U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — The Virgin Islands Department of Health is reminding the public of the upcoming full-scale pediatric disaster exercise set for Tuesday, on St. Thomas, and Thursday, on St. Croix.
Exercise activities will take place at locations across the territory, including the Lockhart K-8 School on St. Thomas, and at the Pearl B. Larsen K-8 School and the University of the Virgin Islands’ Medical Simulation Center on St. Croix.
Titled “Operation Guardian Angels,” the mass casualty, emergency preparedness exercise will bring together numerous territorial partners to respond to a mass casualty scenario involving children and families.
Participating agencies include the:
- VI Fire Services and EMS
- VI Police Department
- Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital
- VI Department of Labor’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration
- VI Port Authority
- VI Department of Education
- St. Croix Rescue
- St. Thomas Rescue
- VI Department of Justice
- Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA)
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Plessen Healthcare
- American Red Cross of the Virgin Islands
- VI Air National Guard 285th Civil Engineering Squadron
- VI Department of Human Services
- Business Emergency Operations Center
- Office of the Governor
“We are grateful to our many partners across the territory who are working alongside the Department of Health to strengthen emergency preparedness in the Virgin Islands,” said VI Health Commissioner Encarnacion. “This exercise will allow us to practice coordination, communication, and response procedures before a real emergency occurs.”
Operation Guardian Angels is conducted as part of the department’s Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program and supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which works to strengthen pediatric emergency care systems across states and territories.
To ensure readiness for this effort, the Virgin Islands Department of Health and its partners conducted two tabletop exercises earlier this month — March 4 on St. Thomas and March 6 on St. Croix. These planning sessions allowed agencies to review protocols, strengthen coordination, and identify any gaps ahead of the full-scale exercise.
The full-scale exercise will involve real-time, on-the-ground simulation, with participants acting as injured individuals. Emergency resources will be actively deployed as part of the training scenario to strengthen coordination and preparedness among participating agencies.
The Department of Health assures the community that school operations will continue with minimal disruption, and that the exercise was carefully coordinated with school administrators and participating partners to ensure the safety of students, staff, and the surrounding community.
Maternal Child Health & Community Health Clinic Temporary Closure
The VI Department of Health is also notifying the public that its Maternal Child Health Clinic will close for participation in the exercise – Tuesday on St. Thomas and Thursday on St. Croix.