Dave Hill, Scientist-in-Charge of the USGS Long Valley Observatory, notifies the California Office of Emergency Services in Sacramento, California, of the hypothetical unrest in the Long Valley area. For the purpose of this exercise, he also made calls to the State Geologist (California Department of Conservation, Division of Mines and Geology), and to other USGS offices during the first 5 minutes of the exercise.

During a period of real volcanic unrest in the Long Valley area, the clearinghouse for such information would be from an Emergency Operation Center in the Town of Mammoth Lakes or Bridgeport. The U.S. Geological Survey will have several scientists participating in such a center in order to provide current information about the status of the activity and potential hazards in the area.