The Coast Guard, fire department, and Ocean Safety Division will run a two-day search, rescue and communication training drill — at Kapi'olani Park today and along the reef at Diamond Head on Wednesday.

The agencies want to improve their readiness for mass rescue operations and to better prepare first responders to react to any kind of disaster in Hawai'i waters, the Coast Guard said.

The full-scale exercise will involve county and federal agencies. All agencies will be involved in the communications check portion of the event this morning at Kapi'olani Park in preparation for the large-scale event Wednesday off the reef of Diamond Head. The exercise will last six hours each day.

Along with communication monitoring and evaluation personnel, the Coast Guard will deploy a HH 65 Dolphin helicopter with a crew of four, a 25-foot rescue vessel with a crew of four, and a simulated "vessel in distress" with two people aboard.

The Coast Guard will make regular broadcasts to keep mariners in the area informed during the exercise.

During the drill, the Coast Guard will communicate on VHF-FM channel 23A and all transmissions will include the phrase "This is a drill, this is a drill." No transmissions related to the drill will be made on the maritime distress VHF-FM channel 16.