FOR RELEASE: Friday, Oct. 18, 2019
Colorado National Guard partners to prepare for winter storm response
CENTENNIAL, Colo. – The Colorado National Guard will partner with several state agencies during a command post winter storm response exercise Oct. 19-20, 2019, at Joint Force Headquarters, Centennial.
The exercise will test capabilities, plans, policies, and procedures along with decision-making, coordination, and integration with partner organizations during a response to a winter storm event affecting Denver and northeastern Colorado.
“When military and civilian partners train together, that enhances our disaster response posture,” Director of the Joint Staff U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Gregory White said. “Knowing how to work together is an important part of being ready.”
Partner agencies participating in the exercise include the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Denver Office of Emergency Management.
The CONG has assisted civil authorities during some of the largest snowstorms recorded in the Denver area including the record-setting blizzard of 2003, and Winter Storm Wesley, a bomb cyclone that stranded thousands of motorists with its high winds and heavy snowfall, in 2019.
The CONG will prepare for missions such as search and rescue of stranded motorists and pets, shelter resupply, wellness checks, livestock feeding operations, distribution of supplies, and imagery requests.
CONG equipment available for winter storms includes helicopters, Light Medium Tactical Vehicles, Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks, and Small Unit Support vehicles.