Pentagon tests emergency preparedness
From Paul Courson
CNN Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Emergency crews responded to a simulated explosion Wednesday near the Pentagon as part of a drill to test their responses.
The operation, dubbed "Gallant Fox III," was intended to simulate a scenario to check for weaknesses in how the military, federal, state and local responders handle it.
The exercise began when a bomb squad specialist tossed training grenades toward a transit bus at a station in the Pentagon's south parking lot.
The devices exploded harmlessly, but passengers emerged with a variety of assigned "injuries."
It took the first responders more than 10 minutes to arrive. They had been diverted by a deliberate mistake in the original report of trouble -- a "shooting" at the Pentagon -- instead of the explosion at the bus stop.
When the responders did arrive, they tested the area for possible contamination by hazardous material first, before approaching the "victims" lying on the grass nearby.
"Units actually had to come here and realize there was an explosion," said Fire Battalion Chief Bob Gray of Arlington County, Virginia.
On March 14 an anthrax scare at the Pentagon's mail handling facilities raised questions about coordination.
Local and military authorities did not stay in constant touch to decide on possible evacuations or share in the results of field tests.
Poor communication also resulted in confusion over a conference call among the various agencies.
"We're certainly taking lessons learned from the incident in March," said Brett Eaton, a spokesman for Washington Headquarters Services, a Defense Department facilities office.
Although the anthrax scare proved to be a false alarm, two Pentagon mail facilities were closed and nearly 300 workers tested for exposure to anthrax.
Wednesday's drill also involved two other locations, including a nearby Defense Department building where authorities tested the response to a mock explosion, gunfire and the partial collapse of a structure with "victims" possibly trapped inside.
The nearly simultaneous drills will help agencies practice responses both in a supporting role to another agency or as the primary responders and commanders, Eaton said.
A report on the drill is expected.
