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Team Andersen responds at a moment's notice

  • Published
  • By the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron
  • 36th Civil Engineer Squadron
Guam Homeland Security and the Office of Civil Defense, in coordination with the Department of Defense Joint Task Force-Homeland Defense hosted a no-notice mass casualty airport disaster workshop from July 30 through Aug. 1 at the Hyatt Regency Guam.

During the workshop, participants explored ways to improve the understanding and knowledge of the tactics, techniques and procedures in response to a no-notice mass casualty event through a tabletop exercise, with special emphasis on the disaster response and hazardous materials handling, according to a Guam Homeland Security news release.

The workshop focused on the operational roles and responsibilities of each participating organization and highlighted challenges associated with managing these types of incident responses.

"The conference was an eye-opening event, showcasing each multi-agencies responsibilities and jurisdictional response plans and capabilities," said Master Sgt. Fred W. Richards,  assistant fire chief of Andersen's fire department. "DoD and civil authorities are major stakeholders here on Guam and work very closely with one another to mitigate any mass casualty incident on the island."