SMFD, from page 1 SMFD has list of ‘target hazards’ throughout city
(Editor’s note: This is the second article in a weekly series that looks at the city’s preparedness in the event of a terrorist attack.) While they hope it never comes down to it, Santa Monica’s fire crews are preparing themselves for a terrorist attack.
At least once a day Captain Mark Bridges leads his crew at Santa Monica Fire Department Station No. 3 on 19th Street and Arizona Avenue through numerous scenarios involving terrorist threats to the city.
“If Santa Monica is targeted it would be because of its proximity to L.A. and all of the media attention it would get,” he said. “The threat would likely be to the masses of people who come here from tourism.”
Almost every fire fighter at Station No. 3 has been specially trained and state certified to deal with hazardous materials. But now they also form the cornerstone of the fire department’s terrorism response team.
Since Sept. 11, the crew has under-gone intense training so they can respond to terrorists using chemical and biological weapons.
Within the past week, federal agents from the Environmental Protection Agency trained fire fighters on how to deal with radiation containment from so-called “dirty bombs,” which use an explosive combined with radioactive material. Though the devices have little more explosive power than conventional bombs, they can spread high levels of radiation.
“It’s the fear factor,” Bridges said. “If people hear there’s been a nuclear incident like that, it would cause a lot of panic.
“And that’s exactly what the terrorists want — to cause a great deal of disruption,” he said.
The department has the capability to treat up to 25 people who have been exposed to dangerous chemicals. Any more than that, and the department would need outside help from the county, state or federal officials.
The fire department has created a list of “target hazards,” which are mainly office buildings and factories that could be singled out in a terrorist attack. Besides studying architectural plans for the sites, they run drills in the buildings to make sure they are familiar with their layouts. Though the specific names and locations of the buildings cannot be listed publicly they range from factories along Olympic Boulevard to buildings in the Civic Center area, near the Santa Monica Pier and the beach.
“All of it is being considered,” Bridges said. “Especially during the summer months when the beaches are packed.”
The fire department has received in the last six months two new devices free from the federal government. One helps fire fighters test substances to see if they contain Anthrax and the other can detect levels of radiation in the air.
The department recently sent John Nevandro, Milo Garcia and Leigh Seaton — three fire fighters from Station No. 3 — to a training course in Alabama called “Chemical Biological Response Aid.”
The class is taught in conjunction by the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense on how to properly react to weapons of mass destruction.
The training consisted of both classroom and practical lessons. The group was put into military-grade decontamination suits and sent into a room containing enough VX gas — a highly sensitive nerve agent — that could kill upwards of 600 people.
They had to use special monitors, many of which the Santa Monica Fire Department owns, to determine what type of gas was in the room and how to respond to the situation.
“It helped me gain confidence that I can work in an environment like that,” said Seaton, an 11-year SMFD veteran. “There were no simulations, it was all real. It’s some of the best training I have ever received.”
The class’s final exam exemplifies the seriousness of the training — each fire fighter was given a blood test to make sure they hadn’t been exposed to the deadly chemicals.
Though the department is obtaining new equipment and sending its fire fighters through new training, its $1.7 million annual budget has remained the same. Much of the training and equipment has been donated to local fire departments.
“In house, we are continuously training,” Bridges said. “But we’re also searching out education regarding terrorism and the newest information from the terrorism world.”
“In house, we are continuously training. But we’re also searching out education regarding terrorism and the newest information from the terrorism world.” — — CAPT. MARK BRIDGES Santa Monica Fire Department
During the height of the Anthrax scare, the fire department responded to more than 123 calls for “suspicious white powder,” 12 of which came in one day. Though none of the incidences tested positive for Anthrax, the department continues to get calls from nervous residents. The most recent call was last week — it turned out to be a free sample of pancake mix.
“Last year Anthrax killed five people,” said one fire fighter. “During that same time the flu killed 300 in L.A. County. Not that Anthrax should be taken lightly, but I think there are more serious things to be worried about.”
The fire department owns a Hazmat truck, which has everything from a mobile laboratory to an office in the back with a digital library of chemicals.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 17, 2002. Read the original PDF.