KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — More than 260 personnel representing over 82 state, local, federal, and private organizations will come to Alcoa's Joint Base McGhee Tyson this weekend.
The Tennessee National Guard will host the 2019 Tennessee Public Safety Interoperability Exercise from Aug. 23 to Aug. 25.
During the exercise, crews will work to improve the ability to communicate between various emergency response agencies in the event of catastrophic disasters.
“During a real emergency is not the time to learn our weaknesses or if we have communications problems," Clements said.
Participants will respond to a simulated 7.7-magnitude earthquake hitting West Tennessee along the New Madrid Seismic Zone followed by another earthquake impacting the East Tennessee Seismic Zone.
According to a release, each agency will follow the national Incident Command System during the scenario, sort out their roles, and learn about each organization’s capabilities.
During the four-day exercise, agencies will get the opportunity to exercise their personnel and equipment, verify their communications plans, respond to emergencies with other agencies, and build relationships, according to Maj. Dallas Clements, the Communications Operations Chief for the Tennessee National Guard.
“Being able to communicate with everyone during a disaster is critical to ensuring that our communities get the best response possible,” said Colin Ickes, Director of the Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency. “This is one of the largest gatherings of emergency communications personnel anywhere in the southeast and that is exactly what will be needed in response to an earthquake.”
