Saipan seaport ‘attacked’ in anti-terrorism exercise

People milling around the ferry dock area of the Saipan harbor suddenly felt a burning sensation after terrorists activated Agent Yellow, a chemical used by the Japanese during the war.

The chemical, which was activated from a parked pickup truck, was left concealed by alleged members of the Abu Sayyaf group, which launched a punitive attack on a civilian American target. The group consisted of five terrorists posing as fishermen and two others who arrived as tourists.

Plausible enough? The CNMI’s emergency responders thought so, using this scenario in yesterday’s full-scale anti-terror exercise held at the Saipan seaport.

The exercise, the first of its kind for the seaport, was staged by the Emergency Management Office with the help of the EG&G Technical to determine the skills of local first responders in case of an emergency similar to that scenario.

Sirens were activated and ambulances were sent to the Saipan Seaport area, together with fire trucks, to help more than 100 “victims” of the chemical weapon attack.

Agent Yellow is a World War II era chemical agent that filled 100 kg aerial bombs. When exposed to it, people experience a strong burning sensation in the eyes and nose, and a strong stinging pain on exposed skin.

In yesterday’s exercise, the crowd at the seaport began “panicking,” crying out in pain while others stumbled to the ground. Immediately, first responders arrived at the scene to secure the area and determine the number of victims.

Members of the Aircraft Rescue Firefighting division, the Department of Public Safety, Commonwealth Ports Police, and other related agencies scouted the area to ensure that the chemical has been identified and that the people have been secured.

The “victims” were brought to the decontamination zone to clean them off of chemical traces.

According to ARFF chief Stanley Torres, yesterday’s mock anti-terror exercise determines the ability of first responders to react to emergency incidents. The exercise also helped law enforcers coordinate and cooperate with other agencies to ensure that all areas are covered.

Evaluators said it was a good setup and all officers reacted to the incident well but stressed that coordination and cooperation should be noted at all times.

“Some law enforcement issues must be made known to fire and hazmat [hazardous materials] officers,” said the officials.

The team also congratulated the participants—at least 25 from the DPS and 20 from the fire division, and others from other related agencies—in their efforts to move forward with the program.

Dubbed as Operation Safe Harbor, the exercise involved a mock chemical Weapon of Mass Destruction and an explosive attack.

During the exercise, responders performed victim rescue, triage, treatment and decontamination, assessment, agent identification, site security and crowd control, rendered safe procedures on devices or weapons, monitored for contamination, contamination control, and waste material packaging.

Agencies involved in the operation include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, American Red Cross, the Department of Public Safety, Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Quality, Department of Mental Health, Commonwealth Health Center, Commonwealth Ports Authority, Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting, Division of Customs, and the Department of Pubic Works.