Training exercise prepares military for terrorist strike
By John A. Harnes, COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU
Troops and civilian employees at Fort Monmouth began a two-day training exercise to deal with a possible terrorist strike.
The exercise, named “Timely Alert III,” started with a masked terrorist hiding among the trees at Husky Brook Pond area of the main post. The “terrorist” began spraying chemicals in the air.
A few minutes later, victims began to cough and choke. The some began to die.
Within minutes, the post’s emergency responders, such as firefighters, began to arrive as if the exercise was a true emergency.
Since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11, it is more important than ever to test plans on dealing with these types of emergencies, said Michael T. Ruane, chief operating officer of the James Thomas Group LLC, Red Bank, the Army contractor running the exercise.
“We’ve found that systems you think will be working in emergencies may fail, like the telephone system,” Ruane said.
Besides the role playing of victims and responders, as part of the exercise, the fort is conducting a special program involving emergency officials from Tinton Falls, Eatontown, Oceanport, Long Branch, Red Bank and Little Silver.
These officials, working with representatives of the fort, state, and county Offices of Emergency Management, New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management the the Federal Emergency Management Agency, simulated what they would do in their communities and on the post if the emergency had been real.
Simulated news reports covering the terrorist attack on the fort were used to help give the impression that the emergency yesterday was real. It gave those involved the feeling that the decisions that they were making could save lives.
“Things will go wrong, there will be accidents and other problems , just like in a real emergency,” Ruane said. The goal is to test how well the different groups work together and to find what areas need to be improved, he said.
Fort employee Chris Hall of Neptune played the role of the masked terrorist.
“This is certainly important,” Hall said. “Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, officials know they need to be prepared for what was once unthinkable,” she said.
“I just want to help,” she said.
A civilian contractor, Sheri Vivona, Aberdeen, played one of the victims.
“I’m in an EMT class, and we volunteered to be victims,” she said. “It’s interesting to see this up close.”
Dressed in combat fatigues and wearing a mask and breathing system to protect him from possible chemical exposure, Staff Sgt. Kevin, a 15-year Army veteran, said: “It’s damn hot.”
Kevin was the team leader assigned to check the “casualties” during the exercise. Having served in Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War, Kevin said while yesterday was hot, he has worn his protective gear in much hotter weather.
Robyn Bennett, an Army spokeswoman, said, “It’s important to test the emergency capabilities so that we can be more prepared in the event of an actual crisis.”
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