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NEWS | April 18, 2008

Media invitation to National Guard disaster preparedness exercise

By Press Release

BEAUFORT, S.C. - The media is invited to participate in a major disaster preparedness exercise called Vigilant Guard that will test the capabilities and interoperability of local regional and state level first responders including the South Carolina National Guard, the state's first military responders.

Vigilant Guard is a three-day National Guard-hosted exercise beginning April 21 in Beaufort, S.C. The exercise is designed to test the ability of the National Guard, along with federal, state, and local "first responders," to react to a domestic emergency. This year's scenario will be a mock 7.3 earthquake centered in Beaufort County.

The exercise also allows media representatives to exercise their own emergency response plans by participating hand-in-hand with the National Guard.

Media representatives are invited to attend an exercise briefing at 9 a.m. (EDT) on Monday, April 21, at the National Guard Public Affairs Rapid Response Team Joint Information Center, 144 Shanklin Road.

All media must first gain exercise credentials, which are being distributed at the Beaufort National Guard Readiness Center, 1 Cavalry Lane, beginning Sunday, April 20.

Location of National Guard Public Affairs Rapid Response Team Joint Information Center:

144 Shanklin Road
Beaufort, SC 29902
Phone: 1 (803) 239-8769

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Location of Beaufort National Guard Readiness Center:

1 Cavalry Lane
Beaufort, SC 29902

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MEDIA WISHING TO EMBED are asked to RSVP with Col. Pete Brooks at (803) 806-4327 or via E-mail at peter.brooks2@us.army.mil.

FOR ADDITION INFORMATION on Vigilant Guard 2008, please contact:
National Guard Public Affairs Rapid Response Team: (803) 239-8769.
Maj. Scott Bell: (803) 806-1479
Maj. Jim St. Clair: (803) 806-4321
Staff Sgt. Joe Cashion: (803) 806-2697

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION about the South Carolina National Guard, please visit our Public Affairs Website at http://guard.sc.gov/

NOTE: The South Carolina National Guard is hosting Vigilant Guard 2008 that will test the capabilities and interoperability of local regional and state level first responders including the South Carolina National Guard, the state's first military responders.

Vigilant Guard is a three-day National Guard-hosted exercise beginning April 21 in Beaufort County, S.C. The exercise is designed to test the ability of the National Guard, along with federal, state, and local "first responders to react to a domestic emergency.

Vigilant Guard reinforces that all emergency events are local. Vigilant Guard's emergency exercises will run Monday through Thursday, April 21-24. This year's scenario will be a mock 7.3 earthquake centered in Beaufort County. After-effects of the earthquake will result in over 50 various scenarios at incident site locations throughout the county.

 

 

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