The City of Pearland's Fire, Police and Public Works departments will conduct a high-water rescue exercise in the Sleepy Hollow and Twin Creeks neighborhoods on Tuesday, April 23rd, with assistance from the City’s Office of Emergency Management. The exercise will showcase the City’s preparedness and response capabilities in the event of a flooding emergency.
The exercise will involve emergency responders from various departments, who will work together to simulate real-life high water rescue scenarios. The exercise aims to test the responders' readiness and to evaluate the city's response plans and procedures.
New to this year’s annual exercise is the implementation of the City’s Emergency Operations Center, which would be activated in the event of a disaster. The inclusion of the EOC adds an additional level of realness to the exercise, as key staff decisionmakers in the EOC will be able to feed crews information paramount to their rescue operations and monitor rescue efforts.
Volunteers from the Citizen’s Police Academy Alumni Association and Citizen’s Fire Association will roleplay as victims trapped in vehicles or homes due to flooding, and responders will utilize their skills and specialized equipment—including Light Medium Tactical Vehicles-- to rescue them.
"The City of Pearland is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents in case of natural disasters, including floods," said Peter Martin, Pearland's Emergency Management Coordinator. "This exercise will provide an opportunity for our emergency responders to hone their skills and practice interdepartmental coordination in a realistic scenario, ensuring they are fully prepared to respond to high water emergencies."
"We want to thank all of our emergency responders who will participate in this exercise, as well as our volunteers who will provide added realism to the exercise," Martin said. "Together, we are working to keep our community safe and resilient, and it’s a team effort."
The City of Pearland's Office of Emergency Management is dedicated to ensuring the safety and security of its residents through a comprehensive emergency management program that includes preparedness, hazard mitigation, emergency response, and community recovery efforts.
