the Metro-Boston area.  Urban Shield: Boston will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday and conclude at 8 a.m. Sunday. It will include approximately 2,000 personnel from the City of Boston, (to include Boston Police, Fire, EMS, Emergency Management and Public Health), the Metro-Boston Homeland Security Region (to include the Cities of Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Quincy, Revere, Somerville and the Towns of Brookline and Winthrop), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals.  The exercise will assess the ability of public safety personnel to successfully respond to, and manage, multiple public safety threats and emergencies occurring simultaneously throughout the metro-Boston area.
 
"As we saw last year during the Boston Marathon attacks, our first responders are well trained to handle any situation," Mayor Martin Walsh said.  "Urban Shield: Boston is a unique training exercise that enables our first responders to work collaboratively in a simulated environment so they can operate effectively in real-world scenarios."
 
As first responder teams arrive from throughout the Metro-Boston region, they will be assigned to deal with a series of 11 complex public safety scenarios based on past real-life events, including:
	an "active shooter" situation in Brookline
	a "hostage" rescue of elected officials in Boston
	an "explosive device" found in the transit system
	an "injured officer" situation in Cambridge
	a "parking lot collapse" in Boston
	and a large-scale consolidated event at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
 
Funding from the Urban Area Security Initiative grant program through the Department of Homeland Security has been appropriated with the goal of providing a multi-layered training exercise to enhance the skills and abilities of the region's first responders. Every aspect of Urban Shield: Boston (planning, preparation and execution of the exercise) is managed by first responders in the MBHSR.
 
"Urban Shield: Boston allows the Region's first responders to establish professional relationships with their partner agencies prior to an emergency so the first time they are meeting is not during an active response," says Rene Fielding, Director, Mayor's Office of Emergency Management.
 
The Urban Shield: Boston exercise debuted in 2011 with the intent of validating emergency response investments in equipment and training through a series of contingency-based scenarios that reflect the current threat to public safety and security. The results of the exercise are evaluated by the MBHSR leadership and used to inform future procurements in equipment and training requirements. 
 
Urban Shield: Boston will run for a 24-hour period.  As a result residents may observe public safety personnel responding to simulated emergencies. Each scenario will be run multiple times, and we urge residents not to be alarmed. There is no danger to anyone in the area, and exercises will be done in cordoned-off areas away from the public.
 
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