Urban Shield 09 September 5, 2009

DRILL REPORT: Alameda County/SF Bay Area Urban Shield 09 October 23-26

When: October 23-26, 2009
Where: Alameda County, California (and possibly the surrounding area)
Who: Alameda County Emergency Medical Services, Alameda County Fire Department, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Communications, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue-Unit, Alameda Reuse and Redevelopment Authority, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, American Medical Response (AMR), Amtrak, Amtrak Police Department, Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department, Bay Area Super Urban Area Security Initiative, California Army National Guard, 95th Civil-Support Team (WMD), California Dept. of Corrections & Rehabilitation, California Highway Patrol, CalTrans – CA Dept. of Transportation, California State Sheriff’s Association(CSSA), City of San Francisco, Cobalt, Commission on Peace Officer Standards and -Training (P.O.S.T.), Consulate General of Israel – San Francisco, Denevi Video, Deputy Sheriff’s Association (DSA), Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), Dolphin Graphics, East Bay Regional Parks Police Department, Fremont Police Department, Federal Air Marshal Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI), FedEx, GE-Hitachi Nuclear, Energy Americas, Hayward Police Department, Jet Blue Airways, Kingdom of Bahrain National Police, Livermore Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, Marin County Office of Emergency Services, Marin County Sheriff’s Office, Menlo Park Fire Department, National Guard, 95th Civil Support Team (WMD), Newark Police Department, Oakland Housing Authority, Oakland International Airport, Pleasanton Police Department, Port Board of Commissioners, Port of Oakland, Redwood City Police Department, Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center -(RTTAC), Retired Captain Eilers and the Air Squadron, Ropemasters, Sacramento Police Department, San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office, San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco Watershed District, San Jose Police Department, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety, Transportation Safety Administration, U.S. Maritime Administration Division of Pacific Operators, United States Army – Camp Parks, United States Coast Guard, United States Marine Corps, United States Marshals Service, United States Navy, United States Secret Service, USS Hornet

Wow. Thank you to whoever gave us the tip on this one. Just wow. You can read all about the drill at their website!!! Yes, a huge website bragging about their new urban warfare toys. This was dubbed the “largest Homeland Security drill in the nation” by Berkley Daily Planet (http://www.indybay.or….

Urban Shield 09 Website
http://www.urbanshield.org/

From their homepage:
Urban Shield 2009 will challenge the skills and determination of the competing teams by testing their tactical skills in a series of real life scenarios. We have chosen specific locations that replicate identified problem areas and Tier 1 Critical Infrastructure sites within the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

Each participating tactical, Fire,& EMS team will be provided with state of the art technology and or weaponry. The teams will be challenged to successfully complete a multitude of scenarios and will be provided an opportunity to use their issued equipment under simulated real-world conditions. Our goal is to assess overall tactical, Fire, & EMS skills while testing emergency equipment which is currently in service.

Please join us in this challenging and rewarding effort. The Alameda County Sheriiff’s Office is proud to host this unique training exercise again this year with generous support from the Bay Area SUASI Program. This event is funded by Homeland Security Grant funds. [Emphasis mine.]

You can also read about Urban Shield 2008 in the Jan 2009 edition of California Sheriff (http://www.calsheriffs.org/Documents/CSSA_Mag_Jan09_lr.pdf. Why one county needs the help of the US Secret Service for a weekend drill, is beyond my understanding.