Peabody to hold terrorist response tabletop exercise drill Thursday

PEABODY-Mayor Michael Bonfanti and the Northeast Homeland Security Regional Advisory Council (NERAC) announced the completion of the “Southern Essex Regional Area Planning Council” daylong tabletop exercise drill hosted by Peabody Thursday morning.The drill, moderated by Precision Planning and Simulations, Inc., was designed to help determine the North Shore’s ability to respond to hypothetical terrorist attacks by exploring key emergency response roles and communications protocols. Over 15 North Shore communities participated in the exercise, including members of the Peabody Police and Fire Department, as well as Peabody Emergency Management officials.”Peabody and the North Shore continues to improve its ability to effectively and rapidly respond to emergencies of all kinds,” said Bonfanti in a press release. “By coordinating decision-making, operations, and communication strategies among the various agencies and key personnel, Peabody will be better prepared to protect all our citizens in the event the unthinkable becomes reality.”Peabody Fire Chief Steve Pasdon said that the city has learned a valuable lesson from their experience with chronic flooding, as well as the Danvers explosion.”We can never rest in our efforts to prepare for the worst-case scenario,” he said. “While these tabletop drills give us a unique opportunity to put what we have learned to the test, they are only an example of the many resources that NERAC can employ to meet the challenges we face as we enter the 21st century.”Thursday’s drill took place at Peabody’s Department of Public Works. It focused on the decision-making and communication skills of emergency response professionals when confronted with a complex set of scenarios involving transportation, health, evacuations, chemical explosions, and terrorism.The intent of the drills is to discover critical issues that may arise and how they could be improved upon in the event of a real emergency.Christopher Tighe, Peabody’s director of homeland security, was happy with the event’s turn out.”I was very pleased that over 100 emergency management professionals came to Peabody today to focus on how we can be better protect the lives of our families, friends, and neighbors.”