Alaska Shield Exercise April 1-2, in Mat-Su

Next weekend, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough will host two days of emergency response training in the statewide Alaska Shield 2016 Homeland Security exercise. Try to avoid unnecessary trips around the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and the Alaska State Fairgrounds on Saturday, April 2. The training involves helicopters, ambulances, fire vehicles, a staged train wreck, hazardous materials gear, as well as actors with wounds created by makeup.

The day before on Friday, April 1, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the cities of Palmer, Wasilla, and Houston, Chickaloon Village Traditional Council, and the Mat-Su Borough School District will be hampered by a simulated cyber attack. Four staged school evacuations will take place as well as a practice press conference at the Borough Assembly chambers in Palmer. Response activity will occur at Station 6-1, the Central Mat-Su Public Safety Building, in Wasilla, as well as the old Station 5-1 near the hospital.

The Alaska Railroad and Holland America Cruise Lines are providing rail cars for the event. The Alaska National Guard, Alaska State Defense Force, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, Red Cross, Mat-Su Amateur Radio Association, the 716^th EOD team with the US Army are among the dozen participants.

The exercise is designed to examine and evaluate 13 core capabilities of participants: community resilience; cybersecurity; environment response/health & safety; fatality management services; intelligence & information sharing; mass care services; mass search and rescue operations; on-scene security and protection; operational communications; operational coordination; planning; public health and medical services; and public information and warning, according to the State Dept. of Military & Veterans Affairs.

Casey Cook, Mat-Su Borough Emergency Manager, will act as the Exercise Director, during the drill.  Borough Emergency Services Director Bill Gamble will be the Borough’s Event Commander, coordinating and providing conceptual and real time response to the exercise and the public, with assistance from his staff.

“This drill allows us to practice and refine our plans and operational coordination during a structured, no-fault environment,” Cook said. “We will strive to provide the best security, emergency response and recovery, as well as the continuation of Borough and government operations. This helps to strengthen the Borough and the State, as well as the nation in regards to cyber-security, disaster response, and operations.”

To learn how in-depth a training exercise becomes, take a look at this video on Alaska Shield 2014, produced by Mat-Su Borough Public Affairs. (Stefan Hinman/Patty Sullivan)

Alaska Shield 2014 video

For more information call Patty Sullivan at 861-8577 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Photos by Stefan Hinman/MSB.

During emergencies, Sullivan is Lead PIO, Public Information Officer, for the Borough. The Borough has eight PIOs.

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