Members of Applied Training Solutions, LLC supported the Northern Virginia Regional Emergency Operations Center Exercise, July 31, to practice information sharing between jurisdictions, along with working disaster response methods internal to each jurisdiction.
The local Northern Virginia agencies that participated in this distributed Emergency Operations Center exercise were the Virginia Department of Emergency Management Region 7, the City of Fairfax, Manassas, Stafford, Falls Church, Alexandria, Arlington County, Leesburg, Loudon County, and Prince William County. Each participated from their respective facilities while simultaneously working together during the scenario to mitigate the risks to their communities.
The scenario for this exercise called for a Category 5 Hurricane that worked its way through the Caribbean and headed towards Southeastern Virginia to make landfall as a Category 2 Hurricane. High winds, rain, and storm surges were simulated to cause major damages to structures and roads, as well as widespread power outages.
ATS provided the ATSsim Training and ATSsim Media environments which allowed for a blend of scenario event injects. Some exercise elements were conducted completely inside of ATSsim, while others used emails and SMS messages to the participants’ mobile devices and systems. Injects included synthetic social media enhanced by AI, simulated emails, door knocks, phone calls, and bulletins along with emails and SMS to external addresses.
“ATSsim significantly enhanced the exercise and protocols for the Northern Virginia entities that participated,” said Walter English, the Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Management for the City of Fairfax. “The realistic simulation environment enabled participants to more effectively understand and respond to emergency situations, leading to enhanced coordination and overall operational effectiveness.”
ATSsim is a cloud-based simulation environment that ties together synthetic media, master scenario event lists, simulated communications methods, and a constructive simulation atmosphere.
With multiple Emergency Operations Centers in distributed locations for the exercise, the participating counties and cities could work in a joint environment on one exercise scenario while leveraging the ATSsim software to achieve their organization’s training requirements.
ATSsim Media also allowed Public Information Officers and participating organizations to see how other cities and counties were messaging to the public, while providing situational awareness for major events like school and road closures.
“Training like this is invaluable for organizations as it prepares them for real-world disasters,” said Smith. “By engaging in realistic simulations, participants can develop and refine their response strategies, ensuring they are better equipped to handle actual emergencies with confidence and efficiency.”
Overall, the multi-jurisdictional staff participating in the Northern Virginia EOC exercise conducted a successful coordination exercise, preparing for future regional responses.
As a leader in emergency preparedness training and readiness, ATS continues to actively work to deliver innovative, experience-based disaster-preparedness exercise solutions for local, state, and federal agencies to protect communities. Preparation for disasters helps reduce panic and possible loss of life. Utilizing simulation helps these units prepare for managing multiple units during a real-life event.