MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is scheduled to conduct its annual All Hazards Protection Exercise, Vector West 09, Aug. 12 to 13.
Base residents may witness emergency vehicles and personnel responding to simulated incidents, but are advised not to be alarmed.
This full-scale training exercise is comprised of a sequence of hazard and consequence management operations designed to drill the emergency response procedures used by MCB Camp Pendleton.
The exercise will help improve readiness in coordinating an effective response to hazardous incidents. It will allow base officials to identify shortfalls that can be mitigated and ensure the base’s ability to communicate with and support DoD, federal, state and local authorities during a disaster.
The exercise will include several events such as the testing of emergency notification systems, execution of area barrier plans, activation of the base crisis action team, a simulated incident in the 32 Area and the establishment of an evacuation shelter at the 21 Area Fitness Center.
“Multiple incidents (will) occur across the base that require the CAT to support several Incident Commanders from the beginning of the incidents through their natural conclusion,” according to the Vector West 09 letter of instruction.
Elements of the exercise will be visible to base residents and personnel.
Area commanders are scheduled to execute barriers plans from 6 p.m. to about midnight, Aug. 12.
On Aug. 13, a simulated incident is scheduled to occur in the 32 Area. An evacuation shelter will be established at the 21 Area Fitness Center in support of the simulated incident.
Participants will include base staff, military police, explosive ordnance disposal personnel, and members of Camp Pendleton Fire and Emergency Services, Marine Air Support Squadron 3, 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Naval Criminal Investigation Service and the Criminal Investigation Division.
Traffic control will be provided in the vicinity of the training exercise in order to minimize the impact on the base’s daily operations.
Emergency Medical Technicians and safety personnel will also be on-site, not as participants, but specifically for the safety of the training evolution.