Vermont Business MagazineLocal and State emergency responders will team with the Vermont National Guard (VNG) and federal agencies in a full-scale emergency exercise in Vermont in the summer of 2016. Operation Vigilant Guard will be carried out for one week at the end of July, 2016.4,000 responders from municipalities, state and federal agencies, the Vermont National Guard, hospitals, utilities, airports, and others will be in emergency operations centers and in the field performing tasks in response to a simulated disaster in Vermont.Crews will be clearing debris, distributing emergency provisions and supplies, and arranging assets from out of state to assist in the response.
The Vermont Division of Emergency Management & Homeland Security (DEMHS) and the Vermont National Guard began planning the exercise in June 2013.The goals of the exercise include showing the ability to share information between the local, state, regional, and federal levels; demonstrating the ability of Vermont healthcare facilities to manage patient surge; and show the ability of the Vermont public and private sector to restore lifeline sectors and services.
"We conduct these exercises so we're ready to respond when real catastrophic events occur - like Tropical Storm Irene," DEMHS Director Christopher Herrick said."The scenario will include large-scale representations of hazards we face in Vermont.They'll require us to not only respond to a medical event, natural disaster, and other crises, but also recover from those events."
"The Vigilant Guard exercise will be an excellent opportunity for the Vermont National Guard to validate our training and plans to support the State in times of emergency," said Major General Steve Cray, Vermont's Adjutant General.
Specific details of the exercise will remain confidential as players cannot know those details before being evaluated during the exercise.
Vermont Division of Emergency Management & Homeland Security/VT National Guard
Vigilant Guard Fact Sheet -December 17, 2015
* Full-scale exerciseJuly 27 - August 2, 2016in multiple Vermont locations to evaluate emergency workers' abilities to respond to catastrophic event.
* 4,000 Players
o Vermont Municipalities
* Town of Colchester
* Town of Guilford
* Town of Lyndon
* City of Newport
* City of Rutland
* Town of Wilmington
* Town of Windsor
o Vermont state agencies
* Agency of Agriculture
* Agency of Commerce and Community Development
* Agency of Transportation
* Department of Health
* District offices
* 14 VT Hospitals
* Department of Public Safety
* Division of Emergency Management & Homeland Security
* Division of Fire Safety
* Urban Search and Rescue
* Vermont State Police
* Others in the State Emergency Operations Center
o Vermont National Guard
o Other Vermont players
* Burlington Airport
* Red Cross
* Vermont 2-1-1
* Vermont Electric Cooperative
o Federal agencies
* Federal Emergency Management Agency
* Centers for Disease Control
* Department of Health and Human Services
* Coast Guard
* Others
* Simulation includes
o Emergency Operations Centers and in the field
o Natural disaster response and recovery
o Medical surge
o Others (cannot be revealed before exercise to ensure surprise and a true representation of performance for evaluation.)