Emergency Exercises

The Los Angeles County Operational Area (OA) uses a multi-year approach in designing exercises.  The exercises are intended to assess response procedures, foster intra-agency and inter-jurisdictional coordination, and detect areas for improvement.  The 2006 exercise program addressed Federal Homeland Security exercise guidelines with an emphasis on readiness for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and Natural Disasters (Earthquake) incidents within the County Operational Area (OA).

The 2007 exercise program, called Operation Higher Ground, was re-scheduled from November 2007 to February 2008.  It is based on a Tsunami event that affects the response and recovery capabilities of the OA. The exercise, postponed from November 2007, will be conducted in three parts on three separate days: the Alert & Warning on February 7, 2008; Response on February 13, 2008; and Recovery on February 20, 2008.  Exercise participants will include emergency personnel from county departments, federal, state and local government, private and non-profit organizations in Los Angeles County.

These workshops and exercises are intended to provide OA partners, local jurisdictions, county departments, and organizations an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of their emergency response plans, foster working relationships, and enhance overall OA response capabilities and communications.

For more information on the Los Angeles County OA Annual Exercise program, please call the Office of Emergency Management at (323) 980-2260.