Hazmat members are decontaminated by members of the Springfield Fire Department after investigating a mock hazardous chemical release during bioterrorism readiness tests Saturday in downtown Springfield. Christina Dicken / News-Leader

First responders move into place during a mock terrorism attack Saturday. Twists were added to the day's activities to force participants to deal with the unknown. Christina Dicken / News-Leader

Woods

By Jeff Arnold
News-Leader

Springfield, MO -- A shrieking tone echoes out of the speaker of a hand-held police radio. Within seconds, a 911 call reporting an explosion in a building alerts Springfield firefighters that assistance is needed.

And in minutes, trucks line Boonville Avenue, blocks from where hostages are reportedly being held by terrorists in the MFA building.

As police officers and firefighters huddle, planning what course of action they'll take, two apparent victims emerge from the building.

"They've got guns in there," says a man who claims to be an escaped hostage and identifies himself as John Miller. He tells firefighters of dangers that await inside.

The scenario, played out Saturday as part of an extensive bioterror training program, was not real. But should a situation arise in post 9-11 life in the Ozarks, local emergency management officials believe that they'll be ready.

"The incidents we have designed for these responders are designed so that you have a really fast initial response but that once you get there, you determine what you're dealing with," said Larry Woods, Greene County's assistant emergency management director.

"Then everything slows down because you have to do everything by the numbers. Everything has to be done in a certain order. If you get something out of order, it could be disaster."

During Saturday's terrorist training exercises, more than 300 first responders from around southwest Missouri were called to three different venues — each of which presented its own set of challenges.

By midmorning, hazardous materials workers were summoned to the Springfield police compound, where a librarian had reported seeing smoke pouring from the back of a U-Haul moving truck. Intelligence reports alerted officials that inside the truck were several 55-gallon drums of a nerve agent.

Throughout the day, responders who would work real-life situations, should they occur, dealt with terror alerts, forcing them to rely on previous training and instinct. Added twists to the day's activities sometimes required them to deal with the unknown.

Scanner traffic was constant throughout the day as officials communicated what each agency was dealing with. Officers moved from site to site around the city — all part of trying to make dealing with possible terrorist activity as realistic as possible.

That was part of the plan of Doug Davis, whose Virginia-based defense firm was used as a consultant for the training exercises.

For example, the MFA building on Saturday included laboratories used by terrorists to create chemicals to be used for attacks. Other sites included explosions and chemical leaks — all part of Davis' plan to give responders a realistic idea of what they may face.

"Hopefully that will never happen," Davis said. "But there are a variety of challenges they'll have as they go through (the buildings) and they'll have their hands full."

Saturday's drill tested first responders to work together — not only with those they know, but those who would be coming from around the region. The exercises — which came with a $70,000 price tag attached — included officials responding from Springfield, Joplin, Branson, Neosho, Nevada and Rogersville.

With officials coming from so many areas, local emergency management agency leaders were forced to coordinate communication links, making sure that each responder was put in the best possible opportunity for effectiveness.

"As agencies, we have to be able to work together to respond to any kind of weapons of mass destruction or any kind of chemical, biological or explosive situations," said Victor Argilagos, a Greene County hazmat/WMD specialist.

"That's what we're really stressing here today."