Orlando – About 200 Central Florida first responders and emergency personnel will practice a full-scale emergency preparedness exercise on Valencia College’s East Campus on Aug. 4. The campus will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The exercise, titled Operation VIPER 2.0 (Valencia Interoperable Partnership in Emergency Response), will include high-risk incidents and is designed to test the effectiveness of emergency agencies’ communications and response times during disasters. Agencies participating include the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Orange County Fire Rescue, along with Valencia’s Security Department and others.
This year’s operation will include scripted scenarios involving more than 100 Valencia students and staffers, who will serve as role-players during the exercise.
The exercise will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Valencia’s East Campus, located at 701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando.
No classes are scheduled on that day. Students who need to enroll, speak to an adviser or register for classes will be directed to Valencia’s School of Public Safety, which is located at 8600 Valencia College Lane, approximately one mile from the East Campus. There, a temporary Answer Center will be set up to answer students’ questions. Financial aid advisors and an admission specialist will also be at the School of Public Safety to assist students with enrollment and answer questions. The security team on East Campus will provide maps as well as directional signage as a resource and reference for students.