'DERAILMENT' DRILL ONLY TEST.Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh Staff Writer Firefighters, police and paramedics from more than two dozen agencies took part Friday in a drill designed to prepare them for a mass-casualty terrorist attack. The scenario involved terrorists transporting C4 explosives and canisters of napalm, which bumped together and set off an explosion, said Julie Frey, a deputy administrator for the Ventura County Public Health Department. Firefighters responding to a call of a train derailment derailment /de·rail·ment/ (de-ral´ment) disordered thought or speech characteristic of schizophrenia and marked by constant jumping from one topic to another before the first is fully realized. in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. found two smoking freight cars lying on their sides amid boxes of ordnance. More than two dozen Boy Scouts were scattered around a nearby field, simulating injuries ranging from minor to fatal, and were carried to triage triage Division of patients for priority of care, usually into three categories: those who will not survive even with treatment; those who will survive without treatment; and those whose survival depends on treatment. mats after firefighters hung tags around their necks indicating the extent of their injuries. At least one was sprinkled with a white powder meant to represent a biohazard bi·o·haz·ard n. 1. A biological agent, such as a virus or a condition that constitutes a threat to humans, especially in biological research or experimentation. 2. . Drilling firefighters and paramedics had to determine what the hazards were once they arrived, Frey said. ``They came in not knowing what to expect,'' she said. ``Only the planners knew the details.'' The drill, which took place on Los Angeles Avenue south of the Ronald Reagan Freeway, was part of bicoastal bi·coas·tal adj. 1. Relating to both the east and west coasts of the United States, as: a. Traveling frequently between coasts as part of a business or living arrangement: training exercises taking place this week in California and Virginia. Ventura County, Long Beach and San Diego County were chosen because of their shipping activity and extensive freeway systems. The incident commander on such a scene must make a split-second assessment of chemical hazards, explosives, and even weather conditions, said Keith Mashburn, chief inspector with the Ventura County Fire Department Not to be confused with Ventura Fire Department. The Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) provides fire protection and emergency response services for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, and for six other cities within the county. . ``They're going to have to make some tough decisions,'' he said. Details of an afternoon debriefing de·brief·ing n. 1. The act or process of debriefing or of being debriefed. 2. The information imparted during the process of being debriefed. Noun 1. to evaluate performance were not released. ``If we define weaknesses, we don't want the terrorists to know what they are,'' Frey said. Andrea Cavanaugh, (805) 583-7602 andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) A ``victim'' is hosed down during an anti-terrorism training drill Friday that involved an ``overturned'' train with explosives aboard. (2) A Ventura County hazardous materials team checks two supposedly derailed railroad cars with explosives aboard. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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