(Washington, DC) - The Government of the District of Columbia will conduct a two-day emergency preparedness field exercise throughout the day on Thursday, September 23, 2004, at St. Elizabeths Hospital, and on Friday, September 24, 2004, on the campus of The Catholic University of America.  

ALL media are invited.

WHAT:  
A full-scale emergency preparedness field exercise providing a cross-training learning and evaluation opportunity for District’s first responders.  

WHEN/WHERE:
DAY I: Thursday, September 23, 2004
St. Elizabeths Hospital Gate 3; Building 801 East; 2700 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE
Media Registration: 7:30 am
Media Briefing/Interviews: 8 am – 8:30 am  
Exercise Begins at 8:55 am  
Excellent photos of the District’s first responders assisting “mock” victims of a major terrorist attack and hundreds of volunteers serving as mass casualty mock
patients.  

*Note:  Valid media credentials are required.  Media must be set-up by 8:30 am    

DC Emergency Management Agency, Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
Reeves Center 2000 14th St., NW, 8th Floor
Media Availability: 1 pm – 3 pm

DC Department of Health, Health Emergency Coordination Center (HECC)
64 New York Avenue, NE, Suite 5000
Media Availability: 1 pm – 3 pm

DAY II: Friday, September 24, 2004
The Catholic University of America (DeFour Center; 620 Michigan Avenue, NE)
Media Availability: 7:30 am - 11 am
Photo opportunity of hundreds of volunteers serving as mass casualty mock patients.  

WHO:      
Executive Office of the Mayor; DC Department of Health; DC Emergency Management Agency; DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services; DC Metropolitan Police Department; DC Department of Human Service; various local District hospitals; and other District agencies
       
WHY:
The exercise has the following objectives:

• Exercise the individual components of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) plan


• Test the integration of first responders such as; DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services into the public health response system


• Test the components of the public health incident command structure and


• To test the interoperability of the Department of Health (DOH), the various DC hospitals, and emergency response personnel.