DVIDS – News – North Dakota National Guard State Partnership Program Earthquake Exercise

The North Dakota National Guard’s (NDNG) State Partnership Program (SPP) collaborated with the Ghana National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) to conduct Lignite Coast 2022 Preparedness Exercise “Shikpon Wosomo”, an interagency earthquake response exercise. Scheduled from June 21 to 23, 2022, this was the largest bilateral exercise conducted through the NDNG SPP. The Ghanaian agencies included the Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Armed Forces (48th Engineer Regiment), National Ambulance Service, Ghana Police Service, National Communications Authority, Ghana Health Service, the Geological Survey Authority, and the Volta River Authority.

To prepare for the emergency response tactical exercises, members of the NDNG along with the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services traveled to Ghana to conduct a week of academic training focusing on Incident Command System principles and Emergency Operations Center activities. These best practices help assist the Republic of Ghana and NADMO prepare for an emergency response to a major natural disaster like an earthquake. The four tactical exercises conducted were each triggered by an earthquake. Each of the first responder agencies got a chance to be the lead agency and serve in the role of Incident Commander as dictated by the scenario. The first responders were the National Ambulance Service, National Police Service, National Fire Service, and the Ghana Armed Forces. The Incident Commander is responsible for coordinating all response activities and serves as the decision-maker during response operations.

The first exercise took place at the Tema Canoe Harbor, a heavily used fishing harbor in Ghana, June 21, 2022. The scenario began after a notional earthquake injured several people at the harbor while other people at the scene were panicking, rushing toward anyone who could render assistance. The Ghanaian agencies would have to collaborate to control the panicked crowd, recover victims, and establish a casualty collection point under the guidance of the incident commander from the National Ambulance Service. This exercise also featured the notional release of potentially hazardous materials, allowing decontamination procedures to be exercised. After the Ghana Police Service establish a perimeter to help control the crowd, the Ghana National Fire Service and the National Ambulance Service recovered and stabilized the simulated casualties, moving them to a decontamination area and then on to the casualty collection point. From there, the National Ambulance Service could safely triage the injured, provide aid and move victims into ambulances as needed.

The second exercise was conducted at a fish market near Tema Canoe Harbor, June 21, 2022. In this scenario, a group of people staged a disruption that blocked the National Ambulance Service from entering the fish market to provide medical assistance to the earthquake victims inside. For this exercise, the Ghana Police Service functioned as the Incident Commander, providing oversight, security, and control of the situation. After the disturbance broke out, the Ghana Police Service moved the more aggressive participants away from the fish market. In response, the unruly crowd surged toward the ambulances and began to rock them; the actors pretending to attempt to tip them over. The Ghana Police Service brought out their K9 unit and riot shields and were able to use them to maneuver the crowd away from the National Ambulance Service. The first responders could then move in, collect the injured, and move them to the casualty collection point.

On June 22, 2022, the third exercise took place on the N1 Highway, also known as the George W. Bush Highway, one of the busiest motorways in the country. In this scenario, a truck carrying hazardous material broke down on the highway during the earthquake, causing an accident resulting in several victims. Traffic was rerouted off of the highway to clear the area. Because of the hazardous material threat, the Ghana National Fire Service provided the Incident Commander, working with the other agencies to ensure the safety of the first responders. During the chaos, a group of volunteers rushed to the vehicle to steal the gas that was pouring out (replaced with water for the exercise). The Ghana Police Service worked to prevent them from stealing the simulated fuel, interfering with first responders, and from harming themselves.

The final exercise was a search and rescue scenario in a rubble pile as a result of a simulated earthquake, June 23, 2022. The Ghana Armed Forces served as the Incident Commander for this engagement, in which a large crowd of panicked bystanders prevented first responders from being able to properly locate, triage, and care for the victims. Many of the victims in the scenario were also notionally trapped under the rubble and needed heavy equipment to free them. The Ghana Armed Forces assisted the Ghana Police Service in controlling the large crowd and also brought search and rescue dogs to assist the first responders in locating the victims.

The NDNG and Ghana have formally worked together since 2004 under the SPP, adding partnerships with Ghana’s neighbors, Togo and Benin in 2014. These partnerships allow the U.S. to maintain strong relationships with other countries and provides NDNG Soldiers and Airmen with chances to cross-train with their foreign counterparts and in a variety of training opportunities.