ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Fire Department tested the city’s ability to respond to a major hurricane during a preparedness exercise designed to identify potential problems before Central Florida faces a real storm.
The Aug. 13 exercise, called Operation Storm Shield, brought Orlando firefighters, emergency management personnel and other city partners together at the City of Orlando Emergency Operations Center.
Participants worked through a simulated major hurricane and practiced how the city would coordinate personnel, emergency resources and information before, during and after a storm.
The goal was to strengthen Orlando’s hurricane preparedness by giving emergency personnel an opportunity to identify gaps, clarify responsibilities and improve coordination before an actual emergency activation.
Preparing before the storm
During the first phase of Operation Storm Shield, participants focused on preparations that would take place as a hurricane approached Central Florida.
The exercise included staffing decisions, fire station readiness, resource planning and other preparations necessary before dangerous weather reached the area.
Those decisions can become critical during an actual hurricane, when emergency agencies must prepare personnel and equipment while anticipating how conditions could affect their ability to respond to residents.
Responding while a hurricane is underway
The second phase simulated conditions during a major storm.
Participants worked through life-safety priorities, limitations on emergency response, decisions about deploying resources and coordination with Orlando’s Emergency Operations Center.
The exercise also tested how information would move from personnel in the field to decision-makers coordinating the city’s overall emergency response.
That included documenting and routing reports about storm impacts and requests for resources through the Emergency Operations Center.
Assessing damage and beginning recovery
The final phase focused on what happens after dangerous conditions have passed.
Participants practiced processing damage reports, collecting information through initial “windshield surveys” of affected areas, establishing recovery priorities and determining what follow-up actions would be necessary.
Windshield surveys allow emergency personnel to conduct rapid preliminary assessments of damaged neighborhoods and infrastructure, helping officials determine where resources may be needed most urgently.
Operation Storm Shield included representatives from the Orlando Fire Department, City of Orlando Emergency Management and personnel assigned to emergency support functions.
Firefighting, emergency medical services, health and medical response, search and rescue, hazardous materials, logistics, emergency planning and command personnel were among the areas represented.
The exercise did not involve an actual hurricane or emergency activation. Instead, officials used the simulated storm to practice the decisions, communications and coordination that would be required during a real disaster.
For Central Florida residents, that preparation becomes increasingly important during the Atlantic hurricane season, when even communities well inland can face flooding, damaging winds, tornadoes, power outages and disruptions to emergency services.
