ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Coast Guard Sector Anchorage personnel participated in a BP pollution response exercise in Prudhoe Bay Aug. 22-24, 2012.
Coast Guard personnel participated in the exercise as the Federal On-scene Coordinator, Deputy Federal On-scene Coordinator and filled other key positions within BP’s incident management team.
The response exercise is an annual event that tests the capabilities of North Slope industries with a focus on exercising response plans to help mitigate the effects of an actual pollution incident.
As the nation’s lead federal agency for ensuring maritime safety, security and stewardship in the Arctic, the Coast Guard partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency to test communications and command interactions between the two agencies during the exercise.
“The level of commitment and dedication by all members in this exercise towards maintaining the pristine Arctic environment was outstanding,” said Capt. Paul Mehler III, Sector Anchorage commander. “I was pleased by the level of effort and communication by all the exercise participants and our Coast Guard objectives were met.”
