SAN FRANCISCO -- Marines, sailors and other emergency response proponents packed the lawns of
Marina Green Park with static displays for the humanitarian assistance and
disaster relief village display in San Francisco, California, Oct. 9, as part of
San Francisco Fleet Week 2015.
For the past 35 years, Marines and sailors
have flooded the streets of San Francisco for one week each year. SFFW is a
week-long event that blends a unique training and education program, bringing
together key civilian emergency responders and Naval crisis-response
forces.
The HADR village showcased the military’s operating platforms and
demonstrated to the Bay Area residents Marine Corps and Navy logistical
capabilities that can provide a relief effort in the event of a disaster
occurring.
Passersby witnessed logistical armament such as heavy utility
vehicles, a field medical facility, and explosive ordnance disposal gear, along
with other advanced equipment pertinent to humanitarian assistance efforts. The
event also hosted exhibits from civilian first responders in order to strengthen
a bond with the military and showcase a cooperative spirit that will play into
relief efforts following a disaster.
“The civilian authorities and
response agencies know that there is an inevitability that we will be working
shoulder-to-shoulder with our armed forces to provide the disaster support that
we need to our communities that are affected,” said Jeff Myers, the assistant
deputy chief of emergency medical services with the San Francisco Fire
Department.
With a history of devastating earthquakes, city officials
understand the value of disaster readiness. The resources that will be needed to
provide aid will be substantial, and the city is preparing now to ensure that
the citizens of San Francisco County are taken care of when necessary.
Throughout the afternoon, the park was bursting with kind greetings between
service members, first responders and San Francisco residents eager to express
their hospitality towards one another.
As the service members have been
displaying what they would do for the people of San Francisco in the event of a
disaster, they have been met with positive response, said Master Gunnery Sgt.
Michael S. Parker, the senior enlisted advisor of Headquarters Regiment, 1st
Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Division.
“The citizens have been
very warm and open to the [Marine and sailors] out in town and strong community
relations, as well as a solid support for military and government is what we are
trying to build upon,” said Parker.
As the military and civil emergency
services offer a visible presence in the San Francisco community, the service
members and first responders want the Bay Area residents to understand that they
are here for them, will provide for them, ensure their safety and respond to any
disaster as appropriately as possible, said Sgt. Mark Moreno, a law enforcement
officer with the San Francisco Police Department.