WeHo EOC Drill 2016 from LACoFD TSS on Vimeo.
Chilling. But thankfully not real.
The video above shows West Hollywood City Hall staffers, members of the City Council and law enforcement and fire department personnel in emergency operations training drills on Sept. 12.
Participating in the drills — one in the morning; one in the afternoon — were approximately 35 city employees and nearly 20 representatives from local law enforcement and the L.A. County Fire Department. In a simulation at West Hollywood City Hall, the city’s Public Safety Department activated the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which is responsible for coordinating the city’s response to, and recovery from, emergency incidents.
“For the EOC exercises, the Fire Department’s training services section’s film unit designed a film using a high production value, which added a realistic dimension to the training,” the city said in a press release describing the event. “The 53-minute film created a ‘live breaking news’ format with social media and cell phone footage intercut with a news anchor reporting the developing story on television screens located in the Emergency Operations Center.
“Footage simulated a dynamically evolving emergency situation, which began with reports of a structure fire within West Hollywood. The situation, as seen on television, quickly escalated with an active shooter scenario complete with emergency responses, road closures, evacuations, shelters, and a mock news conference. The video footage added a sense of realism that is rarely seen or felt in a simulated training environment. The EOC drill included role-playing, which involved operations, planning/intelligence, logistics, procurement and communications functions to ensure that the exercise matched, as closely as possible, a real-life emergency response experience. Participant feedback will help to inform EOC improvements and help the city to remain well prepared for emergencies in the future.”
September is National Preparedness Month, with the city encouraging residents to make a plan with neighbors and family, as well as for pets, to stay safe and communicate during potential disasters and emergencies, and store or refresh reserve water and food supplies. The City of West Hollywood’s website www.weho.org/publicsafety features tools and information dedicated to helping community members prepare for emergencies.
A most important exercise allowing the several agencies to learn to work together. Should be done at least three times a year to keep sharp, stay abreast of changing conditions – and incl,use CERTeams, since there are about 120 hours each week when city staff may not be available to participate and the enht6ertainment venues are going full force. Unless, of course, more city staff now live in the city and have been trained to work the EOC.