Urban Shield demonstrates the Bay Area region’s ability to manage numerous on-going critical incidents through the use of multiple incident commands.  The critical incidents take place in a variety of venues over an extended period of time.  The exercise requires full implementation of the components of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS).  An Incident Command System (ICS) structure, with four Area Commands and a Department Operations Center (DOC), were implemented to manage this extremely large exercise.

Urban Shield 2010 will enable regional first responders to exercise their core competencies through scenario-based training.  Regional multi-agency, multi-disciplinary training exercises should continue to be offered to the Bay Area region’s first responders. These exercises provide opportunities to enhance response efforts and identify training needs in a simulated environment. Future exercises should focus on multi-discipline integration of first responders to improve working relationships and protocols in order to further develop the Bay Area region’s capability to successfully respond to incidents related to homeland security.

The Bay Area UASI Region continues to conduct multi-agency, multi-discipline training exercises. These joint training exercises would provide first responders with the opportunity to enhance their understanding of multi-discipline response operations, roles and responsibilities, coordination, and gain valuable experience. Conducting full-scale regional exercises strengthen our preparedness and abilities to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks, protect the citizens of the Bay Area, its critical infrastructures and key resources.

This exercise is a critical component for the Bay Area’s mission for homeland security.  The Bay Area is striving to be a secure, prepared and resilient region consistently developing regional capabilities based on risk through collaboration and coordination that build and maintain this vision.