Plague to kick off terrorism test

Wednesday, July 16, 2003 | 9:21 a.m.

Key local and state players in an upcoming terrorism preparedness exercise that will include a mock plague attack in Clark County gathered for an hourlong presentation to learn more details about "Determined Promise '03."

The gathering at the Sawyer State Office Building Tuesday represented a "Who's Who" of individuals who would play lead roles in any terrorism attack in Nevada.

The massive exercise, slated for Aug. 18 through Aug. 29, will include other pretend calamities throughout the nation and will be directed by the military's Northern Command, the nation's domestic terrorism watchdog based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Clark County first responders will be the primary actors in the only live portion of the two-week exercise, which will occur at the County Government Center, Indian Springs and Nellis Air Force Base.

Maj. Gen. Giles Vanderhoof of the Nevada National Guard, who attended the presentation, said he heard that as many as 12 congressmen have expressed interest in witnessing portions of the exercise.

"Nothing ever happens the way you plan for it, but if you don't plan, you'll be left at the starting gate when something does happen," Vanderhoof said. "Clark County is a good place to do this exercise because we can do a lot at Indian Springs without disrupting Las Vegas."

The exercise kicks off on Aug. 18 with reports in Clark County of individuals with flu-like symptoms and escalates to the point where the county calls for state assistance. The state calls for assistance from other states and from the federal government, with the military eventually joining in.

While a terrorist-induced plague outbreak in Clark County and wildfires elsewhere in the state are occurring, Northern Command will also have its hands full responding to other attacks against ports and the nation's borders, an air threat and a hurricane.

The live portion of the exercise, which will include civil support teams from California, Arizona, Idaho and Utah, covers only the first week. The second week will be devoted to "message traffic" exercises involving communications among various levels of government and the military.

"It will be good to check our lines of communication," Vanderhoof said. "The tighter we are the better we can interface if something really happens."

Nevada National Guard Lt. Col. Craig Wroblewski, who gave the presentation, explained the day-by-day breakdown of the exercise.

"On the 18th (of August) doctors in Clark County are starting to realize they may have the plague," Wroblewski said. "There are a lot more plague victims on the 19th and the county requests state assistance.

"On the 19th, the governor mobilizes the National Guard and the armed forces respond to their armories."

Wroblewski said the exercise will include a mock "media" presence that will include televised reports of the terrorist attack.

The exercise was the brainchild of the military's Joint Task Force Civil Support, a Northern Command unit based at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Va. Roughly 300 members of that unit will participate in the Southern Nevada portion of the exercise.

In attendance at the presentation were Jim O'Brien, the county's emergency manager who will coordinate the first responders from a command post at the county center, Dr. Donald Kwalick, the county's chief health officer, Frank Siracusa, chief of the Nevada Division of Emergency Management, and Jerry Bussell, special adviser to Gov. Kenny Guinn on homeland security.

Also in attendance were representatives of Nevada's congressional delegation, Metro Police, FBI, Secret Service, U.S. attorney's office and Bechtel Nevada, which manages the Nevada Test Site.