Zutendaal bomb exercise aims to improve emergency response


ZUTENDAAL, Belgium – Members of U.S. Army Garrison Benelux’s emergency response team gathered with Belgian emergency responders to conduct an installation protection exercise at Zutendaal Army Depot March 30.

The partnership aimed to gauge response time and coordination efforts between the emergency departments while the groups role-played the discovery of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) at the depot, parked near a 100,000-liter tank of heating oil.

“This would be considered a terrorist event,” said John Hopper, emergency manager for the garrison. “If something happens, host nation responds … (These exercises) validate our plans and ensure cooperation between host nation and us.”

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Source: DVIDS