Editorial: Why skip such vital training?

Friday, Aug. 15, 2003 | 4:39 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION: August 17, 2003

Two thousand emergency responders are in Southern Nevada today from around the nation, ready to participate in "Determined Promise '03," a homeland security training exercise that begins Monday. For 11 days the exercise will give participants the chance to coordinate with the U.S. Northern Command, a new division of the Defense Department formed to lead homeland defense efforts.

Joining with the out-of-state participants will be 1,200 local first-responders, including those from Clark County, the Nevada Highway Patrol, the state's Division of Emergency Management and relief agencies such as the Red Cross. It will be the Northern Command's only live terrorism training exercise -- as opposed to one that's computer-simulated -- in the country this year.

Embarrassingly, the city of Las Vegas has chosen to sit out this extraordinary opportunity. Formally blending local civil authorities with the U.S. military is a new concept made necessary by Sept. 11. The participants are bound to encounter numerous communications and logistical problems -- better now than during a real crisis. But Las Vegas responders won't get first-hand knowledge of any of it. City officials say they opted out because 50 of their employees were in Maryland last week, for training in the event of natural disasters such as earthquakes and flash floods.

If the city cannot handle back-to-back training exercises, we have to question how it would respond in a real crisis, which could last for months. The city has 2,800 employees. And not a single one is available for the most important terrorism exercise yet held in the United States, an exercise held right in our own back yard. Las Vegas is not alone in missing this opportunity. Henderson, Boulder City and Mesquite also decided to sit it out, while North Las Vegas will participate only on a limited basis. The official terrorism threat remains "elevated," making it inexcusable for Las Vegas and the other cities to miss the critical training offered by Determined Promise.