Guardsmen deal with simulated terrorism at Pepsi Center
3-day exercise hones skills for Dem convention
Kari Craig, Rocky Mountain News
Published July 10, 2007 at midnight
The Colorado Civil Support Team invaded the Pepsi Center on Monday morning after a simulated report said three employees were dead.
The training scenario: A terrorist biochemical attack was suspected.
Wearing full face masks and HazMat suits that made them look remarkably like scuba-diving astronauts, two team members entered the venue's atrium in slow motion, taking random air samples with handheld chemical agent detectors and looking for "casualties."
Not even an R&B remix from Britain's Amy Winehouse broke the National Guardsmen's concentration, the gravity of the situation unaffected by the fact that the victims were mannequins.
For three days, said Capt. Michael Odgers, the 22-man, full-time Guard unit will put its chemical detection and analysis skills to the test alongside teams from Wyoming, Utah and Arizona. In all, 150 people will participate.
The setting was that several people were found dead, apparently from exposure to chemical agents, causing crowds to stampede from the Pepsi Center, Odgers said.
"There's no high action sequence here - this is really meticulous work," said Spc. Ben Crane while watching the sample-taking. He added that the thick rubber gloves make things difficult.
The Civil Support Team performs simulations frequently, though not on this scale, to stay prepared for a variety of chemical attack and emergency situations.
Odgers said the Pepsi Center was chosen to host the simulation because it was a public venue.
"Anywhere that you can have a large number of people in a small space - that's a potential terrorist threat. The people who are facilitating this exercise planned this exercise months in advance, prior to the (Democratic National Convention) being awarded to Denver."
The preparation can only help in the long run should the unthinkable occur.
"This is our training for the Democratic National Convention," said Lt. Col. Mark Riccardi.
David Quintana, chief of special operations for the Denver Fire Department, is acting as the incident commander during the simulation. He will be the fire branch officer for the Democratic National Convention.
"So, absolutely, this is a great aid to my preparedness for that upcoming event," he said.
Odgers said that even though officers knew the drill was coming, much was done to keep the simulation realistic.
Soldiers were even called in from home. This will give them a better sense of how an actual emergency response would unfold.
"Hey, how long would it take me to react?" Odgers said. "How long would it take me to get all these guys in here? And, you know, would I have some guy that got a flat tire on the way?"
craigk@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5618
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