Preparedness/Exercises

Cobb County places a high priority on preparedness by planning and holding multiple exercises annually. Planning an exercise requires months of preparation including setting objectives, identifying logistics, and determining a budget. Each exercise also requires the participation of safety officers, controllers, and evaluators. Normally, volunteers are needed and welcome.

Each exercise brings together multiple jurisdictions for a simulated event to test policies and procedures should events of the selected scenario occur. Agencies meet after each exercise for after action discussions to elaborate on positive actions and determine how to better prepare. Results include an after action report, including an improvement plan.

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Lockheed Martin/Dobbins Air Reserve Base Weapons of Mass Destruction Exercise—June 16, 2006

View Exercise Video

The Cobb County Emergency Simulation Full-Scale Exercise was a seven-hour exercise held on June 16, 2006, located at Lockheed-Martin and Dobbins Air Reserve Base. Approximately 300 participants from 60 agencies participated from Lockheed-Martin, Dobbins ARB, Cobb County, and the cities of Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Marietta, Powder Springs, and Smyrna. Georgia Tech, Gwinnett County, Fulton County, City of Atlanta, Georgia State Patrol, Douglas County, Georgia National Guard, Chatham County, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) assisted in the exercise evaluation.

The Cobb County joint exercise was designed to assess Cobb’s emergency and disaster response by evaluating and analyzing the capabilities of multiple agencies handling a potential or actual terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incident. Further, the exercise served to assess the ability to operate under the National Incident Management System (NIMS) procedures specifically directed at interagency operations and command and control. The multi-discipline mishap scenario allowed assessment of a wide variety of agency plans encompassing field and fixed locations. Lastly, the exercise demonstrated the willingness and ability for all response and support agencies within Cobb County to work together regardless of affiliation.

The exercise was considered a success by the participants and the exercise staff. The commitment of the participating agencies has generated an enhanced cohesive working relationship. Assessments revealed successful responses as well as challenges to improve current procedures. Well-trained and innovative participants reduced the potential for disaster that incompatible communications and other limitations might create.

Sustained multiple agency and multiple jurisdictional exercises, as demonstrated during this event, will continue to prepare Cobb County and its response communities to effectively manage the challenges of a real life WMD terrorist incident as well as other emergencies that might occur.

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Pandemic Flu Full-scale Exercise—March 7, 2007
CEMA assisted Cobb and Douglas Public Health with a pandemic flu exercise at Kennesaw State University on March 7, 2007. This exercise simulated public health operations in response to a pandemic flu outbreak, and the opening of a center for distributing vaccine to the public.

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Georgia Search, Rescue & Recovery Exercise - May 9, 2007
As part of the State of Georgia’s “Search, Rescue & Recovery” exercise series, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) leading a first-of-its-kind exercise on May 9, 2007 at Six Flags Theme Park in Austell, Georgia, that simulated a catastrophic hurricane disaster, with flooding, straight-line winds, and tornado events. This full-scale exercise involved more than 300 participants and included events that required responders to react to a multitude of realistic, high risk and dangerous situations. The purpose of the exercise was to meld the Georgia Search and Rescue (GSAR) team and Georgia Body Recovery Team (GBRT) in a state-of-the-art response operation that covered all needs. The concept of “No One Left Behind” ensured that every person received an effective and all encompassing response—including the recovery of mass casualties as well as the rescue of injured persons buried underneath rubble piles or trapped in environments that required advanced technical rescue.

In addition to human participants from a variety of public safety agencies, “service dogs” were used as part of the exercise and utilized in the search for live and deceased persons.

Exercise Objectives
Through 12 scenarios staged at ten distinct sites on the Six Flags property (with one being a backup site), exercise players worked throughout the afternoon to complete the following exercise objectives:

• Determine strengths and weaknesses of the Georgia Search and Rescue Task Force Teams (GSAR), as currently trained, equipped, and deployed.
• Determine strengths and weaknesses of the K-9 units of GBRT and the DeKalb County Fire Department in search and recovery operations involving a variety of simulated hazards.
• Develop ways to integrate the response efforts of GSAR and GBRT to complete a “total” team approach to disaster management and specifically address the rescue of victims and recovery of human remains.
• Examine requirements for the protection of a crime scene and evidence collection in a contaminated or hazardous environment (e.g., law enforcement working alongside rescue members during rescue operations).
• Demonstrate appropriate assessment and sharing of information by key agencies during an emergency.
• Evaluate the capability to implement the Incident Command System (ICS) in response to a weather related incident and the effective transition to a Unified Command according to National Incident Management System (NIMS) requirements.
• Assess the ability to establish and maintain multi-agency communications during a disaster response.
• Explore GBRT capability for victim/evidence tracking with the VeriChip® “tagging” system.
• Maintain accountability and safety of all personnel participating in the exercise.
• Demonstrate the ability to develop and maintain records in all categories utilized.

The exercise began at 7:00 a.m. and lasted 12 hours. Cobb County personnel participated and supported the exercise by providing response personnel and other needed resources. Cobb CERT members also volunteered as victims.

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Active Shooter at North Cobb High School Full-scale Exercise on July 24, 2007
CEMA assisted the Cobb County Department of Public Safety and the Acworth Police Department with coordinating and conducting a multi-jurisdictional school shooting response exercise at North Cobb High School by providing logistical support and volunteers. This was the first exercise where participants were police and firefighters responding from an actual on-duty status. This exercise allowed Cobb County and the City of Acworth to evaluate our true capability to respond to a school shooting incident and still fulfill our obligation to respond to other 911 emergency calls. More than 100 law enforcement officers responded to the school, from multiple jurisdictions in Cobb County, in reference to the simulated shootings.

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Active Shooter at Griffin Middle School Tabletop Exercise—April 17, 2008
The purpose of this exercise was to provide participants an opportunity to evaluate current response concepts, plans, and capabilities for response and transition to recovery of an active shooter event at a Cobb County School District middle school. The exercise focused on local emergency responder command and control coordination, critical decisions, notifications, and integration of state and federal assets necessary to save lives and protect public health and safety.

Participants were divided into two groups made up of leaders from various disciplines and jurisdictions. Each group was asked to identify the key objectives to manage the given situation, prioritize the tasks required to achieve each objective, and develop an organizational chart of agencies (not persons). The exercise lasted approximately three hours. During this time, both groups were presented with one scenario at two different time intervals (one at the beginning of the event, and one where time had lapsed). A representative of each group provided an overview at the end of the exercise.

Participants included the following:

• American Red Cross
• Cobb 911
• Cobb Communications
• Cobb County School District
• Cobb County Sheriff’s Office
• Cobb Department of Public Safety
• Cobb & Douglas Public Health
• Cobb Emergency Management Agency
• Cobb Fire and Emergency Services
• Cobb Medical Examiner’s Office
• Cobb Police Department
• Emory Adventist Hospital at Smyrna
• Kennesaw State University
• Marietta Fire and Emergency Services
• Marietta Police Department
• Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service
• Smyrna 911
• Smyrna Fire and Emergency Services & Emergency Management Agency
• Smyrna Police Department
• Southern Polytechnic State University
• Wellstar Cobb & Kennestone Hospitals

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Active Shooter at Campbell High School Full-scale Exercise on May 27, 2008
CEMA led an exercise planning team with representatives from multiple Cobb County and City of Smyrna agencies in the coordination and conduct of a multi-jurisdictional school shooting response exercise at Campbell High School. In this exercise, participants responded from an actual on-duty status, as they did at the North Cobb High School exercise. Law enforcement officers from multiple jurisdictions responded to the school in reference to the simulated shootings, and worked together with the Smyrna Fire Department to manage the incident and rescue the students.

Objectives were:

1. Evaluate the capability to implement the Incident Command System in response to a terrorism incident and the effective transition to a unified command involving multiple agencies and jurisdictions.
2. Assess the ability to establish and maintain effective internal multi-agency multi-jurisdictional and external communications during a large scale incident.
3. Evaluate the ability to safely and efficiently remove large numbers of students and staff, injured and uninjured, from the hot zone to a secured location, effectively providing for their safety and wellbeing.
4. Examine the ability of local agencies to effectively utilize personnel and equipment.
5. Assess the ability to implement plans and standard operating procedures associated with an active shooter in a Cobb County school.

Over 500 participants took part in the exercise, including approximately 300 volunteers.

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RADEX 08 - Radiation Full-scale Exercise at Jim Miller Park on May 11-14, 2008

CEMA assisted Cobb and Douglas Public Health and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs with coordinating and conducting a multi-jurisdictional radiological incident response exercise held at Jim Miller Park in Cobb County.  This full-scale exercise involved federal, state, and Cobb County agencies responding to an incident in which several victims were accidentally exposed to a potentially lethal radioactive material.  As part of the exercise, federal and state radiological response teams were called in, including federal radiation specialist from across the United States, to assist Cobb and Douglas Public Health with treating the victims and investigating the incident.