June 20, 2006
JS-4328

Treasury to Sponsor First Pandemic Flu Response Exercise
Focused on Financial Sector
Florida Coalition to Host Program

The Treasury Department in cooperation with the FloridaFIRST regional financial coalition will sponsor the first U.S. pandemic flu response exercise focused on the financial sector Thursday, June 22 in Miami, Fl.

Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Compliance Policy Scott Parsons and will join 70 participants from Florida financial services firms and health, police and fire officials from local, state and federal agencies to test the local industry's preparedness for such a crisis.

FloridaFIRST is a regional coalition formed by financial institutions based in Miami with the goal of enhancing the resilience of the financial sector in South Florida to handle threats from terrorism and natural disasters.  FloridaFIRST is a collective effort to protect the homeland through public and private partnerships. Treasury helped to facilitate the partnership's creation in October 2005.  For more information on the coalition, please visit: http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js2970.htm.

The emergency response exercise is not open to the media; however, Treasury officials are available for interviews to discuss the program. To schedule an interview, please contact Jennifer Zuccarelli at (202) 622-8657.

Who          
Deputy Assistant Secretary Scott Parsons

What        
FloridaFIRST pandemic flu response

Where      
Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center
9300 NW 41 Street
Miami, FL

When        
Thursday, June 22