The U.S. Coast Guard, Guam Fire Rescue, Guam Police, and the U.S. Navy conducted a successful search and rescue exercise (SAREX) in Guam, Aug. 10 – 11.
“This is one of the first operational exercises we’ve done since COVID, and the purpose is to work through our procedures. We have a lot of different agencies involved, and this is bringing those all together in coordination to respond to an incident,” said Lt. Henry Dunphy, the emergency management and force readiness chief for U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam. “Today’s exercise was very successful, and it was a good chance to get back out in the field and really renew some of those partnerships and coordination we have here in Guam.”
The team coordinated response to an overdue kayak off Tumon Bay and practiced search patterns and helicopter hosts. The exercise lasted two days, including planning, safety, and communication meetings in a Wednesday tabletop portion.