OHIO811 Participates inDisaster Preparedness Exercise with OP3 at Rickenbacker

On March 5, 2025, OHIO811 Supported a Full scale Logistics Staging Area (LSA) exercise at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio.

On March 5, 2025, OHIO811 participated in a full scale Logistics Staging Area (LSA) exercise at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base. The Ohio Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with the Ohio Public Private Partnership (OP3), brought together public and private partners to practice establishing and operating an Logistics Staging Area (LSA), an essential disaster response hub used to receive, stage, and deploy critical resources to affected communities.

The Ohio Military Reserve (OHMR), working in coordination with the Ohio National Guard, led the setup and operation of the LSA. Their team managed site layout, access control, vehicle flow, and the tracking of all inbound and outbound resources, demonstrating their ability to rapidly build and sustain a fully functional logistics hub during disaster operations.

Additional participating partners included the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, Disaster Aid USA, DHL Logisticshttps://www.dhl.com/us-en/home/life-sciences-and-healthcare-logistics/aid-and-relief.html, Kroger, Ohio Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and Walmart. These organizations—along with OHIO811—provided vehicle and operational support during the eight hour exercise, creating a hands on opportunity to test communication, coordination, and resource movement and tracking.

This exercise strengthened Ohio’s emergency response partnerships and enhanced statewide preparedness for large scale incidents requiring rapid, coordinated logistics operations.

Group of military personnel and utility workers in high-visibility vests standing near a blue CenterPoint Energy service truck in a parking lot, with a police SUV in the background.
Military personnel in camouflage discuss next to a line of delivery trucks and vans behind orange traffic cones in a large parking lot during a convoy drill or inspection moment.
Group of soldiers and civilians posing on a wet tarmac with buses and trucks behind them on an airfield.
Blue sign reading 'Logistic Staging Area' on a chain-link fence at an industrial site, with equipment in the background.
Four soldiers in camouflage uniforms stand outside a beige hangar, conversing with a civilian official who holds a radio.
Man in a black jacket speaks to uniformed staff in a truck yard briefing session
Soldier in camouflage and a safety vest directs a DHL tractor-trailer at a loading area with a line of DHL trucks nearby.
Line of Kroger delivery trucks lined up along a wet road, with a red car and workers standing near the first trucks.

Ohio Military Reserve put together an LSA exercise video on YouTube that can be found by clicking here.

This article was written by:
Gary D. Lehman CPM® CEM®
Ohio Public Private Partnership (OP3) Program Administrator
Ohio Homeland Security
Ohio Department of Public Safety