Editor:
On Thursday, October 12th, the Santa Monica Police and Fire Departments conducted a training exercise at the Santa Monica Pier that I and other members of the community volunteered at. As a veteran and member of the Pier Corporation’s Board of Directors, I was curious about our first responders’ standard operating procedures, level of training, and plan for the Pier in a complex threat or terrorism scenario.
My first observation during the training was that the police officers and fire personnel who participated were highly professional. As volunteers, we were given a safety briefing, overview of the scenario, and what we could expect from the trainees. We were given our individual instructions (e.g. play a leg injury, broken back, bullet wound, etc.). From my time in the military where I ran countless of similar exercises for my soldiers, I was pleased to see this attention to detail (and truthfully felt a bit of nostalgia for when I was on the “other side” of such exercises).
As the scenario unfolded - and I duly played my part as a hapless tourist at the Albright with other Pier Board Members Nick Rolston, Randi Parent, and Jeff Jarrow, former Councilmember and Albright owner Greg Morena, and several members of the Heal the Bay Aquarium staff - I noted several best practices during the observing, controlling, and evaluating of the exercise. I’d like to commend the trainers and the Departments leadership teams for designing such thoughtful feedback mechanisms. Finally, I enjoyed pulling out old skills such as casualty evaluation and movement of victims on backboards down the length of the Pier. From experience, I can confirm that nothing compares to a full dress rehearsal for a performance you hope to never bring to stage.
I hope City leadership continues to train our first responders on the Pier for the various threat scenarios we might - and do, as we have seen too frequently lately - face. I urge the City to invest in more training aids for added realism and in capital improvement projects such as loud speakers and ground retractable automobile barrier nets to better protect pedestrians, businesses, and the structure itself.
Our Pier is the heart of our tourism industry and a gem of SoCal culture and history. The exercise left me - and should leave our community - assured that the Pier is in good hands. Hats off to our Police and Fire Departments for keeping the Pier and our community safe!
Dan Hall is a United States Army veteran, former Troop Commander, and helicopter pilot who served in Iraq during Operation Inherent Resolve. He currently serves as a Board Member for the Santa Monica Pier Corporation.
