Maine Vigilant Guard exercise underway

    AUGUSTA — National Guard members, first responders; local, county and state emergency managers; volunteer agencies and multi-national participants and observers are conducting a large-scale training exercise this week all across the state of Maine.

    The exercise, called Vigilant Guard, began Tuesday with a simulated ice storm, followed by simulated blizzard conditions and frigid temperatures.
    Then other training scenarios will unfold all over the state, including simulated bus accidents, potential intruders, bomb threats and other possible terrorist threats, hazardous materials incidents, collapsed structures and cyber security breaches.
    Just as in real life, these simulated events will create consequences that will require emergency intervention. In addition, public health officials will test their plans to distribute and dispense of emergency medications, and the American Red Cross will be exercising some of their critical emergency functions.
    In the areas where specific training events are taking place, the public may see an increased number of public safety or military vehicles, uniformed first responders and military personnel. Emergency vehicles will not be using lights and sirens, and areas may have signs indicating that an exercise is in progress.
    In addition to specific training scenarios, communications and computer systems will be subject to rigorous testing. At various times, the scenario will “remove” certain systems, forcing emergency managers to determine how they would use other systems to compensate.
    “This exercise not only tests our specific training and equipment, but also our ability to solve unexpected problems in an emergency situation,” said Rob McAleer, director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency.
    Some of the planned exercises include a mass casualty response with cross-border coordination on Route 201 in Jackman and a maritime incident scenario in Portland harbor.
    Vigilant Guard is part of a series of training sponsored by the U.S. Northern Command and the National Guard Bureau aimed at improving command, control, operational relationships and interagency coordination with local, state and regional civilian and military emergency response partners.