UPDATED 1 p.m. May 2

The emergency response drill has been essentially completed Saturday, May 2, in Port Townsend and without the participation of any helicopters.

Three helicopters were initially planned to be included; by Saturday morning, all had other responsibilities elsewhere, according to East Jefferson Fire Rescue.

Personnel have trained aboard the M/V Kennewick at the Port Townsend ferry terminal, and at the Jefferson Healthcare emergency room.

The EJFR response boat Guardian Saturday morning was on scene for monitoring of the beach wildfire along Discovery Bay off Aldrich Road, which had been started Friday afternoon.

UPDATED 6 p.m. May 1

Expect helicopter activity over downtown Port Townsend Saturday mid-morning continuing into the afternoon, according to the latest information made available.

An Airlift Northwest helo is to land at Memorial Field between the 10:15 to noon time frame on May 2, according to Bill Beezley, East Jefferson Fire Rescue public information officer.

About 10 a.m., a U.S. Coast Guard helo is to conduct a search and rescue exercise somewhere in Port Townsend Bay. EJFR Marine 1-6 Guardian is to operate below the helo.

The ferry M/V Kennewick, which is idle May 2-3 when the route is closed for repairs at the Coupeville terminal, is to be back at the Port Townsend terminal about 10:15 a.m. where the drill continues with triage, and treatment of patients prior to transport to Jefferson Healthcare hospital.

The hospital is participating in the drill, including onboarding trauma patents into the ER, Beezley noted.

The general public and media are not allowed on Washington State Ferries property during the exercise, Beezley noted.

ORIGINAL STORY APRIL 29

Local, state and federal personnel plan a training drill Saturday, May 2 on the ferry Kennewick while it is sidelined in Port Townsend, an exercise that also includes helicopters landing on Memorial Athletic Field.

The training drill consists of three separate scenarios, all held on the M/V Kennewick, the Washington State Ferries' vessel serving the Port Townsend-Coupeville route.

The exercise is timed to coincide with the May 2-3 weekend when the Washington State Department of Transportation closes the ferry route to conduct maintenance on the Coupeville terminal transfer span.

According to Bill Beezley, public information officer with East Jefferson Fire Rescue, the exercise is to demonstrate how separate agencies come together to respond to a variety of emergency incidents on the ferry. It also evaluates interoperable communications between the agencies.

Along with local Jefferson County emergency response agencies and the Washington State Ferries, participants include U.S. Coast Guard, Navy Region Northwest Fire and Emergency Services, Seattle Fire Department, Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue, Oak Harbor Police Department, Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management, Jefferson Healthcare and Airlift Northwest.

During the exercise, the Kennewick is stationed in Port Townsend Bay and at the Port Townsend ferry terminal. Helicopters from Coast Guard and Northwest Regional Aviation interact with responders on the ferry.

Helicopters also land at Jefferson County Memorial Athletic Field in downtown Port Townsend between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. May 2 as part of the exercise.