Oct. 22, 2003 — OEM hosted Operation Spring Tree — an interactive exercise designed to examine response to a chemical terrorism incident — at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Drawing participants from the Department of Buildings (DOB) and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommuncations (DoITT), with support from OEM, the Department of Design and Construction, Housing Preservation and Development, Brookly Navy Yard Development Corporation and the American Red Cross, Spring Tree got underway as three mock explosives were detonated in various New York City boroughs. Among these explosives was a Radioactive Dispersal Device, which DOB had to take into special consideration when assessing building damage.

Building inspectors respond to damage reports.

Following the initial "damage report," a DOB inspector was requested to the scene. Once on site, he proceeded to take incident reports to determine an appropriate course of action. The inspector then requested additional personnel to conduct rapid inspections and determine if the affected structure was safe to occupy. Meanwhile, DoITT was charged with setting up a back-up 800 MHz radio system to ensure DOB personnel were able to effectively communicate with other City agencies.

Spring Tree, which marked the City's first recovery exercise and the first such exercise funded by the Department of Homeland Security, aimed to test responding agencies' ability to assess building damage caused by a significant explosion, setup time for the 800 MHz back-up radio system, and interagency coordination at the incident scene.

Following the drill, OEM reviewed the agencies' respective response times and decision-making strategies and will make improvements to the City's emergency response procedures where needed.