Arizona state and local responders participate in nuclear response drill | 12.08.2006 | 06:41:09 | Views: 5466 | ID: December 8 '06: More than 300 federal, state and local first responders, medical personnel, law enforcement officials and government officials participated in a simulated nuclear disaster outside the Tuscon area, the Arizona Daily Star reported earlier this week. The scenario involved a plane, carrying four nuclear weapons, crashing into the Tuscon metro area. The goal of the exercise was to find out how well the response was communicated and coordinated. The exercise was conducted at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on Monday. The Daily Star reported, "The base's large yellow trucks sprayed fire-suppresion foam on bright orange flames in front of the mock wreckage. First on the scene of the fake emergency were Davis-Monthan firefighters wearing metallic silver suits with bright red helmets. Their first job was to secure the area around the plane and then check the wreckage for survivors." Local police and fire officials told the Daily Star that these multi-level, cooperative efforts and exercises help them to stay prepared in case an actual disaster of such a magnitude were to happen. The particular Air Force base was chosen because of the close relationship the base has with the local responder community, Lt. Col. Valerie Hasberry, the commander of the civil engineer squadron told the Daily Star.
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