"Terror drill planned for Logan Airport"

Saturday, November 2, 2002

Terror drill planned for Logan Airport 
by Doug Hanchett
The Boston (MA) Herald


A wide array of federal, state and local public safety officials will
turn Logan International Airport into a make-believe terror zone next
week by responding to a mock ``dirty bomb'' aboard a plane parked on one
of its runways.

The four-day drill will reach its peak on Nov. 7, when public safety
crews will descend upon a Boeing 737 to treat 150 volunteer ``victims''
from the simulated blast. 

Massport officials want to make the public aware of the drill so as not
to instill panic among travelers and airport neighbors. 

``It's important for people to understand it's an exercise aimed at
enhancing emergency response and that there's no need for alarm,'' said
Massport spokesman Jose Juves. ``What travelers or (airport neighbors)
might see is a large concentration of emergency vehicles on the airfield
and emergency personnel surrounding the airplane. There may also be
increased law enforcement activity not only at the airport, but in
surrounding communities.''

That could even include National Guardsmen patrolling areas of East
Boston and Winthrop, Juves said. 

Rescue crews will be confronted by 50 fatalities and 100 casualties on
board the plane and will also discover the explosion was caused by a
bomb spewing radiation. 

The following day, Boston area hospitals and the city morgue will be
involved with drills on victim intake and decontamination. 

The bomb drill will be preceded by two days of testing in other areas,
including: 

   Intelligence and threat information sharing. 

   Use of the statewide emergency response notification system. 

   A simulated air traffic shutdown. 

   Incident exodus plan for the airport, the city and neighboring
communities. 

More than 50 agencies and organizations will participate in the drill,
including the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, federal air
marshals, U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board. 

``The initiative is designed to solidify the collaboration between
different agencies at different levels,'' said Juves. ``That's a key
component to it. In any real emergency, everyone is going to have to
work together.''

Logan is required to conduct an emergency preparedness drill every two
years in order to be recertified by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Two years ago, Massport officials simulated a plane crash in Boston
Harbor - and used lessons learned from that drill following the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks. 

The two planes that toppled New York City's World Trade Center towers
were both hijacked after taking off from Logan.


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