BIA drill checks disaster readiness 15 area crews work together after ‘attack’

BANGOR – The line between reality and make-believe ran thin Tuesday morning as the Maine Air National Guard and the Penobscot and Hancock County Emergency Management Agencies tested their preparedness to respond to a mock terrorist attack at the north side of the Bangor International Airport.

A small Cessna airplane, piloted by a terrorist who had a bomb on board, veered off course and slammed into the side of a Maine Air National Guard KC-135 refueler that had just landed with 18 soldiers returning home from overseas. Both planes burst into flames.

That’s fiction.

The facts: More than 15 local fire, police, hazardous materials team, bomb squad and Air Guard crews of nearly 165 people from Bangor to Ellsworth used the two parked planes to create a real-life scenario to test their skills, equipment and communication among the organizations.

For nearly three hours, the groups worked to secure the location to ensure the safety of the “victims,” staff and emergency responders.

“It’s very difficult incorporating several members of the police and the military while creating an appropriate chain of command,” Lt. Col. Dale Rowley, director of the Waldo County EMA and exercise control staff member from Camp Keyes for the Air Guard, said of some of the drill’s challenges.

The Air Guard is required to do four training drills a year, while Bangor International Airport must conduct a drill once every three years for its federal license. Airport officials and Emergency Operation Center officials of the Air Guard in Belgrade could watch the drill using a Web-based portal, which allowed them to get text updates of the drill and provide assistance to the responders.

Shortly after 9 a.m., most of the “victims” filed off the large military plane with fake minor cuts and smoke inhalation, while two, who were limping from fake minor leg injuries, were helped off the plane a few minutes later.

Air Guard firefighters initially responded to the mock disaster; then the Bangor Police Bomb Squad cautiously inspected the contents of the small aircraft. A fake bomb was identified and disengaged by the squad, leaving the Penobscot County hazardous material team of Old Town and Orono in their green Gumbylike suits to evaluate levels of radiation.

“We did pretty well; there was quite a bit of down time, but we were pretty prepared and had all the necessary equipment,” Kevin Sirois, a firefighter and paramedic of the Orono Fire Department and a member of the county hazmat team, said of their response to the drill.

The combined efforts of all 165 people involved in the drill led to its success, according to Rowley, and identified that the group could improve on communication, not unlike the rescuers who responded to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

“We can always improve on management, control and communication,” Rowley said. “We needed phone numbers we didn’t have, and we’ve now found our areas of weakness, and now we can iron out the details.”