Some people may wonder why a person would voluntarily dress out in a Type C Chemical Suit and go into a room filled with Gx (aka Sarin Nerve Gas). For me, it was to better understand what our responders might face in having to deal with a CBRNE attack.
I recently traveled to the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston Alabama for what is known as TERT or Technical Emergency Response Training for CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive) events. This was my third trip to the CDP and my second to include time in the COBRAtf (Chemical Ordinance, Biological, and Radiological training facility) Although this is something I will never need to suit up and respond for, it has given me a better understanding of what our responders face.
We may never again see a Terrorist attack such as we saw on September 11th 2001. I believe we will always be in danger of attack, but there are many other weaknesses our Nation has that terrorist can exploit. To prepare our Nation, we must prepare our cities to respond to, recover from and mitgate against all types of disaster. That includes CBRNE attacks from Domestic or International Terrorist. Even the small City of Pacific has many vulnerabilities that could impact our City and citizens. We must take appropriate steps to prepare for and defend against these types of attacks.
As I previously stated, I have some background in CBRNE events from other classes I have taken. However day one consisted of 10 hours of lecture aka “Death by PowerPoint.” All aspects of the threat were discussed as well as the impacts each type of weapon could have on a community. Also discussed was the impact on the responder including stress management and the impact on the family. Some of this information was review from other classes, but it never hurts to go back over so you don’t forget important points. Day two and three were more hands on although they still made for long days. But Day two starts with a blood test.
Days two and three were what the CDP calls Lanes training. There are four areas or lanes that responders must train in; operations and decon in a contaminated environment, survey and monitoring of contaminants, triage of victims and recognition of devices. My first morning was spent suiting up in a Tyvec suit, using SCBA (self contained air) and performing cut out and gross decon of victims. Although this was a simulation, the stress and the heat build up inside the suit is real. We then downgraded to what is known as Type C protection in which we replace the Air tank with an air purifying respirator. We then went through what is known as Technical Decon that is to remove any contamination the responder may have received treating victims inside the hot or warm zones. As the temperature that day was a record 98 degrees, spending an hour and ½ in these suits was torture. But at least we were the first group to go through it; later groups got most of the heat. That afternoon we again dressed out in type C to practice survey and monitoring of both victims and the incident scene. We practiced on utilizing many different electronic monitors as well as M256A1 kits and M8 paper. By this time though I was getting use to the heat of the protective suits.
The third day we did not have to dress out. The first part was on the rapid assessment of an incident site and triage of victims. As operation inside of a contaminated area is time limited, responders must be able to quickly and accurately sort and remove viable victims from the scene and get them into the hands of medical personnel. That afternoon was what many of the students call Mad Bomber 101. We got the opportunity to learn about IEDs, how they are used and how difficult they can be to spot. We then went into two different mock scenarios with fake bombs and booby traps. Each device used was a non functioning copy of real explosives used in terrorist and criminal cases in the US. I left both impressed and concerned at how creative someone can be in creating an IED.
The last day was putting it all together for real. The COBRAtf, left over from the Fort McClellan Chemical Depot days, is the only toxic agent facility in the US that is available for Civilian use. As this is where all of our old Chemical Munitions have been sent for incineration as well as holding the live agent facility you can imagine this place has very tight security. Leaving our dorm area at 5:45 am we made it to the training facility. 3 ID checks later, along with 2 locked gates a host of armed guards and a metal detector we made it into the COBRA classroom for orientation and a safety briefing. Following the first of our medical checks we started assembling our gear. As everything that enters the Toxic area stays in the toxic area they issue a complete change of clothing along with all of the gear for both the outdoor and indoor exercises.
We start out dressing in Type B gear (Tyvec Suit and SCBA) and participating in what is called the Northville Exercise. The Scenario is that Terrorist have attacked and derailed a train carrying multiple cars containing chemicals. An large area is contaminated and multiple victims with direct injuries from the derailment to those only effected by Cx (Phosgene Gas). My job was to transport those victims from the edge of the hot zone, cut off all clothing and run them through Gross Decon. A second crew then took those victims, ran them through a decontamination line and transported them to medical help in the cold zone. As this is a terrorist event, we also need to deal with evidence preservation and maintain chain of custody for all evidence including the clothing we cut off.
After taking a short break, we downgraded to Type C PPE’s and continued our day doing survey and monitoring. After going through Decon we left Northville hot and tired and made it back into the dressing room. Next we changed into a Charcoal lined Chemical suit (often called a marshmallow suit) and prepared to go into the toxic agent facility. Now the first rule of the facility is that nothing is left to chance. Everything is checked, double checked and then tested again just to be sure. Where OSHA requires a fit test of 50 on a mask/respirator, COBRAtf requires a fit test of over 3000. My particular mask finished with a fit of over 25,000. Every piece of clothing is designed for a tight fit so once inside the toxic facility; participants can feel secure that they will be insulated from any toxic agent. For one final check we step into a room where we are check one last time using Banana Oil. This vary fragrant substance will find any gap in our mask and let us know if we have any leaks. Finally we are ready to go inside.
The COBRAtf is broken into 7 smaller rooms, all coming off a common area. Before moving into any portion of the facility, Operations is called and permission is granted to enter into one of the rooms. In the first room we enter what looks to be a loading dock or industrial facility. Under the close watch of instructors, a small amount of a substance is placed onto chilled plates and our adventure begins. First using M-8 paper and our M256 kits we perform initial test to determine the substance. Initial reports test positive for a G type Nerve Gas and it is noted that Gb is present not only in liquid form on the dish, but also in gas form in the air. The M256 kits are placed on the outside walls of the room and left to work through the process. Other testing equipment is then used to test the samples and it is proven that Sarin Gas (Gb) is present. The M256 kits also confirm the results. Each dish is then neutralized using bleach. Prior to leaving this room each person decontaminates their gloves and is given a quick eye test to check for possible exposure. (One of the initial symptoms of exposure is pin pointing of the pupils).
After receiving permission to travel into the second room we enter a much different type layout. This room is a simulation of a homemade lab for the manufacture of chemical weapons. As the agent is applied we discover with our testing that the toxic agent is Vx, , however this substance is more persistent and does not off gas so the only positive sampling we received is from close contact of monitoring and the M8 paper. Between the two rooms, it was shown why multiple forms of testing are required to accurately determine what you are dealing with.
The final room we entered inside the toxic facility is a simulation of an incident on main street USA. In this simulation multiple victims are down, a responder vehicle is included and to top it all off multiple Pipe bombs or IEDs were dispersed to get additional victims. We had to quickly size up the scene, evacuate victims and plan our initial response. Sirens, shouts and other noise added to the reality of the situation.
One part of this whole experience that I was impressed with was the procedures that were maintained to ensure our safety. Going through Decontamination from exposure to live agent is no different. Being careful to not transfer any contamination we work in teams to unhook and remove our gear. First to unhook, unzip and untie our coats which are passed on to a safety team. Then unhook our heavy bunker gear type pants and prepare to remove our pants and boots at the same time. As we remove these items we carefully turn our body so that no part of our body touches anything or anyone that is in the contamination area. We then remove our gloves with the help of our safety team and separate into male and female decon areas. (In my group there were 6 men and 4 ladies plus a male and female instructor). Hear we removed our shorts and socks leaving our t-shirts and mask as the only things we still have on. Pulling our arms out of the sleeves and then removing the mask using our t-shirts we exit to what is erroneously called the Hot Shower. This shower contains the coldest water they could get directly off a Siberian glacier. This cold water is to quickly close all of your pores to prevent any residual contamination from being able to soak into your skin. Luckily the next stop is a traditional warm shower where you can warm back up.
After dressing back into our street clothes we gather back together for a debrief and to receive our COBRA pins. As this is my second time through this facility this year (I attended an Incident Command Course that included a trip through COBRA) I received a special Cobra pin signifying I have been in more than once. Following the final medical exam we prepared to come back home. Our final step was a 5 am blood test to verify we did not get exposed and off to the airport.
Since Fort McClellan was closed and the facility transferred to DHS, more than 70,000 people have entered the Toxic facility. Out of those 70,000 trips not one accident has occurred. I am just glad that my group did not break that record. I know I will attend more classes at the CDP as they are 100% funded by DHS. I most likely will enter the COBRA facility again as well. As long as I continue to learn things that I can bring back to our area to improve our planning and preparedness I have no problem with the training. And I have gained a lot of experience to better protect my city and our citizens.
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