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Return to First Friday Briefing Click on photos for larger version and details SDF Plays
Major Role in Security Exercise As the scenario played out, a reported “suicide bomber” blew himself up near an area college. A short time later a plane carrying about 85 passengers was hijacked from Hartsfield International Airport and used the smoke to find the college and crash on campus. It’s path into the ground put it close to a government laboratory where Biological Level 4 materials were being handled such a ebola and hemorrhagic fever. It would be up to area emergency responders, area Guard and Reserve units and about 84 members of the Georgia State Defense Force to take the appropriate action and deal with the situation. The exercise capped off a week-long Homeland Security Summit and training exercise for federal, state and local government agencies concerned with homeland security. Held at Marietta’s Dobbins Air Reserve Base, the event was a practical demonstration of what could happen should a terrorist decide to strike the Metro-Atlanta area. It also helped bring the agencies and organizations involved to a better understanding of their strengths and weakness in reacting to such an attack. Many agencies involved dealt with real-time coordination and were in constant communication with Washington to keep officials in the Homeland Security Department and other apprised of the exercise’s progress. The homeland security summit ( http://www.securitysummit.org) is a non-profit organization and this is the 2nd year it was conducted. The bomber, a dummy detonated by members of the GBI. Firefighters from Austell, Atlanta and Smyrna were on hand to contain the blaze set aboard the training model of a military plane. When first responders and members of the GaSDF arrived, they dealt with an estimated 50 “victims,” volunteer medical trainees, needing treatment for various wounds and diseases from the bio-terror attack. Personnel from the Geogia Army National Guard’s 4th Civil Support Team were on hand to deal with the simulated biological and chemical threat. Members of the American Red Cross, Homeland Security’s Disaster Medical Assistance Team also played an important role in the exercise. While other members of the State Defense Force were assisting crash victims, SDF Maj. Mike McShane. Office-in-charge assisted in coordinating efforts by the the SDF’s landing zone, staff, medical, public affairs, traffic, radio and security teams. GaSDF Chief Warrant Officer 1 Charles George, one of the coordinators of the event, said it was “important to bring first responders together so the first time they meet isn’t during a real crisis. As Officials of the participating agencies were not the only ones observing the training that took place. Also present were visitors the Phillipines and Germany gathering information on the exercise for use by their respective governments. |
