The Salvation Army Leads Fleet Week 2014 at The Marina Green
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by John McKnight, Director of Emergency & Disaster Services
Fleet Week 2014 was a huge success this year, and The Salvation Army established itself as a leader in this massive citywide event. Fleet Week is an annual event celebrating our nation’s armed forces and most notably the Navy and Marine Corps; the event is highlighted by a parade of ships as the Navy enters the bay, on-going tours of the ships for the public, and of course, the very visible airshows that happen throughout the weekend. These mark the highly visible portion of the event. However, there is another very important component that happens mostly outside the public view.
Fleet Week is also a Disaster Preparedness event attended by first responders, city planners, and state and national leaders who come together to talk about and plan for disasters which may require the deployment of our nation’s military to assist in the response and recovery effort. Behind the scenes meetings occur throughout the week to bring these leaders together and this year, for the first time, The Salvation Army was there. John McKnight, the Divisional EDS (Emergency and Disaster Services) Director, was active in the planning of this year’s Fleet Week events and represented our Divisional response potential at meetings, exercises, and the highly valued Senior Leaders Seminar, a two-day seminar and workshop attended by leaders in emergency and disaster response from around the Bay Area, the state, and the nation. The Salvation Army, for its support in the planning of this high profile event was listed as a principal sponsor of the Seminar in the event program.
The Salvation Army also played a significant role in this year’s event by managing the Humanitarian Assistance Village at the Marina Green. “The Village”, as it is called, is an open static display of equipment and agencies representing the many elements and resources that can be brought together to respond to disasters. The U.S. Marine Corps is the major provider of equipment and resources for this display having brought over 30 pieces of equipment and in excess of 100 plus personnel. In addition, more than 20 other agencies and 30 additional emergency response vehicles were present for the public to interact with over the two-day weekend down at the Marina Green. The entire “Village” was under the direction of The Salvation Army EDS Director. Our visibility was unmatched, and our capability and involvement with the EDS community from around the state was more than apparent.
Next year The Salvation Army will continue to develop its role with the Fleet Week community and the planning committee. The Village at Marina Green will continue to grow as an interactive EDS learning event, and we as an organization, will remain in the forefront as one of the leaders of this nationally recognized event.