From left, CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management public information officer Bernard Villagomez, Special Assistant for HSEM Franklin Babauta and Guam National Guard exercise planner Sean Cripps during a press briefing in the HSEM conference room on Thursday.
FOUR years after it was last held on Saipan, KONFITMA Exercise is back. This time, it will involve civil support teams from Texas, Utah and Guam on Nov. 14 and 15, 2023 in separate locations on Saipan.
In August 2018, the Washington National Guard and civil support teams from Guam, Hawaii and Tennessee participated in the exercise on Saipan, which is designed to test the capabilities of local agencies and identify interoperability gaps in emergency response.
Konfitma is a Chamorro word that means “conforming with the plans.”
In a press conference on Thursday, CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management public information officer Bernard Villagomez said members of the public should not be alarmed when they hear sirens or notice the presence of emergency response personnel.
Special Assistant for HSEM Franklin Babauta said they are giving members of the community a “heads up.”
He said HSEM will also put up signs to inform passersby about the exercises.
Guam National Guard exercise planner Sean Cripps said KONFITMA will help “sustain and improve [local] capabilities [in] coordination with other resources that can come and assist Saipan.”
The exercise was first held in the CNMI in 2010.
