[Archived] Alexandria Participates in Reginoal Y2K Exercise and Readies for Y2K


News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:	Tuesday, August 31, 1999
Contact:	Angelita Plemmer, City Manager's Office, (703) 838-4300; Mark Jinks, Director ,Financial and Information Technology Services, (703) 838-6420; Bill Cole, Director, Information Technology Services, (703) 838-4950; Jane Malik, Public Information Officer, (703) 838-4339

Alexandria Participates in Reginoal Y2K Exercise and Readies for Y2K

The City of Alexandria, along with other local governments in the Washington, D.C. area, will participate in the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments' (COG) Year 2000 Exercise on Wednesday, September 1. The exercise, which lasts from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will enable the City to test its ability to respond to simulated disasters created by Y2K computer failures or other types of emergencies. The exercise also will test the region's mutual aid capabilities and COG's ability to help coordinate regional resources.

On September 1, the City will provide staffing of its Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which serves as the centralized command post for key City departments. The EOC is located in the Lee Center at 1108 Jefferson Street, in the Fire and EMS Training Academy. In addition, the City will provide staffing assistance at COG's regional Joint Emergency Operations Center in order to be prepared to respond to simulated regional emergencies if necessary.

"This exercise provides an opportunity for the City of Alexandria to test local emergency response plans and to participate in a regional effort to coordinate the use of resources," Alexandria Fire Chief Thomas Hawkins said. "While the City does not expect to encounter any significant problems on December 31, this is one of many steps the City is taking to ensure that it is prepared."

Key City departments, including the City Manager's Office, Police, Fire, Transportation & Environmental Services, General Services and Information Technology Services will staff the Alexandria EOC. These departments will respond to simulated events orchestrated by COG.

City staff have been testing many of the City's computer systems since April. The City's traffic control signal system, which has been replaced and is Y2K compliant, has been operational for several months. Final testing for the traffic control signal system was completed successfully on August 24. Tests also have been conducted successfully on the City's business personal property, property tax, business license, personal property, real estate assessment, real estate accounts receivable, general ledger and permit plan systems. Other smaller internal business systems also are undergoing testing to ensure Y2K compliance.

All of the City's mission-critical computer systems have been updated and are Y2K compliant or are on a schedule that will make them compliant before January 1, 2000. The City's emergency medical equipment, fire trucks and police vehicles, many of which contain computer chips, have been tested and are Y2K compliant.

On December 31, the City will provide 24-hour staffing of its EOC and have its emergency preparedness contingency and business continuity plans in place for the new millennium.

Editor's Note: If media representatives would like to observe, videotape or photograph the exercise throughout the day, please contact Angelita Plemmer by pager at (703) 701-2548 since space in the EOC is limited.