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PUBLIC SERVICE A LOOK BACK, BOOKS AND SKYWARN RECOGNITION DAY THE BOOKS
HIGHLIGHTED HERE MAKE GREAT GIFTS FOR THE ARES OPERATOR ON YOUR HOLIDAY
SHOPPING LIST.  IT HAS BEEN A BUSY AND DEMANDING YEAR IN TERMS OF MAJOR
EXERCISES AND DISASTER OPERATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.  ONE NEED NOT LOOK
FURTHER THAN THE COLORADO FLASH FLOODING, THE CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES, OR THE
BOSTON MARATHON FOR EXAMPLES OF CRITICAL EMERGENCIES.  THE GOVERNMENT, IN
THE PURSUIT OF INTEROPERABILITY, REMAINS COMMITTED TO MAKING THE COUNTRYS
EMERGENCY RESPONDERS ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER MORE EFFICIENTLY
AND EFFECTIVELY ON THE DISASTER SCENE.  THE UBIQUITOUS INCIDENT COMMAND
SYSTEM ICS IS THE TEMPLATE FOR GOVERNMENT EMERGENCY RESPONSE THAT PUTS ALL
PLAYERS ON THE SAME PAGE, REGARDLESS OF THE SIZE OF THE INCIDENT.  WHETHER
IT IS A CAR CRASH ON THE LOS ANGELES FREEWAY, A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE
SLAMMING INTO THE GULF STATES, OR A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE ALONG THE NEW MADRID
FAULT LINE, THE ICS ADAPTS TO THE EVENT.  IN FLORIDA, A STATE WIDE EXERCISE
WAS HELD IN FEBRUARY THAT WAS ON A LARGER SCALE THAN HAD BEEN SEEN BEFORE.
DUBBED OPERATION RADAR II, IT COMBINED ROLLING COMMUNICATIONS VANS FROM THE
STATE EOC AT TALLAHASSEE WITH MANY COUNTY VEHICLES AND OPERATORS FROM LOCAL
EOCS ACROSS THE STATE.  THEY CONVENED ON A SPRAWLING MILITARY CAMPUS
OUTSIDE OF JACKSONVILLE FOR THIS MULTIDAY INTEROPERABILITY EXERCISE.
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