Tomorrow Night - Operation Raging River at Boom Island

This email was forwarded to me by one of our readers.  Should be interesting.  Here's a link to some photos from the last training exercise in August 2012.

> Operation Raging River
>
> 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Tuesday, August 12
>
> Boom Island
>
> The Minneapolis Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will be hosting a full-scale public safety exercise on Boom Island, Tuesday, August 12. The exercise will provide law enforcement and emergency responders from a number of jurisdictions the opportunity to train together.
>
> As exercise coordinator I want to continue to advise the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board that there will be a large increase in activity on and around Boom Island that day. OEM has been working in conjunction with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board's Events and Permits Department and has obtained a use permit for this exercise.
>
> The exercise will include participants from the Minneapolis Fire Department, Minneapolis Park Police, St. Paul Fire, Emergency Medical Services Community, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, United States Coast Guard, and the Minnesota National Guard's 55th Civil Support Team as well as other agencies.
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> All agencies will be responding to a simulated release of a radiological dispersal device or "dirty bomb".
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> Exercise coordinators have appropriate involvement with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board as well as its consent and cooperation. The Park and Recreation Board has agreed to limit access to the entire park during the exercise but will not completely close the park.
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> I have notified Minneapolis Police 2nd Precinct Inspector Kathy Waite of the increased level of public safety personnel and vehicles. This exercise will include volunteers acting as victims. We anticipate a total of 165 people to participate in this exercise. Control measures are in place to protect all participants.
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> Law Enforcement Reserves and Community Emergency Response Team-members (CERTS) will be used around the perimeter to alert citizens of the public safety exercise. Signage will also be used throughout the area to let citizens know that a public safety exercise is in progress.
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> We will distribute information to area neighbors advising them of the exercise. We will put the information on Minneapolis OEM letterhead in a Minneapolis OEM envelope. The targeted areas for the letter drops would be in Ward 3, Precincts 3-5 and 3-7. This includes residents bordering Boom Island Park.
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> While residents and passersby may hear a loud noise and possibly see smoke it is important to convey that at no time will residents be in danger. Full-scale exercises provide important training to law enforcement and first responders. This training exercise is not designed to address any specific deficiency in the emergency management training process or any specific threat.
>
>
> Thomas J. Miller
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> Operations and Training Section Chief
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> Office of Emergency Management
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> City of Minneapolis
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> Emergency Operations Training Facility