Vigilant Guard Emergency Preparedness Training Exercise on Campus Nov. 5–6

An emergency preparedness training exercise with the Maine National Guard will be held on the University of Maine campus Nov. 5–6.

UMaine will provide a mock laboratory in Holmes Hall where emergency response teams will practice investigating and eliminating risks that might arise in real-life settings. Maine National Guard and local first-responder units, including the Orono Fire Department, will be on campus for the two-day event. UMaine’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) also will be activated.

The response team members will wear protective gear and use necessary equipment to follow protocols for the emergency simulation.

The National Guard Bureau and the United States Northern Command, along with civilian first responders and local governments throughout the country, conduct Vigilant Guard four times annually. This year, UMaine was asked to host the New England Vigilant Guard exercise, designed to simulate emergency scenarios and aimed at improving command, control, operational relationships and interagency coordination with local, state and regional civilian and military emergency response partners.

During the exercise, UMaine community members will be allowed to observe from outside the marked boundaries. The simulated emergency at Holmes Hall is expected to require rerouting of vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

For more information, contact Wayne Maines, UMaine’s director of safety and environmental management, at 207.581.4055.

A Maine Army National Guard news release describing the statewide exercise is available online.