EVERETT — Don’t worry if you see smoke and explosions at Naval Station Everett on Wednesday.
All the sound and fury at the waterfront Wednesday is part of a planned drill.
The naval station and the Everett Fire Department plan to practice responding to a potential chemical, biological, nuclear or radiological terrorist attack.
Beginning about 9:30 a.m., there will be plumes of smoke, explosions and people pretending to cough, wheeze and have chemical burns.
The drill is scheduled to last through the day and end with a mock news conference.
The exercise should help military and civilian personnel practice dealing with a potentially complex emergency, said Naval Station Everett spokeswoman Kristin Ching. Emergency responders will have to set up a command post and practice detecting harmful gas, stopping its spread and rescuing people.
They’ll also get a chance to test new equipment the naval station received this year designed to protect emergency responders, detect harmful substances and decontaminate victims. The new equipment is designed for use by both the military and the local community.
The responders plan to don encapsulated personal protection suits and use a variety of detection devices that identify contamination. The mock casualties will be washed down with mobile showers and attended to under yellow decontamination tents.
The exercise is part of the Department of Defense anti-terrorism program called Guardian.
Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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