thedrifter
08-01-08, 03:46 PM
Responders stay vigilant
Comments 0 | Recommend 0
Base personnel take part in disaster drill
July 31, 2008 - 11:32PM
JENNIFER HLAD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The Marines were in the middle of their morning workout session at Courthouse Bay when the bomb exploded, spreading radioactive material in the area. Some of the Marines lay on the ground with gaping wounds, moaning, while firefighters moved victims to safety.
This time, it was only a drill. But Camp Lejeune officials want to be ready, just in case.
"Camp Lejeune is always potentially vulnerable to attacks," said Lt. Col. Mike Muller, executive officer for the Marine Corps Engineer School, which is located at Courthouse Bay, the site of the simulated attack. "We are constantly working to refine and rehearse our response."
The annual anti-terrorism exercise tests the base's ability to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive attacks.
The remote location of Courthouse Bay - near the base's Sneads Ferry gate - was part of the challenge, Muller said, since responders would have less difficulty responding to an incident in the middle of the base.
After the simulated radiological dispersion device went off, firefighters, military police and other Marines in the area had to evaluate the situation and respond. The point is to let the participants figure out the situation for themselves in real time, Muller said.
"We try to make this as realistic as possible," said Gregory Hines, assistant chief of training for the Camp Lejeune Fire Department. "The more practice you get, the better it's going to get."
This year's anti-terrorism training included testing new equipment the base, fire department and military police have received, said Joe Materna, with the Anti-Terrorism Division of Camp Lejeune Installations, Security and Safety. The new equipment includes a mass notification system to alert officials all over the base about an attack or other incident, a metering device to measure radiation and a weather station.
The responses and procedures were evaluated after the exercise was complete, and those evaluations help the base identify specific items to work on and objectives to accomplish next year, Materna said.
Thursday, the biggest challenge was the heat, Hines said. But the fire department was also working with fewer firefighters than it would in a real-life attack since some were at New River Air Station conducting a similar exercise.
Still, Hines said as firefighters hosed down victims behind him, the exercise went well.
Contact interactive content editor Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment on this report.
Ellie
Comments 0 | Recommend 0
Base personnel take part in disaster drill
July 31, 2008 - 11:32PM
JENNIFER HLAD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The Marines were in the middle of their morning workout session at Courthouse Bay when the bomb exploded, spreading radioactive material in the area. Some of the Marines lay on the ground with gaping wounds, moaning, while firefighters moved victims to safety.
This time, it was only a drill. But Camp Lejeune officials want to be ready, just in case.
"Camp Lejeune is always potentially vulnerable to attacks," said Lt. Col. Mike Muller, executive officer for the Marine Corps Engineer School, which is located at Courthouse Bay, the site of the simulated attack. "We are constantly working to refine and rehearse our response."
The annual anti-terrorism exercise tests the base's ability to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive attacks.
The remote location of Courthouse Bay - near the base's Sneads Ferry gate - was part of the challenge, Muller said, since responders would have less difficulty responding to an incident in the middle of the base.
After the simulated radiological dispersion device went off, firefighters, military police and other Marines in the area had to evaluate the situation and respond. The point is to let the participants figure out the situation for themselves in real time, Muller said.
"We try to make this as realistic as possible," said Gregory Hines, assistant chief of training for the Camp Lejeune Fire Department. "The more practice you get, the better it's going to get."
This year's anti-terrorism training included testing new equipment the base, fire department and military police have received, said Joe Materna, with the Anti-Terrorism Division of Camp Lejeune Installations, Security and Safety. The new equipment includes a mass notification system to alert officials all over the base about an attack or other incident, a metering device to measure radiation and a weather station.
The responses and procedures were evaluated after the exercise was complete, and those evaluations help the base identify specific items to work on and objectives to accomplish next year, Materna said.
Thursday, the biggest challenge was the heat, Hines said. But the fire department was also working with fewer firefighters than it would in a real-life attack since some were at New River Air Station conducting a similar exercise.
Still, Hines said as firefighters hosed down victims behind him, the exercise went well.
Contact interactive content editor Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment on this report.
Ellie