By Larry Alexander
Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
Copyright 2006 Lancaster Newspapers, Inc.
Lancaster, PA — The huge, twin-blade CH-47 Chinook helicopter descended toward the ground, its tremendous downdraft nearly sweeping the spectators below off their feet.
Beneath the hovering copter was a bloodied form on the concrete.
A National Guardsman emerged from the chopper and was lowered to the ground on a rope. Touching down, he swiftly attached a safety harness to the victim, and both were lifted into the air.
With the pair onboard, the Chinook flew off, headed for a distant hospital.
The air evacuation was one of many scenarios played out Thursday as Exercise Red Rose - a massive local, state and federal emergency-response drill — took place at Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center in East Hempfield Township.
“This exercise is to test the capability of local, county and state (emergency responders), the Department of Defense and other federal agencies in a multiscenario exercise that involves weapons of mass destruction, as well as chemical, biological, radiological and high-yield explosives,” said Col. Xavier Stewart of the Joint Force Headquarters of Pennsylvania National Guard, which organized the event.
More than 450 people - including local students, many of them emergency-service cadets at the training center — took part in Thursday’s exercise, the largest emergency drill staged in Lancaster County to date.
Nearly 70 agencies took part, including the U.S. Dept. of Defense; Homeland Security department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the FBI; the National Guard; and state and local police, fire and ambulance services.
The scene for Thursday’s action was a fictional strip mall in Trident Township in the fictional Pantene County.
The town’s retail and professional offices, a day care center and nursery, federal offices, a commuter park-and-ride area and a pharmaceutical warehouse, as well as offices of U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, were overrun by emergency-service personnel.
Throughout the day, various scenes played out featuring explosions, fires, car chases and crashes, hostage-taking and terrorists with biological and chemical weapons. Even a bomb-disposal squad got involved when one “terrorist” was “killed” while wearing an explosives-laden vest, forcing police to diffuse the charge.
Adding to the realism of the “mass-casualty” drill were smoke grenades, fiery gas-line explosions and soldiers in biological and chemical warfare gear, while the rattle of gunfire emanated from the indoor shooting range.
Stewart said none of the participating departments was made aware of the scenarios before the exercise began, so rehearsal was not an option.
“We try to keep all the teams blind to the event so that we get a better, more realistic view of their capabilities - how they would respond, did they bring all the equipment they needed, and do they have a backup plan — to make sure they could address this multiscenario test,” Stewart said.
Twenty-five people judged the drill and evaluated the performances of every unit, looking at their capabilities and limitations. “They receive a grade A through F ...,” Stewart said. “We look at those shortcomings, and that’s what we will improve upon as we do this annually.”
Joe Tolle, 18, of Millersville, Adrian Kreischer, 18, of Mount Joy, and Amber Ritter, 18, of Pequea, were among the “casualties.” Each is a cadet at the training center’s school, preparing for careers in law enforcement or other emergency services. All sported “bloody” wounds, thanks to “moulage” experts who applied the realistic makeup.
“I was stabbed in the arm,” Tolle said, sporting a gaping “wound.”
Kreischer had a “broken wrist” with “bone” sticking from the injury, and Ritter had a severe head injury, which she did not know how she received.
The three teens found the exercise to be a rewarding experience.
“It’s great because we get to do hands-on work instead of being in class all day,” Tolle said.
Stewart said the large number of “casualties” being used — “a couple hundred,” he said — served to challenge EMS workers’ capabilities and force them to call in additional help.
“It’s part of just keeping ourselves vigilant,” Stewart said.