TOPOFF 4 Exercise Ends Today
OSHA and its Oregon and Arizona State Plan partners are in their final day of participation in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2007 Top Officials (TOPOFF) 4 exercise, which began on Oct. 15. The full scale exercise involves DHS and other federal agencies, as well as state and local responders. The goal of the exercise is to demonstrate and evaluate short-, medium- and long-term response, recovery and remediation procedures for simulated multi-point terrorist attacks involving radiological dispersal devices, or "dirty bombs."
"We are confident OSHA's and the State Plan partners' active participation ensures that individuals involved in emergency response and recovery operations will be provided the appropriate resources to effectively address operational risk," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "In the face of an actual disaster, the goal is to ensure that emergency response workers do not themselves become victims."
TOPOFF, which is intended to enhance the preparedness of all levels of the national response system, specifically for emergencies resulting from weapons of mass destruction, is taking place in three venues: Phoenix, Ariz., Portland, Ore. and Guam. The program will go onto its next phase with a long-term recovery tabletop to be held from Dec. 4 to 6, and will conclude with a conference to be held from Jan. 15 to 16, 2008. The January conference will concentrate on resolving national policy issues as a result of the findings gathered during the earlier phases of the program.
For more information, visit www.osha.gov/SLTC/emergencypreparedness/osha_support.html.