A topic of discussion since 2011, planning for CAPSTONE-14 is now underway. In conjunction with the Kentucky’s Governors Emergency Management Workshop, key participants of this initiative convened in Louisville, Kentucky on December 10-13, 2012. In this meeting, discussions surrounded the regional coordination of various support functions within emergency management operations that are critical to response and recovery in the event of a major earthquake.
CAPSTONE-14, tentatively scheduled for June 16-20, 2014, is a full-scale emergency management exercise with various levels of play by each participating state. It is in direct support of the Presidential Policy Directive 8 (PPD8), with key participation from: CUSEC Member States, CUSEC Associate Member States, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regions IV, V, VI and VII, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), various federal agencies’ Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) and the private sector.
One area of focus is receiving special interest from CUSEC Board Member and Kentucky’s Division of Emergency Management (KYEM) Director, Brigadier General John Heltzel. “Advancing the national dialogue, that’s the most important thing,” he said. “We need to try to solve the problems of situational awareness among emergency management by putting out a good national model,” he added.
For more information on CAPSTONE-14, including a calendar of CAPSTONE related events, please visit www.cusec.org/capstone
