Drill Tests Emergency Response to Smuggled Dirty Bomb on Rails
10/1/2008 -
Federal and state agents in Montana recently tested their ability to respond to attempts by terrorists to smuggle a dirty bomb into the United States by rail.
The drill was a response to a Government Accountability Office report in March that said the huge border between Canada and the United States offered numerous opportunities for terrorists to smuggle weapons over the border. Dirty bombs on trains are one of the scenarios that terrorists could use, according to federal security agencies.
Dirty bombs refer to conventional explosives surrounded by non-explosive radioactive material. When the bomb explodes, it spreads radioactive material and radiation over a wide area.
The northern border offers “a multitude of opportunities for clandestine and undocumented crossings” by terrorists, the GAO report said.
Law enforcement agents from eight Canadian agencies, seven U.S. federal agencies, seven state agencies and the Montana National Guard participated in the drill at the Sweetgrass, Mont., Port of Entry. BNSF Railway police also participated.
The drill began with a simulated chlorine gas explosion. National Guardsmen then put on chemical suits and set up a command post south of the Port of Entry. Team members worked to test the site for contaminants and re-establish communications.
Contact: Gus Melonas, BNSF, (206) 625-6220.
The drill was a response to a Government Accountability Office report in March that said the huge border between Canada and the United States offered numerous opportunities for terrorists to smuggle weapons over the border. Dirty bombs on trains are one of the scenarios that terrorists could use, according to federal security agencies.
Dirty bombs refer to conventional explosives surrounded by non-explosive radioactive material. When the bomb explodes, it spreads radioactive material and radiation over a wide area.
The northern border offers “a multitude of opportunities for clandestine and undocumented crossings” by terrorists, the GAO report said.
Law enforcement agents from eight Canadian agencies, seven U.S. federal agencies, seven state agencies and the Montana National Guard participated in the drill at the Sweetgrass, Mont., Port of Entry. BNSF Railway police also participated.
The drill began with a simulated chlorine gas explosion. National Guardsmen then put on chemical suits and set up a command post south of the Port of Entry. Team members worked to test the site for contaminants and re-establish communications.
Contact: Gus Melonas, BNSF, (206) 625-6220.
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