Drill to test emergency responders' readiness
Volunteers needed to participate in fake chemical attack at J&J
BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

FILE PHOTO Emergency crews will be at the Johnson & Johnson property, Route 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday to practice their preparedness for a terror scenario.

NORTH BRUNSWICK - Six members of an angry activist group are planning on attacking a meeting concerning the development of a new testing facility at the industrial complex on Route 1 and Aaron Road this weekend. The group believes the new company will be cruelly testing animals for various cosmetic and biotechnology companies.

The six homegrown terrorists are said to be equipped with military-style rifles and are planning to fire shots and release chlorine gas into the building's ventilation system. They are also expected to detonate explosives outside of one of the buildings in an attempt to delay emergency responders. The group is trying to rain terror on any company that hurts animals.

Although this storyline was fictitiously created by members of the North Brunswick Police Department, Fire Department and First Aid & Rescue Squad, on Saturday a simulated emergency preparedness exercise will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the site of the former Johnson & Johnson property.

During Saturday's exercise, an explosion will be simulated on scene. A call will be made to the police department in which officers will be sent to the designated location. The first responding officers will be faced with an incident of great magnitude in which residents volunteering as victims will either be lying down in the office space area overcome by the gas attack, milling around outside disoriented or found unconscious in various areas. They will have to figure out the type of chemical that is dispersed into the air and how to treat the symptoms.

The patrolmen will notify their command staff who in turn will coordinate the fire department, first aid and rescue squad and Office of Emergency Management to respond, while dealing with the incident itself. The police will survey the area, launch a criminal investigation and assist the injured until the fire departments and first aid squad arrive, who will then set up a decontamination tent and an emergency shelter.

Patients will be evaluated and treated, having their vital functions stabilized and the chemicals washed off them while keeping the environment and non-contaminated people safe. Certain victims will get wet during the process while others will stay dry as they are instead interviewed by detectives.

"It's an excellent opportunity to evaluate if the training we've done is effective, and it also enables us to judge the effectiveness of all the township's emergency services working together as a unit," said acting Police Capt. Michael Misurell, who is coordinating the event with Chief Jeff Steinman of the First Aid and Rescue Squad.

After surveying several major incidents since Sept. 11, 2001, Police Director Kenneth McCormick decided a coordinated effort must be perfected before such a situation occurs within the town. Since the last major drill in town was conducted about 20 years ago, the departments felt it was necessary to avoid the miscommunication and lack of communication that occurred during the World Trade Center attacks in New York City.

"North Brunswick has always trained for major incidents. Something as simple as a tremendous accident on a highway has utilized the incident command system, but we have never done a full-scale operation with the parameters of this drill," Misurell said.

The entire police department has been trained in-house in using protective equipment, following emergency response procedures, using the incident command system and enacting a terrorism policy, and the fire bureau has been training in emergency-rescue procedures. However, this is the first time the training will be utilized in a controlled environment and will thus evaluate the coordinated effort of various squads interacting together.

"At the end of the day we hope that our police officers realize that even though North Brunswick is a safe and wonderful place to be, we are still not immune. I'm also hoping everyone involved in the exercise will realize the importance of teamwork and working together as a cohesive unit," Misurell said.

Within about a month, he said a mass critique of the incident will be formulated to see what was done properly and what needs to be corrected.

"Even if we do everything wrong, as long as we learn from our mistakes and improve, the drill is a success. … The idea here is, we're not setting up for the emergency services to fail, we're setting up for the emergency services to learn," the captain added.

In case of actual emergencies on Saturday, residents should still call 911 but they should not be alarmed by an added police, fire and emergency services presence around J&J and the Renaissance development. The only inconvenience to residents should be a detour off Route 1 during the drill.

The entire public safety department will be involved, except for a selected group of emergency service personnel who will be performing daily patrol operations. Mutual aid from surrounding towns will be available in case of a real-life emergency.

No funding was available for this project but Misurell said that the PBA and SOA organizations worked with administrators to utilize training time, therefore having no overtime costs for the exercise. He also said John Taikina of TOD Associates, the owners of the J&J property, worked cooperatively to allow the township to use their space for the drill.

At least 30 volunteers are needed for the exercise. To assist in the drill, contact police administration at (732) 247-0922 ext. 400. More details will follow once a resident decides to participate.

A rain date is scheduled for July 21.