Codey: “The public needs to know that an exercise is going on.”
(TRENTON)—Acting Governor Richard J. Codey announced today that New Jersey will test its domestic security preparedness at all levels by participating in TOPOFF 3, a full-scale, national terrorism response exercise that will take place April 4-8.
TOPOFF, short for Top Officials, is a Congressionally mandated exercise sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness. TOPOFF 3 will be the most comprehensive terrorism response exercise ever conducted in the United States.
It will require real officials to respond to simulated terror attacks, including mock biological and chemical attacks in New Jersey and Connecticut, and events in the United Kingdom and Canada. Agencies in every New Jersey county will participate. TOPOFF 3 will involve more than 10,000 participants representing more than 200 federal, state, local, tribal, private sector and international agencies, organizations and volunteer groups. It is the culmination of a two-year cycle of seminars, planning events and exercises.
Codey announced the upcoming, weeklong exercise at a press conference held today in the Governor’s Outer Office. Codey was joined by Matt Mayer, Acting Executive Director of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and by State Attorney General Peter C. Harvey, State Health Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs, and other state representatives. Representatives of local and county agencies, including Union and Middlesex counties which will be central to the terror drill, also attended.
“New Jersey is uniquely on the front lines of the war against terror – and we better prepared than most states in America. Next week we will put our preparedness to a very thorough test, at every level from the local to the state to the federal. This is a very important opportunity,” Codey said.
“While TOPOFF 3 is underway, the public needs to know that an exercise is going on. You might hear about something strange at your local hospital, or see first responders in hazardous materials suits, or see a large number of ambulances in your area. Don’t be alarmed. We don’t want this to turn into ‘War of the Worlds.’
“At all times, every agency participating in TOPOFF will be on guard for real events. If a real-life situation makes it necessary, we will stop the exercise and respond.
“Meanwhile, if you come across something suspicious and you just don’t know whether it’s real or part of the test, please do what we always ask citizens to do. Call 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ, the hotline of the New Jersey Domestic Security Task Force. Tell them you saw something, you’re not sure what it is, but you wanted to report it,” Codey said.
Executive Director Mayer, of the US Department of Homeland Security’s Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness, said, “We are grateful for New Jersey's partnership in the most important counter-terrorism exercise conducted by the United States Department of Homeland Security. Lessons learned from this exercise will enhance not only New Jersey's, but the whole country's anti-terrorism preparedness.”
“When it comes to New Jersey’s preparedness, the questions we ask ourselves constantly are ‘What works?’ and ‘What doesn't work?’” Attorney General Harvey said. “The only way to answer these questions is to exercise security procedures on a regular basis. The goal in TOPOFF is not to proclaim our proficiency, it is rather to discover as many weaknesses as we can so we can take steps to make the necessary improvements prior to any real natural disaster or terrorist incident.”
“TOPOFF 3 will provide a comprehensive test of New Jersey’s public health care system during a biological incident,” said Commissioner Jacobs. “Virtually every hospital, community health center, emergency medical service and local and county health department will be involved in this exercise. Given this broad-based participation, TOPOFF 3 will be a realistic test of New Jersey's health response capabilities. The activities involved in preparing for TOPOFF 3 have already made our state better prepared."
Codey concluded:
“I want to thank the Federal Department of Homeland Security for giving us this opportunity. And I want to thank the local, county and state officials and volunteers from all across New Jersey who will be participating in TOPOFF 3.
“You are all doing the people of New Jersey a great service. You are helping us make sure our state does everything we can to keep our families and communities safe and secure.”
