A small group of Citizen Corps volunteers from Issaquah and Sammamish took part in a groundbreaking, statewide emergency response exercise earlier this month.

The exercise, referred to as “Exercise Olympic Salvage III,” was designed to test a newly developed logistics system which emergency personnel hope will allow volunteers to receive and track responders called to the state in the event of a disaster.

The Washington Emergency Management Division, the National Emergency Management Association, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security were all involved in the exercise, one of the first of its kind in America.

According to Jan Bishop of the Sammamish Citizens Corps, the exercise, which simulated a response to a major earthquake in Western Washington, marked the first time citizens groups had been closely involved in emergency response planning in the state.

Citizen Corps are community-based, 100 percent volunteer organizations that are nationally chartered to help everyone be safer from the dangers posed by natural disasters, terrorism, crime, public health issues, and other medical emergencies.

“It was a remarkable exercise,” she said. “The plan was actually expected to fail. That’s essentially the purpose of these simulations – to realize what needs fixing and where the problems will occur.”

Bishop also said the exercise marked the first time the Sammamish and Issaquah corps had worked together – an experience she hopes the two groups will be able to repeat.

The earthquake scenario was modeled in part on the disaster in Haiti.

“The timing was more than coincidental,” Bishop said.

For local residents wanting to get involved in emergence response planning in Issaquah and Sammamish, there are plenty of opportunities.

Registration is now open for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) spring training, which begins in March.

CERT training is designed to prepare you to help yourself, your family and your neighbors in the event of a disaster.

Professional emergency services personnel will not be able to help everyone immediately, so citizens can make a difference by using CERT training to protect and save lives. With training and practice, residents will be able to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people after a disaster.

The program typically includes an eight-week course with evening classes from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. A nominal fee of $35 applies.

For more information:

In Issaquah, go to www.issaquahcitizencorps.com.

In Sammamish, go to www.sammamishcitizencorps.org.