Security exercise scheduled for November 15 near Coliseum Station

On Tuesday, November 15, 2005, BART will be participating with city, county, state and federal public safety partners in an emergency preparedness exercise sponsored by the California Office of Homeland Security. This full-scale exercise will be conducted in the Oakland Coliseum parking lot and on the Oakland Army Base. We will be testing our interagency capabilities to coordinate response to major emergencies or natural disasters.

The exercise will not affect BART service.

The exercise will begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. While the exercise is in progress, smoke generators will be simulating the detonation of an explosive device. There will be a simulated fire in the area, causing a realistic looking plume of smoke to be released. Hazmat teams will perform decontamination procedures on exercise volunteers, and law enforcement will assist in the evacuation of a volunteer population. Fire teams from several cities will be responding with engines and trucks. The exercise area requires the responders to accomplish their assignments in a confined area, much like a real world incident. We ask your cooperation: DO NOT CALL 9-1-1 AS THIS IS ONLY A DRILL.

During the exercise, there will be an increase in traffic and there may be some congestion due to the presence of law enforcement, firefighters and other responders. We ask for your patience for any inconvenience this may cause during this important disaster exercise.

While this exercise will spur curiosity, we encourage you to avoid the exercise area.

Staying clear of the exercise area will reduce the possibility of inconvenience for you and allow the responders to accomplish their tasks.

Should you have any questions, please contact David M. Marean, MSgt, Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, at [email protected], or 916-826-8090, or 916-324-9151.