Simulation exercise: Foot and mouth disease in the United States of America-2

Dr. John Clifford, USA delegate to the OIE, US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, informed the OIE that a simulation exercise, named Agriculture Response Management and Resources (ARMAR), will take place in the continental United States from 8 to 10 May 2018.ARMAR aims to advance the United States’ capability to respond to a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) emergency, focusing on incident and resource management.

The objectives for the exercise are to:

• Demonstrate effective communication among the federal, state, local, and industry entities, and among federal and state emergency operations centers;
• Define the critical information requirements and prioritization strategies to support requests for and manage scarce or critical resources;
• Refine policies and procedures for engaging/requesting support during an FMD response;
• Demonstrate procedures for the integration of state and federal information management systems;
• Validate FMD response plans; and
• Identify gaps in available resources and policies that would be needed to effectively respond to an FMD outbreak.

The complete exercise is made up of a 3-day functional exercise for six states (California, Colorado, Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin) and a table-top exercise of shorter duration for six additional states (Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas). Evaluations will focus on select Core Capabilities and Critical Tasks necessary to implement effective policies, plans, and procedures associated with resource management, communication, and Incident Command, to address an escalating FMD outbreak in the United States.

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World Animal Health Information and Analysis Department
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
[email protected]