Emergency responders from the Laboratory, Los Alamos County Fire Department, National Forest and National Park services and the Bureau of Indian Affairs will hold a drill on April 5 to focus attention on interagency cooperation, restrictions and intra-agency communications in the event of a wild land fire.
Three-dimensional models of the impacted area will be used in the Laboratory's Emergency Operations Center to plan required response. A helicopter tactical crew and aircraft stationed at the Interagency Fire Base at Technical Area 49 also will participate in the drill.
"As everyone knows, we're entering an extremely dangerous - and early - fire season," said Manny L'Esperance of Emergency Management and Response (EMR), coordinator of the April 5 drill. "We will use this drill to ensure the inter-agency cooperation and communications are in place to increase our effectiveness in the event of a wild land fire in this area."
Members of the news media are invited to observe the drill, both at the Emergency Operations Center and at the Interagency Fire Base. Media representatives who wish to attend should contact Linn Tytler of the Emergency Operations Office (EOO-INSTSR) at 4-0400 no later than Monday (April 3) to make the necessary arrangements.
