[cifnmedia] Mock Terror Drill Brings More Than 1,000 First Responders
- From: Sean & Kimberly Aaron <cifn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: CIFN LIST <cifnmedia@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 02:12:29 -0800 (PST)
Updated: 03-15-2004 01:34:57 PM
Mock Terror Drill Brings More Than 1,000 First Responders to Shea Stadium
JEFF ROSSEN
Courtesy of ABC7
• Click here for Video
Operation United Response is the largest simulation of a terrorist attack at a
large sports event. That drill -- in Queens -- brought out the city's first
responders to test their skills.
This drill is timely. Just days after the bombings in Madrid. It's a
coincidence. This simulation's been planned for months. But, as the mayor put
it on Sunday, that just proves how important this is. Terrorists can attack
anywhere, including a Mets game.
The call goes out: an explosion inside Shea Stadium. It's a weapon of mass
destruction. The task: save lives, fast. One thousand emergency workers
involved. Between the scene and 50 participating hospitals, 1000 others are
acting as victims.
Rescue crews knew this was a drill, but they didn't know anything else. What
kind of bomb? How victims would react? And then another test. NYPD officers
weren't told there were actually two other devices hidden in the parking lot.
Using radiation detectors and mirrors, cops quickly found them both.
Capt. Nick Corrado, FDNY: "Not all units have the detection equipment, but we
do and that's why we are on the scene. That's our first priority."
In a real emergency, you won't just have emergency workers standing by waiting
for something to happen. And so to make this exercise more realistic everything
was timed. For example, an ambulance from Staten Island would take a half-hour
to get to the scene so it wasn't allowed to participate until a half-hour into
the mock drill.
Chief Jim Tuller, NYPD: "When I go to the scene initially, I thought I was in
the real thing."
The city has staged dozens of mock drills since 9/11, but this is the largest
mobilization of all.
Joseph Bruno, NYC Office of Emergency Mgmt.: "Shea Stadium used their [sic]
division immediately when we began the exercise to advise people inside the
stadium that an incident had occurred and that they should all begin leaving."
Emergency workers said communication seems to be one of the biggest problems.
It's so chaotic -- you have 10 people talking at once. It's a critical point,
they promise to work on during the next mock drill.
Like This Article? E-Mail This Story to a Friend or Co-Worker
Sean A. Aaron (CIFN*1)
Central Illinois Fire Network
cifn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.geocities.com/central_illinois_firenet
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