RBCERTAA
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Emergency Info AM 1630

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WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION TRAINING 2003
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION DRILL
On Saturday evening, May 10, a drill on Weapons of Mass Destruction was conducted by Redondo Beach Fire Dept. Battalion Chief Don Herr, with assistance by Capt. Bob Engler. Dinner was provided by Margot Hoffman. RBCERTAA knows how to put on a great spread.
 
Chief Herr gave a comprehensive talk on Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), which include biological, nuclear, incendiary, and chemical. Some of the warning signs upon entering an area affected by WMD include:
Unexplained casualties:

Multiple victims.
Dead or dying animals, fish, birds etc.
Unusual odors, vapors, or cloudy areas.
Suspicious devices.
No insects - they have all been killed by the chemical agent.		   The safety considerations when encountering a situation are:

Recognize the symptoms.
Avoid contact with dangerous agents yourself.
Isolate the victims.
Notify Fire Department and Police
And be aware of possible secondary devices in the area.

Some of the symptoms of nerve agents include: salivation, urination, defecation, gastric distress, and vomiting. The technical term used for this is: SLUDGEM, the acronym for parasympathetic nervous system response to an organophosphate or nerve agent exposure: Salivation, Lacrimation, Urination, Defecation, Gastro-intestinal aggravation, Emesis, Muscular twitching. Response symptoms are proportional to the degree of exposure.
Regarding nuclear attacks, the three protective factors are: shielding, distance, and time. Assuming you are not in the immediate blast area, your main concern will be radioactive fallout.
We all adjourned to the parking lot and Chief Herr demonstrated how easy it is to make incendiary devices from common household ingredients. Within a few minutes he had a fire bomb working.

All drill attendees received a FEMA manual entitled "Are You Ready: A Guide to Citizen Preparedness". This publication includes information for preparing and coping with natural, technological, man-made, and WMD hazards. It is also available on the FEMA website.
This event had the highest attendance level (44 alumni members) for any training we have offered so far this year. Perhaps it was the subject, or perhaps it was the Saturday evening time frame. Perhaps we should be considering more drills on Saturday nights in the future.
Garth McWhorter