A BOMB SCARE CAUSES a stampede and a partial collapse at the National Stadium; a damaged oil tanker spilling oil off Oistins; a tsunami off the South Coast and a hurricane on the way – these were a few of the scenarios addressed during Exercise Tradewinds 2012 Tuesday as part of its command-post exercise, which took place over the past two days.
This exercise, a first in the 28 years of Exercise Tradewinds, took place over several locations such as The Crane Resort in St Philip as the exercise control group, where the scenarios were generated; Grantley Adams International Airport as the joint operations centre, Department of Emergency Management (DEM) headquarters as the national emergency operations centre, and Coast Guard headquarters HMBS Pelican as the maritime operation centre. It also included training operations at Barbados Defence Force (BDF) headquarters Paragon and various smaller locations.
At The Crane yesterday, chief controller United States Major Carlos Davila said the exercise involved around 80 role players and technical experts who came up with the simulations to exercise the training audience.
“Our focus is on the Regional Security Systems (RSS) and the Caribbean Emergency Disaster Management Agency, as well as local agencies such as the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) and the Barbados Defence Force,” he said.
The idea, he said, was to overwhelm Barbados’ security forces in order to bring in the RSS, which would enhance interoperability between the islands.
Captain Junior Browne of the BDF said the exercise was geared more to the operational level rather than the tactical, so there would not be actual men in the field as it was all done on computers.
He said it was an opportunity for those at the operational and strategic level to see if Barbados had the correct
procedures in place to deal with such disasters.
“In looking at exercises of this nature, there will be confusion at the beginning but I think the teams in place at the joint operations centre and the national emergency operations centre [have done well],” he said.
Browne said the media had been included, with simulated radio and television news agencies providing support and conducting interviews as it was important to get information out to the general public.
DEM programme officer Robert Harewood said their role was to plan the humanitarian relief aspect of the scenarios, adding the hope was to test the command structures in place and “push the envelope”.
Over in the DEM headquarters, the National Emergency Operations Centre, several agency representatives were gathered to respond to the scenarios, such as members of the RBPF, the BDF, the ministries of Health, Transport and Works, Education, Tourism, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs, the RSS and DEM, among other representatives. (CA)
