McALESTER, Okla. -- Work at an ammunition plant is rife with potential danger, but officials at this remote southeastern Oklahoma Army installation take a matter-of-fact approach to emergencies, even if it tests all facets of their capabilities.
McAlester Army Ammunition Plant first responders from the Security Office and fire department were recently put through the paces to see exactly how they react to the pressure of a potential terrorist attack on the installation.
The Defense Department requires installations to hold an Army Protection Program (APP) exercise each year to test its first responders' ability to react to a myriad of possible emergencies. The exercise, which was commonly referred to as anti-terrorism/force protection (AT/FP), is now rolled up under the larger, all-encompassing umbrella of the APP.
The exercise began several days before the incident when initial threat information about a possible chemical attack on a military installation somewhere in east-central Oklahoma was shared with the Threat Working Group (TWG). The TWG immediately formed a series of recommendations for Col. Joseph G. Dalessio, MCAAP commander, to consider implementing.
Three days later the exercise began when a role-playing student in a class at the Lakeview Conference Center (LCC) here called 911 to report toxic fumes coming from a backpack brought into the classroom by another student.
As first responders raced to the scene, the southeastern quadrant of the installation was locked down and an emergency message to shelter in place was disseminated to the 1,400 employees spread out across the 45,000-acre installation.
On arrival at the LCC, first responders found three students dead, and seven others coughing uncontrollably and experiencing watery, itchy and burning eyes -- all symptoms of an inhalation hazard.
It was later learned that among the dead was the role-playing perpetrator -- a student with extremist, Anti-American views who brought toxic chemicals into the classroom, which he later mixed and intended to detonate.
Each of the semi-conscious victims was ushered through two decontamination stations set up outside the LCC before receiving additional medical attention from first responders at the scene.
"We do certain things during the exercise to simulate real world events and we provide casualty cards and tell the role players to act out what's on the card," said Duane Bestul, MCAAP's force protection specialist.
To make the training more realistic, role players were prohibited from responding to any external stimulation. If the casualty card contains information about an injury that would prohibit the victim from walking, the first responders must carry the victim as they would during a real world incident.
While the exercises are designed to test MCAAP's capabilities, Bestul said they also give the role players insight into the complexities first responders may face during an emergency.
"Every time we get role players who have never had the opportunity to see what we do, when they become involved, they say 'wow, this is pretty cool' and that's been a take away from every exercise we done since I've been here," he said.
In addition to treating casualties, the first responders also worked through escalating Force Protection Conditions (FPCON) imposed by Dalessio. They worked from FPCON Alpha, prior to the TWG receiving initial intelligence of a possible attack, to Delta, the fifth and highest level where an accident is imminent or has already occurred.
While the exercise provided required training, it also permitted MCAAP officials to exercise memorandums of understanding (MOU) and mutual aid agreements (MAA) with the McAlester Police Department, Pittsburg County Sheriff's Office, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, FBI and Mercy Hospital from Ada, Okla.
MCAAP has participated in similar emergency exercises in the local community. One of the most recent was a chemical contamination exercise with the Pittsburg County Health Department and U.S. Army North in McAlester, April 9, 2010.
"Exercises are valuable, but real world events are where our first responders actually put all their training to use," Dalessio said. "We do these because we want it to be automatic at some point and they strengthen our confidence that we can respond and keep the workforce safe and secure."
McAlester Army Ammunition Plant is the Department of Defense's premier bomb and warhead loading facility, and is one of 14 industrial facilities in the Joint Munitions Command. It is vital to ammunition stockpile management and delivery to the joint warfighter for training and combat operations.
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