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Big Four Ice Caves to Close for Exercise this Weekend

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 9, 2017

CONTACT:  Tracy O’Toole, Public Affairs Officer, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, tracymotoole@fs.fed.us, 425-783-6015

Shari Ireton, Director of Communications, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office
shari.ireton@snoco.org, 425-388-3377, Media line: 425-249-6263

GRANITE FALLS, Wash. – The Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit and the U.S. Forest Service are informing the public of an incident response exercise that will be conducted at the Big Four Ice Caves Saturday, June 10. Access to the Ice Caves west and east parking lots will be limited and/or restricted from the afternoon of Friday, June 9 through 6 p.m. Saturday, June 10. The exercise will take place at the Ice Caves between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday and will include participants from USFS, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, five Snohomish County Fire agencies, Snohomish County Fire Technical Rescue Team, Airlift Northwest, and SNOPAC.  There will be several aircraft in the area, including SnoHAWK10 and SnoHAWK1, for the exercise.

The main goal of the exercise is to coordinate and rehearse a multi-agency response to injuries and/or fatalities at the Big Four Ice Caves while maintaining the safety of responding personnel for both air and ground operations.   Collateral benefits include greater preparedness and coordination between agencies during emergency events in the Forest.

All media are required to check in with a Public Information Officer by 9 a.m. at the staging site at the Verlot Public Service Center.

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