PRESS RELEASE: Bannock County, City of Pocatello, and Other Local Agencies Attend 2023 Pocatello Public Safety Tabletop Exercise
Special Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) led a training session for local first responder agencies.
Earlier this month, the City of Pocatello and Bannock County Office of Emergency Management coordinated the Public Safety Tabletop Exercise with the FBI to review first responders and private sector partners’ response plans to critical incidents.
“Public safety agencies and emergency organizations should never wait until a crisis occurs to work together,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office. “No community is immune to potential threats, and tabletop training exercises allow the crisis response community to be better prepared and ready to effectively respond when needed.”
The main purpose of the Tabletop Exercise was to examine operational-level issues related to law enforcement and public safety roles and responsibilities in response to a critical incident in Pocatello. Participants discussed how they would respond to a civil unrest scenario and an active shooter incident.
The tabletop included discussions pertaining to preparedness and planning, command and control - interagency coordination, communication with local officials, communication with the media and the community, resource management – sustainment and recovery, and more.
“The tabletop exercise was excellent. Having local officials come together to reinforce a unified plan during a critical incident is priceless and can save lives,” said Pocatello Police Chief Roger Schei.
“We had a great discussion about what would be of critical consideration for these types of events. We identified key resources and what services can be provided by each entity, and that was a big contributor to the success of this exercise,” said Wes Jones, Emergency Director for Bannock County.
Representatives from the FBI, Bannock County Office of Emergency Management, Pocatello Police, Chubbuck Police, Idaho State Police, Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, Pocatello Fire, Bannock County Coroner’s Office, Idaho State University Public Safety, Idaho National Guard, Portneuf Medical Center, Bannock County GIS, and other agencies participated in the training.