GBPD assists in landmark panhandle taskforce meeting
FROM STAFF REPORTS Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Officials from the Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA) are organizing the first assembly of a panhandle disaster response task force.

Police personnel from all across the panhandle will assemble at the rest area off of Exit 96 in I-10 at 9:00am on June 14. It will be the largest gathering of a disaster task force in the panhandle and the first time District 10's Disaster Task Force has actually assembled.

The purpose of the State Wide Disaster Task Force is to provide a mechanism for the Florida Police Chiefs Association to provide a planned, long term and extensive response to disasters.

This large task force can be deployed for an indefinite period of time and is self sustaining

and self relieving for as long as it may be needed in a disaster area.

The exercise on June 14 is intended to demonstrate the disaster response capabilities of the District. Each police department in the panhandle is committing resources to provide a significant amount of personnel and equipment that no agency has the ability to provide alone.

The plan provides for the voluntary participation of every agency from the smallest to the largest and has positioned the cities, region and the state for better disaster response in the future.

Gulf Breeze Police Chief Peter Paulding reports that Police Departments from Chipley, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Panama City, Panama City Beach, Pensacola, Shalimar, Springfield and others have indicated they will participate.