National Guard Troops to Train in Cheektowaga Nov. 13-16

Disaster Response Exercise Slated for Erie County Emergency Services Training Center

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Army New York National Guard members conduct a Homeland Response Force training exercise in Oriskany May 1, 2014. US Air National Guard Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Ray Lloyd

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y (11/06/2014)(readMedia)-- More than 375 New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen will train in Cheektowaga Buffalo and Niagara Falls next week, Nov. 13 to 16, to better prepare for their response and support roles as a regional disaster Homeland Response Force.

A significant portion of the response force command element, decontamination team and extraction force are based in Western New York.

The organization, known as a National Guard Homeland Response Force, will train at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Center and the Erie County Emergency Services and Operations Training Center to enhance their readiness to assist responders following a Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear incident.

Residents may notice increased military traffic between Cheektowaga, Buffalo and Niagara Falls as the units arrive and conduct preparations and the training exercise slated for the end of next week.

Area news media should expect a media advisory early next week announcing coverage opportunities for the training later next week.

Imagery of recent unit training including the 2014 validation exercise can be found at the New York National Guard Flickr site at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nyng/sets/72157644419973192/with/14080385802/

The Erie County Emergency Services Training and Operations Center

The Erie County Fire Safety Division operates from the Emergency Services Training & Operations Center in Cheektowaga, N.Y. The facility is in operation an average of 14 hours a day, six days a week and hosted over 1,200 training events in 2013.

The Fire Safety Division serves as a resource center for the County's 97 fire departments, operating the Cheektowaga facility and two other field training centers in Amherst and Orchard Park where some 4,000 fire fighters train annually.

The Fire Safety Office provides coordination to the county fire departments through the training and preparation of firefighters to meet the requirements of their job and needs of their customers - the residents, businesses and visitors to Erie County's towns and villages.