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Mayor Menino
Announces Urban Shield: Boston; Simulated 24-Hour Public Safety
Exercise
Members of the
Public May Hear Simulated Gunfire and See Police Officers Responding
to Simulated Emergencies. Exercise Will Consist of Several Events
Throughout City and Region. No Danger to the Public.
On Saturday, the area will host Urban Shield: Boston, a 24-hour
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 personnel
from the City of Boston, (including Boston Police, Fire, and EMS)
Metro-Boston Homeland Security Region, the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA),
the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals and UMass Boston, and
the United States Coast Guard. This exercise will assess each
team’s ability to successfully respond to, and manage, public safety
events and other emergencies occurring simultaneously throughout the
Boston area.
Urban Shield: Boston will run for a 24-hour period. As a result
residents in the area may hear simulated gunfire, observe officers
responding to simulated emergencies, or see activity in the Boston
Harbor. Each scenario will be run multiple times, and organizers
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.
“Training is vital for our first responders. They are on the
frontlines when an emergency occurs, and we want them trained in the
best ways possible to handle any situation,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino
said. “Urban Shield: Boston displays the steps the metro-Boston
region takes to prepare for all-hazards and sets a national example
for cities around the country to create a coordinated full-scale
training exercise.”
The following locations will host exercises:
* USS Salem (Quincy) for “maritime interdiction”
* The former B-2 Police Station (Boston) for simulated SWAT
exercises (Fenced-off area of station grounds only)
* The former Circle Cinemas (Brookline) for a simulated bank
robbery and hostage situation
* Bowdoin MBTA Station (Boston) for a simulated HazMat
incident
* Boston Harbor Anchorage #1 (Boston) for simulated maritime
operations and a ferry boat HazMat scenario
* UMass Boston Campus (Boston) for a culminating exercise
involving all agencies and a variety of exercises.
* Eight hospitals throughout Boston for simulation of HazMat
decontaminations, management of simulated victims, and activation of
a Medical Intelligence Center Various agencies will be involved,
including UASI Boston Communities including Boston, Brookline,
Cambridge, Somerville, Winthrop, Revere, Quincy, Everett, and
Chelsea and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) units from:
* the Boston Police Department;
* the Brookline Police Department;
* the Cambridge Police Department;
* the Revere Police Department;
* the Northeastern Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC);
* the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Association (MBTA) Police
Department;
* the Massachusetts State Police;
* the Middlesex County Police Department;
* the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council;
* the Manchester, NH Police Department
Urban Shield: Boston is grant-funded through the Urban Area Security
Initiative, a program of the Department of Homeland Security. The
event is a multi-layered training exercise designed to enhance the
skills and abilities of regional first responders during large-scale
emergencies.
The exercise also tests the command structure of the Unified Area
Command (UAC), a collaborative of high ranking personnel from each
public safety agency throughout the metro region and is supported by
$2 million worth of communications equipment that allows for
seamless interoperability and coordination during a large scale
crisis. Through the UAC, officials will review current policies and
capabilities, regarding equipment, communication systems, and
emergency operation centers.
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