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By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2006 - A full-scale bio-exercise in the Pentagon parking
lot today tested how the Pentagon police, in partnership with local
emergency services, would respond to a biological attack at the military
headquarters.

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency, Arlington County Fire Department, Red
Cross, and other local and federal agencies participated in the exercise,
dubbed "Gallant Fox 06," based on a scenario involving a suspected anthrax
attack inside the Pentagon that triggered a sensor. In the scenario, testing
was done and the presence of anthrax was confirmed.

All the people who would be involved in a biological attack response did a
functional exercise April 12, during which they participated from their
respective command posts and worked out details and logistics, said Jim
Aiken, with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency. Today's exercise was to
demonstrate how affected people would be evacuated from the building,
decontaminated, treated and transported, he said.

Sixty-two Red Cross volunteers played the roles of affected Pentagon
employees. They were evacuated out of the Pentagon to a decontamination site
in the building's north parking lot. There they removed their "contaminated"
clothing, took showers to rid themselves of any anthrax spores, and were
given antibiotics to prevent infection. Some players also simulated special
situations, like symptoms of anthrax infection or people with disabilities
who needed assistance.

Aiken said that the value of today's exercise was twofold, because it gave
agencies a chance to practice procedures and also let the Pentagon police
and local responders meet and work with each other.

"You get to know them and get to build trust and confidence," he said.

The exercise was a success, but the agencies did identify some areas where
improvement is needed, said Arlington County Fire Chief Jim Schwartz. The
decontamination of potentially contaminated people poses a challenge, he
said, because right now the procedures are for people to remove their
clothes outside, shower in a trailer, and come back outside.

"You can imagine what kind of circumstances we would be facing if this were
a day in mid-winter, trying to do the kinds of things that we were doing,"
he said.

The agencies involved are always working on communication and coordination
of effort, Schwartz said, but the National Capital Region already excels in
that area.

"This is the best-prepared region in the country," he said. He applauded the
level of collaboration among the many jurisdictions involved and engaged
across professional boundaries. "You will find no better example in the
entire country than what's going on right here in the National Capital
Region," Schwartz said.

In the event of a real biological attack, the procedures wouldn't differ
greatly from those practiced today, Aiken said. Everything would be on a
larger scale, however, because there would be a lot more than 62 people
needing decontamination, he said. Where the decontamination site is placed
would be based on availability of resources and the scale of the operation,
he said.

Related Site:

Pentagon Force Protection Agency [http://www.pfpa.mil/]