Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has announced that Suffolk County department leaders and employees will take part in an Emergency Management Tabletop Exercise on Thursday, October 13th, conducted in partnership with the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS).
“We never know when or where an emergency might strike, that is why we must do our best to ensure we are as prepared as possible to protect the health and safety of our residents,” said Suffolk County Executive Bellone. “Tabletop exercises have been vital to the County’s response during previous emergencies, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this latest event will help us sharpen our disaster response and ensure all departments work in a coordinated fashion.”
“Planning and coordination are integral aspects to ensuring the safety and well-being of residents and first responders in the event of an emergency,” said Patrick Beckley, Commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services (FRES). “Through extensive cooperation with our private and public partners, including the County’s partnership with the Naval Postgraduate School’s CHDS Executive Education Program, we are able to be prepared for evolving challenges related to public safety and homeland security while responding to emergencies, hosting large-scale events or catering to the everyday needs of our local communities.”
Dawn Wilson, Director, Executive Education Program, Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security said: “The Center for Homeland Defense and Security works with local and state leaders around the country to prepare their communities for a variety of emergency management and homeland security threats. This week, Suffolk County is bringing together our national experts and a multi-disciplinary group of County leaders to do just that. These events will prepare local leaders as they plan for events and regional emergencies and disasters down the road.”
The multimedia scenario-based seminar, facilitated by experts in the field will explore homeland security risks and challenges that could threat Suffolk County. The content has been designed specifically for Suffolk to help strengthen the County’s capability to plan for, prevent, respond and recover from catastrophic events such as earthquakes, snow storms, food shortages and terrorism. During the exercise, County leaders will analyze how they would be able to respond to a natural disaster without the assistance of outside agencies.
The roundtable discussions will take place in a non-attributive and neutral forum where County employees can identify and address dynamic homeland security issues.
The objective of the tabletop exercise is to strengthen the overall response plan and review associated response procedures through guided discussion of various emergency scenarios. The tabletop exercise can also help identify any potential gaps in response plans and how to meet those critical needs.
Multiple County departments will participate in the exercise including the Suffolk County Police Department, the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, the Department of Public Works, the Department of Health, the Parks Department, the Department of Information Technology, and the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Suffolk County has previously hosted tabletop seminars focused on pandemics and Cybersecurity. These tabletop exercises help employees and those in leadership positions to be better prepared in the event of an emergency situation.
