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Major emergency drill starts in Eagle County today

Staff report

Residents of Eagle, Summit and Garfield counties can expect to see an increase in ambulances and other emergency vehicles Tuesday and Wednesday.

Hospitals, including Valley View in Glenwood Springs, and numerous public safety agencies will be conducting a full-scale emergency preparedness exercise.

A full-scale exercise is a lengthy drill that takes place on location, using all necessary resources to the extent possible — the equipment and personnel and time frames that would be involved if it were a real event.



Participating agencies will test their ability to respond to mock scenarios using the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships as a backdrop. The championships will be held at Beaver Creek Feb. 2-15.

Residents may also receive test emergency messages during the exercise.




More than 200 local emergency responders will participate in the exercise, which will stretch over two full days. The exercise is being orchestrated to test real-time emergency response coordination efforts between multiple agencies.

Agencies will focus on evacuation procedures, public warning and public information, and incident management.