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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 13, 2006 |
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**MEDIA ADVISORY** Sunday and Monday, March 19 and 20, 2006 ROCKEFELLER AND WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC SAFETY HOLD West Virginia Summit on Homeland Security at Stonewall Jackson RESORT --2-Day Event Includes More Than 300 Emergency Response and Elected Officials; Demonstration Exercises by West Virginia and Others; 8 Different Panels; and Keynote by Former FEMA director, James Lee Witt-- A full schedule of the events is attached. All events are open to the press. Note: Press Availability with Senator Rockefeller: 1:30 p.m., Sunday at The Bluestone Room Washington, DC -- Since the terrorist attacks of 9-11, homeland security has been critical for all Americans. Whether it is combating floods in our own state, assisting with Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, or preparing for a terrorist threat – West Virginia must be ready to respond. After leading the enormously successful Homeland Security Summit in 2003, Senator Rockefeller is again leading the West Virginia Homeland Security Summit in coordination with the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety. The Summit will include hundreds of first responders, school officials, scientists, and health experts who will be challenged to think in new and innovative ways about West Virginia’s homeland security. Governor Joe Manchin and Senator Rockefeller will address the participants during Sunday night’s dinner. “This summit will help West Virginia get ahead of the curve in terms of preparedness and expertise in responding to any type of disaster – whether it’s natural or manmade,” Rockefeller said. “The 2-day summit will bring together emergency response professionals from all over the state, along with national leaders, who will take part in a series of panels and demonstrations to bring to life the types of real threats we are faced with every day. Whether it’s a flood in McDowell County, a terrorist attack, or a mining incident, this training will go a long way toward making sure we are prepared. We may never be able to fully immunize ourselves from catastrophes, but we can control how we respond in the face of such emergencies.” On Sunday, the summit will host “Hands-On Sunday” -- a series of demonstrations by various law enforcement agencies, with the centerpiece being a simulated tabletop exercise in which officials, from a state-of-the-art command center, will attempt to deal with a simulated Washington, D.C. evacuation to West Virginia. This demonstration reflects the real possibility that some day the joint forces of the WV National Guard, which have Federal Homeland Defense obligations with FEMA regions III and V, may have to respond to an attack on Washington, D.C. On Monday, panelists and participants will look at whether the state is prepared to address potential crises such as school disasters, financial disruptions, and health care epidemics. Capping all of the activities will be an address by former FEMA Director James Lee Witt, who will talk about his experience managing crises, mustering resources, and fighting natural disasters all over the country. ### West Virginia Summit On Homeland Security Sunday:
10:00 a.m. –
4:00 p.m.
11:30 a.m.
12:30 p.m. –
4:30 p.m. Attendees will meet in the Stonewall Ballroom where an Emergency Operations Center mock-up will be in place in anticipation of an exercise co-sponsored by Michael Baker Jr. Inc. Senator Jay Rockefeller will kick off the Summit with brief opening remarks, followed by an overview of the exercise from General Robert “Doc” Foglesong, Commander U.S. Air Forces, Europe (Ret.). Immediately following, a tabletop exercise simulating an evacuation order for Washington, DC will commence causing an inward migration of people to West Virginia. After the exercise is underway, attendees will split into groups to view the remaining exercises and demonstrations set up alongside the Multi-Purpose Building (MPB) on Stonewall’s property. Attendees will have the option of returning to the main Lodge to view more of the live DC Evacuation Exercise over the course of the afternoon. OTHER DEMONSTRATION DESCRIPTIONS: WVNG EXERCISE
Activity Leader:
Captain Patrick Reese, West Virginia National Guard The WVNG’s CST team and other assets will undertake a live exercise throughout the afternoon, simulating mass decontamination and other emergency response capabilities. The WVNG will also have a static display of other assets, including some of its aircraft. Bomb Detection Team
Activity Leader:
Captain Jack Chambers, WVSP The State Police canine units will investigate a suspicious package and the bomb unit will come in and deactivate or destroy the package, if necessary. WV HOMELAND SECURITY TECHNOLOGY Activity Leader: PowerSonix, National Alternative Fuel Training Consortium, and Extreme Endeavors These West Virginia entities will exhibit cutting edge technologies that are employed in fire suits, for communications needs in a disaster, and in the event that an alternative fuel vehicle is involved in an incident. INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICATIONS
Activity Leader:
Dr. William Ramsey, WV DHHR and the WVNG This partnership will exhibit some of the communications equipment used when WV helped with Katrina response and helped to solve many of the interoperability problems in Louisiana. One such piece of equipment ran 911 in two counties for two months. WV’s PORT CAPABILITIES
Activity Leader:
United States Coast Guard COMMUNICATIONS IN A DISASTER
Activity Leader:
BAE and Elevated Security Attendees will tour a tractor trailer full of equipment used to communicate when land lines, cell phones, and data carriers cannot operate. The leaders will run a short scenario and show how these technologies operate.
5:30 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
7:00 p.m. West Virginia Summit On Homeland Security Monday:
7:00 a.m.
8:15 a.m.
8:30 – 10:00
a.m.
• Jimmy Gianato, Director of
Emergency Services, State of West Virginia
10:00 – 10:15
a.m.
10:15 – 11:30
a.m.
Panelists:
Panelists:
Impact of a
D.C. Evacuation
Stonewall Ballroom – Lobby Level Panelists:
• Colonel James Hoyer, Deputy
Commander for Installations and Homeland Defense,West Virginia
National Guard
11:30 a.m. –
12:30 p.m.
12:45 p.m.
1:45 – 3:00
p.m.
Panelists:
Commercial /
Panelists:
Public
Education / Public Institutions’
Panelists:
3:00 p.m.
3:15 – 4:30
p.m.
Panelists:
4:30 p.m. ###
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