KONFITMA 2024 to involve 100 participants

A hundred participants from various local government agencies will take part in next week’s KONFITMA 2024 full-scale exercise, according to the CNMI Office of Homeland Security and Emergency.

HSEM public information officer Bernard Villagomez revealed this yesterday during a media briefing where he was joined by Public School System senior director for Student and Support Services Yvonne Pangelinan at the HSEM Emergency Operations Center on Capitol Hill.

Villagomez said this year’s KONFITMA will see an increase in first responder as shown by the 100 participants of the Sept. 3 and 4 drills. Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Public School System, and the Department of Public Safety make up the bulk of the agencies involved in KONFITMA 2024.

“So, we just want to reassure them that this is part of the exercise and there should not be a concern if a real-world work situation were to happen during the exercise,” said Villagomez.

He added that they have been conducting the exercise for a long time and it was only paused during COVID-19 before resuming in 2023. The exercise is meant to test the capabilities of CNMI government agencies in real-world scenarios and it’s in collaboration with Guam National Guard 94th WMD-CST and Wisconsin National Guard 54TH WMD-CST.

KONFITMA 2024 starts on Sept. 3 with an active shooter exercise beginning 9:30am at Kagman High School. The scenario will trigger a lockdown for multiple schools—KHS, Chacha Oceanview Middle School, and Kagman Elementary School.

It will be followed with hostage and active shooter scenarios at the former Kagman Juvenile Detention Center, decontamination and mass care at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp to test the hospital’s capabilities for mass casualties and decontamination with their hazmat unit, and then will go back to Kagman Juvenile Detention for the Hazmat and CBRNE.

The Hazmat and CBRNE activity is where the CNMI Hazardous Material Response team will work with the 94th CST and the 54th CST to see how they will respond to a chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological, and explosive situation, but the emphasis is more on the chemical situation.

Meanwhile, Pangelinan said PSS’ participation will help them assess physical and psychological safety, messaging, and recovery reunification. She explained that the reunification process involves returning students to their parents after the crisis. She also added that effective communication is crucial during drills and real-life crises

Pangelinan mentioned that only affected schools will participate, while Head Start centers will not be involved, and reminders and updates about the upcoming school drills will be sent to families before and during the event. She emphasized children’s safety as she advised the families not to come to school during the drill. Parents and guardians are encouraged to discuss the coming drills with their children and address any concerns or special needs with the school beforehand.

Previous prank calls incidents were also discussed during the media briefing, wherein Pangelinan said that prank calls at schools can have a serious consequence, including federal offenses and acts of terrorism. She added that students should think carefully before making prank calls, as they may face legal consequences.

According to Pangelinan, last year there were several prank calls involving one school, which were promptly addressed using GPS and school staff.

The chlorine and CBRNE incident at the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. storage unit on Sept. 4 will conclude KONFITMA 2024.