The last few months have seen our National Training Center buzzing with activity as we‘ve hosted several agencies from around the U.S. to drill and train on our campus. These trainings were powerful learning experiences for all teams, and we’re thrilled the NTC can serve as a place to grow the skills and expertise that make our communities safer.
We were excited to welcome several visiting organizations to our National Training Center recently, including Gold Coast K9, California Rescue Dog Association (CARDA) (the largest volunteer search dog organization in America), Northwest Disaster Search Dogs, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department search and rescue teams, and task forces from California, Nebraska, Utah, and Virginia.
In addition, California Regional Task Force 4 (CA-RTF-4), conducted a full-scale mobilization exercise, made up of members from five Los Angeles area fire departments, including SDF-trained canines from Los Angeles County Fire Department. This multi-disciplinary group provides eight functional elements: Supervision, Search, Rescue, Medical, Planning, Safety, Haz-Mat, and Tool/Equipment Support, and simulated a large-scale earthquake in an urban setting. Seventy-five members of their search and rescue teams utilized a group of twenty high school students as volunteer victims in this true-to-life disaster scenario to ensure they’re prepared when called upon to assist.
We were happy to be able to provide all of these organizations with the opportunity to practice their skills in real-world scenarios and grateful for their commitment to improving emergency response across the country. We hope to see all of them on campus again soon and look forward to welcoming more teams from around the world!
