From Nov. 30–Dec. 2, the Greater Austin area and the City of Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will participate in several scenarios aimed at assessing the region's ability to respond and manage multiple terrorist events.

Using a program known as the Urban Shield Full-Scale Preparedness Exercise, regions including Travis, Hays and Williamson counties will be evaluated on their existing level of preparedness and capabilities, according to a news release from Urban Shield. Areas where improvements need to be made will also be identified.

"This is the first time we've done the Urban Shield program and the first time we've had it in the state of Texas," said Otis Latin, director of Austin's Homeland Security and Emergency Management office.

Funded by a $350,000 Homeland Security Grant, Urban Shield—a program created by Cytel Group, a company that helps governments prepare for emergency readiness responses—runs several scenarios to evaluate the multiple departments that participate. Situations include an active shooter scenario, a hazardous materials/mass decontamination scenario and a collapsed building, among others.

These setups will be similar to real-life situations that have happened throughout the United States so that the information can be used to gauge whether additional technology or training needs to be incorporated, Latin said.

Although preparation and drills occur within each department on a regular basis, this exercise will give agencies a chance to practice scenarios with multiple departments in higher-stress hypothetical situations, he said.

"We've never taken and put it together from a regional perspective, and carried it out over a 24-hour period." Latin said, referring to the upcoming drills. "What we are trying to do is basically take and incorporate all of those things in one activity, and then stress those areas to give [responders] an opportunity to get more involved in the drill than a drill that they would [normally] perform."

The search and rescue scenario that started Nov. 1 will run continuously through Dec. 2. In addition, nine SWAT scenarios will begin at 8 a.m. Dec. 1 with teams from the state and surrounding states participating. The exercises are closed to the public.

"This is not anything to be afraid of. We are basically just testing the plans we already have," Latin said. "We have to make sure that those plans work and that they can make any adjustments we need so that we will be prepared if there is a situation that takes place where we need to react."

For more information, visit www.urbanshield.us.