On Friday, November 5, Greenville County Emergency Management hosted a Joint Operations Exercise at the old Department of Motor Vehicles building on University Ridge. During this exercise, multiple agencies from across Greenville County were given the opportunity to work with one another to respond to a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRNE) threat within the county. Beyond the CBRNE threat, first responders quickly identified that the scenario was written to evolve into an active shooter and hostage situation. This 3-hour exercise encouraged the participation and cohesion between multiple different response agencies. More then 175 individuals from approximately 25 different county agencies or organizations participated in this full-scale exercise. As a joint operations opportunity, agencies developed stronger working relationships and have improved their capabilities to work with one another should a real-world event occur.
Since the exercise, all participants have had the opportunity to provide feedback regarding the capabilities of Greenville County’s response agencies. One of the most prevalent pieces of feedback has stemmed from the recognition of all that Greenville County has to offer our citizens in regards to public safety. Several mentions were made of the many resources within Greenville County, the highly trained individuals within every agency, and the continued progress towards strong working relationships among agencies that will better serve the citizenry.
Greenville County Emergency Management would like to extend a sincere “thank you” to all of the individuals that helped to develop this exercise, the many individuals that participated within this exercise, and the many individuals that supported this exercise since it’s inception.
