Statewide Emergency Exercise Preps Agencies for Severe Weather Event
More than 50 organizations come together to prepare for worst-case scenarios
In the face of severe weather and other catastrophic incidents, ensuring that critical infrastructure is protected and can be
restored quickly is paramount. To help prepare for potential, real-life emergency scenarios ComEd has organized “Operation Power
Play 2017”, a statewide drill that will take place on May 18 and 19 in coordination with Ameren Illinois, the City of Chicago’s
Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), People’s Gas, the Illinois
Emergency Management Agency, Will, Cook and DuPage County Departments of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and the United
States Army Reserve and more than 50 other state, county, municipal, public and private entities.
“In an uncertain world, it’s vital that we work in conjunction with our local agencies to review our processes and systems that
can help maintain critical services to residents and businesses when they are needed most,” said Anne Pramaggiore, President and
CEO of ComEd. ““By having these agencies work together in advance to develop and practice collaborative processes, this drill will
help Illinois be better prepared in the face of a catastrophe.”
“Here in Chicago we have a strong track record when it comes to planning and responding to extreme weather events and emergency
situations,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “One reason is because of a concerted effort by the City’s public safety departments to
collaborate with public and private partners, which strengthens their ability to share information, manage on-scene response and
allocate resources.”
Operation Power Play 2017 took place at UIC where participating agencies conducted table top exercises and showcased equipment
and vehicles that would be used as part of a response. During the exercise, ComEd coordinated a comprehensive, multi-agency
response to assist extreme flood-damaged areas with a number of partner agencies participating onsite at Chicago’s OEMC and UIC and
remotely at locations all around the state. In addition, a suspicious package removal exercise was conducted at a ComEd substation
in coordination with the FBI and Chicago Police Department, as well as a leak of oil from an underwater transmission cable in the
Chicago River with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, and the US EPA.
“UIC is honored to be the first university in Chicago to host a statewide Homeland Security Exercise. We welcome the
collaborative partnerships with federal, state, local, and private organizations and believe it is vitally important for higher
education institutions to take part in comprehensive, integrative emergency planning and preparedness initiatives to make our
universities disaster resilient,” said Michael D. Amiridis, UIC Chancellor.
"Effectively managing a crisis situation today requires collaboration between energy companies, first responders and partner
agencies," said Richard J. Mark, Chairman and President, Ameren Illinois. "This hands-on exercise brings all of the key players
together to refine our emergency response processes and, most importantly, ensure that we're effectively communicating so service
can be restored as quickly and safely as possible."
Activities taking place around the state in conjunction with the drill included:
- The State of Illinois is opening their State Emergency Operations Center in Springfield to coordinate
State response to flooding throughout the state.
- ChicagoFIRST, an emergency preparedness organization for banking and financial institutions is
sharing situational awareness information between its member agencies.
- Argonne National Laboratory will be shutting off power to several buildings, simulating a tornado
impact, then will be conducting search and rescue activities throughout those facilities
- The US Army Reserve base in Elwood, IL will be simulating a hazardous materials leak and exercising
their evacuation and command procedures
- ComEd is activating four Joint Operations Centers and will work with local municipalities to
prioritize their outages
- The Civil Air Patrol is flying overhead and providing real time damage assessment photos and video to
participating agencies
- The Chicago Federal Executive Board is here using this exercise to practice their Continuity of
Government plans in case of a catastrophic power outage
“Response to major disasters involves multiple state, local and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations and the private
sector,” said James K. Joseph, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. “Large-scale exercises, such as Operation
Power Play 2017, provide a unique opportunity for these entities to test their ability to integrate with other organizations in
response to a challenging scenario. The lessons learned from this exercise will enhance response capabilities throughout
Illinois.”
Following the exercise, participants will meet to review processes, discuss lessons learned and look for opportunities for
improvement.
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading
competitive energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.9 million customers
across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com , and connect with the company on Facebook , Twitter and YouTube .
ComEd
John Schoen
312-394-8785 or 847-682-3947 (m)
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170519005679/en/