May 12, 2003 (CIDRAP News) A large-scale exercise to test the ability of government to respond to terrorism begins today with simulated signs of a biological attack in Chicago and a mock "dirty bomb" explosion in Seattle.
The 5-day exercise will involve not only federal, state, and local government agencies, but also the Canadian government and the American Red Cross, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Washington, DC, area will also be involved in the first day of the exercise.
Called TOPOFF 2, the drill will involve more than 8,500 people and cost an estimated $16 million, according to the Associated Press. It has been described as the largest federal emergency response exercise in US history.
"The exercise will enable top officials and response personnel to practice different courses of action, gain and maintain situational awareness, and deploy appropriate resources," DHS officials said in a news release. "Top federal officials, state governors, county executives, mayors, city managers, along with state and local responders, will be key participants and play active roles throughout the exercise."
Secretary of State Colin Powell said, "TOPOFF 2 embodies the spirit of interagency and international cooperation that surfaced in the aftermath of September 11th. It is this cooperation that will help defeat terrorism worldwide."
A detailed, 200-page scenario was written for the exercise, according to the AP. The Chicago arm of the exercise will feature people going to emergency departments with simulated flu-like symptoms, which will turn out to be the result of a fictional aerosol release of pneumonic plague germs 2 days ago. Later in the week, healthcare workers will distribute antibiotics as the number of victims mounts.
Critics have said that the drill is unrealistic because participants have been told too much in advance, including the precise timing of the events. In a report by the National Journal, published on the GovExec.com site, some security experts said officials will know many details of the attack beforehand, and the people playing the president, his chief of staff, and his press secretary have made decisions about handling of the crisis in advance. However, other experts predicted the exercise will still yield valuable lessons.
DHS officials said the goals of the exercise include improving the nation's ability to cope with extreme events, creating "broader frameworks" for operating crisis-management systems, and building "a sustainable, systematic national exercise program" to support homeland security.
TOPOFF 2 is the second in a congressionally mandated series of exercises, according to the National Journal report. TOPOFF 1 consisted of simulated releases of plague in Denver and mustard gas in Portsmouth, N.H., in 2000. In those cases, local officials were told very little about the nature of the attack beforehand, and the results were chaotic, the report said.
