First Responders Get a Workout During Cascade Fury III

Story & Photos by SGT Dan Purcell   -   Posted Aug, 2005

Cascade Fury III participants track lahar (mud and debris) as it moves down the mountain side endangering communities in its path during an all day exercise that focused on monitoring the hazards of an eruption and employing emergency protocols.

After lying dormant for well over two hundred years Mt. Rainier begins to stir. Earthquakes shake buildings for miles around, the volcano belches forth steam and ash spewing rock fragments thousand of feet into the air.  Finally the giant lava dome which currently caps off the ancient caldera collapses sending waves of mud and debris miles down valleys and old river beds.

What happens next is what federal, state and local officials have been planning for a viable response to a potentially catastrophic event.

 

 

Communication specialists from the Washington Air National Guard help set up equipment that will provide a communications network just as they would in the event of a state emergency

Cascade Fury III, a joint United States Department of Transportation and Department of Defense exercise, was a collaborative effort that included representatives from every major first responder organization in the Pacific Northwest.  Among the participants were the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the US Coast Guard, the US Corps of Engineers, Pierce County Office of Emergency Management, State Departments of Transportation and Emergency Management from Oregon and Idaho, the National Park Service, the Center of Asymmetrical Warfare, the Washington National Guard and the Washington Emergency Management Department.

 

 

 

 

Richard Dier, FEMA Regional Support Team 10, gives United States Coast Guard Rear Admiral Jeffrey Garret, Principal Federal Officer, a situation report during the practical exercise portion of Cascade Fury III

The exercise provided the perfect opportunity to build better relationships by synchronizing rescue and recovery teams in the event of a potential national emergency.

The three day event offered the 200 attendees a real world scenario centered on the possible eruption of Mt. Rainier while emphasizing the need for close collaboration between participants in the event of a national catastrophe and the necessity of planning for the future.

 

 

Washington Army National Guard Soldiers serving as the State Emergency Operations Center at Camp Murray work in tandem with Cascade Fury III participants during the practical exercise portion of the three-day event

During the first day participants received briefings from subject matter experts from the various federal and state agencies to include the United States Geological Survey who outlined past and present volcanic activity in Washington State.

Guests also had an opportunity to get acquainted with each other and begin to develop important relationships.

 

 

 

 

At the conclusion of Cascade Fury III participants had an opportunity to critique the exercise and provide valuable feedback for future exercises

On day two participants moved from the classroom to a "battle simulation center" where they were grouped together by agency and practiced their responses to a graduating threat level and eventual eruption of Mt. Rainier. The main thrust of this part of the exercise was to assess and monitor the hazards of an eruption and how to employ emergency protocols. The simulation was aided by a very realistic set of radio and television emergency broadcasts which added urgency to the situation.

Day three provided participants with an open forum to air their after action reports on lessons learned.  It provided critical feedback and raised new questions concerning our ability to recover from major disasters.

Cascade Fury III, the third in a series of natural disaster exercises, will help provide the basis for holding additional exercises around the country in the future.