Emergency response teams focusing drills on terrorism
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
Yesterday, it was a cruise ship colliding with a cargo vessel three miles off Koko Head.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
The cruise ship's 2,000 passengers — some covered with oil — had to be evacuated to the Coast Guard station at Sand Island.
Firefighters tend to "victims" brought to the Coast Guard station at Sand Island after a mock collision at sea.
In June, it was a radiological "dirty" bomb discovered at a Schofield Barracks building meant to replicate an office building in downtown Honolulu.
Early November brought a scenario in which a janitor stumbled on a substance in the locker room at Aloha Stadium that was making people sick.
Since Sept. 11, Hawai'i's emergency responders have been a busy bunch as they've drilled not only for natural disasters like hurricanes and tsunamis, but also the threat of terrorism.
In 2001, the state had eight major anti-terrorism exercises, said National Guard spokesman Maj. Chuck Anthony. Two more were planned, but they were interrupted by the real thing on the East Coast.
By the end of this year, 19 major exercises will have been held relating to terrorism and/or weapons of mass destruction.
"We've doubled the number of exercises related to terrorism since last year," Anthony said. "There's no doubt that the intensity level has gone up since 9/11."
The two-day Coast Guard "Kai Po'ino 2002" exercise being held through today had been planned for more than a year, but 14th Coast Guard District spokeswoman Lt. DesaRae Atnip said the rescue and interoperability training has an anti-terrorism benefit.
More than 250 participants — including role players — teamed with members of 25 federal, state and local agencies who formed a "Unified Command" to respond to the ship collision scenario. Today's drill includes a 225-foot Coast Guard buoy tender responding to an oil spill.
"Even though the exercise wasn't specifically targeted to homeland security, every time you work together with all the other agencies, you gain significant benefit from that," Atnip said. "With homeland security, one of the keys is we all work together."
Maj. Gen. Craig B. Whelden, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, recently said anti-terrorism Army and Marine "Quick Reaction Forces" have been established and are capable of moving on short notice by air or road anywhere in the state.
Whelden also said more than 150 "mission-essential vulnerable assets" have been assessed for security needs; command and control suites for homeland security have been set up at key military installations; and an FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force should be operating by the end of the summer.
But Whelden also said the attacks on Sept. 11 showed that interoperability among emergency responders is just as important.
"By doing these drills, we get to see the capabilities of the other people and what equipment they have," said Capt. Robert Butchart, who is assigned to Hazmat 1 out of the Kalihi Uka station. "Maybe the Fire Department's radios don't work with the state and federal agencies' radios, and we have to go back and see how we can correct the problem, or maybe communicate in another way."
To further improve preparedness, U.S. Army Pacific Command recently contracted with Eastport, Maine-based Sytex Inc., a military services company, for a team of six individuals with Special Forces experience to provide classroom and field training on terrorism awareness.
As part of the $244,000 contract, the two-week program planned for September will include attempts to gain entrance to bases without proper identification and the placement of packages that could be bombs near gates, Army officials said.
During yesterday's exercise, 135 role players were treated and processed at the Coast Guard Integrated Support Command Sand Island station. Included as part of the simulation was oil contamination, and some of the cruise ship "passengers" had to walk through a shower rinse-off that for the exercise came without a drenching.
The role players were organized by 16-year-old Erik Swanson for his Eagle Scout project with Troop 304 out of Red Hill.
Kevin Barr, 13, a senior patrol leader with Troop 304, was on his third scenario of the day by early afternoon — this time with an identity card saying he was a 28-year-old foreign national.
"It's pretty good," he said of the exercise. "It helps the kids know, and even the adults, what a real scenario would be like."
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.
