CONTACT: Military and Public Officials Announce Launch of Vigilant Guard

FOR RELEASE: Sunday, Nov 01, 2009

WHO:

Brigadier General Michael Swezey, commander Joint Task Force 6 New York National Guard; Chris Collins, Erie County Executive; Mayor Ron Pilozzi, City of Tonawanda; Director John R. Gibb, State Emergency Management Office and Robert D. Jacobi, PhD, University at Buffalo professor of geology

WHAT:

Press Conference announcing the launch of Exercise Vigilant Guard November 1-6 in Greater Buffalo Region, followed by coverage opportunity of search and rescue operations on simulated disaster site

WHEN:

1:30 p.m. Monday, November 2, 2009

WHERE:

Former Spaulding Fibre Plant site, 320 Hinds Street, Tonawanda, NY 14150

More than 1300 National Guard troops and hundreds of local and regional emergency response professionals will participate in the largest joint emergency response exercise ever conducted in Western New York. The training involves search and rescue and recovery operations following a simulated earthquake in the region. At the conclusion of the press conference news media representatives will be escorted inside the fence to the exercise disaster sites to cover operations by both the military and civilian authorities. Vigilant Guard is a national exercise program sponsored by the National Guard Bureau and United States Northern Command to provide a joint training opportunity for National Guard and emergency response organizations to build relationships with local, state, regional and federal partners against a variety of different homeland security threats including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. Additional coverage opportunities: Joint Reception, Staging and Onward Integration of troops at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Base beginning November 1 Search and rescue operations, ground medical evacuation operations at the Spaulding Fibre Plant site November 2-4 Air evacuation of simulated casualties on November 3-4 from the Tonawanda Firemen's Park to the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Base and medical support operations -More- Army National Guard helicopter medical evacuation to selected area hospitals on November 5 External evaluation of the New York National Guard's 2nd Civil Support Team at the former Niagara Falls Public Safety Building on November 5 Training of the Massachusetts and Pennsylvania Civil Support Teams in Lockport on November 3 and 4 respectively Critical Infrastructure inspections conducted by New York National Guard personnel and the New York State Military Emergency Boat Service November 2-4 The Erie County Emergency Operations Center in Cheektowaga, and the New York State Emergency Operations Center and the National Guard's Joint Operation Center, both in Albany will run concurrent and coordinated command post exercises. The headquarters of Joint Task Force 6 based at the Connecticut Street Armory will also be in operation. Interested news organizations can contact the Vigilant Guard Public Affairs Officer Lt. Col. Paul Fanning for updated exercise information and to gain access to the various training venues for additional coverage opportunities. Formal training operations conclude on November 5th with after action reviews and return movements running on November 6th. For more information, contact Lieutenant Colonel Paul Fanning, New York National Guard at (518) 786-4581, Ellen Notarius, Erie County Executive's Office at (716) 858-8500. For daily updates, go to the New York National Guard Vigilant Guard journal at http://dmna.ny.gov/blog/?journal=1254502561

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