PORT ANGELES — The Washington National Guard will conduct emergency response training with several Clallam County agencies this weekend.
Activity will be in the area of the Fairchild International Airport and the county emergency operations center, said Joseph Siemandel, state public affairs officer with the Washington National Guard.
This is the third consecutive year that the National Guard has trained with Clallam County emergency responders, Siemandel said.
“After Cascadia Rising in 2016,” a regional drill to practice response after a 9.0 earthquake,”we have continued to work with them to see the gaps where the National Guard can help out,” he said.
Two C H-47 Chinook helicopters will fly into the Port Angeles airport at about noon Saturday, Siemandel said.
Crews will train with first responders, sharing classes a barbecue and work at the EOC in the county courthouse, he added.
On Sunday, participants will train for a disaster scenario of a series of powerful storms causing flooding, mud slides, and power outages that lead to a call for help from the National Guard,he said.
Training will end at about 3 p.m. and the helicopters will leave at about 6 p.m.
National Guard crews will train with emergency management officials and a number of other agencies, including the Coast Guard and area fire departments.
The National Guard also will bring a portable hotspot for phone and internet service.
The training is part of a simulated disaster scenario that builds cohesion between the National Guard, Coast Guard and first responders in Clallam County and Port Angeles, he said.
