Disaster training in Douglas County next week

On June 28, Douglas County Emergency Management and East Fork Fire and Paramedic District will host a large-scale man-made disaster training exercise in the Carson Valley form about 5am to 8pm.

Citizens may see a considerable amount of military, law enforcement, fire, and EMS vehicles and personnel in various areas of Douglas County throughout the day during the exercise.

The exercise, code named Sierra Breeze 11, will test local, state, and national public safety entities in their ability to perform duties in a joint command during a large scale man-made disaster.

The Nevada National Guard 92nd Civil Support Team will be one of the units deployed during the exercise. The mission of the 92nd CST is to provide public safety resources at a domestic chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear threat or incident.

The 92nd CST, based in Southern Nevada, has personnel and equipment to work with civil authorities to identify dangerous substances or chemical agents, assess current and projected CBRN contamination, and provide technical assistance on mitigating CBRN incidents.

Their mission scope includes the intentional or accidental release of nuclear material, toxic chemicals, biological hazards or radiological hazards that could result in catastrophic injury, or loss of life or property within the community. The 92nd CST provides a well trained team to support local and state response in emergency incidents.

At the completion of the exercise, evaluators will identify areas of improvement for all participating agencies, with focus on training or modifying response protocols to improve effectiveness of public safety.