Idaho Guard prepares for potential terrorist attack in the U.S.
Team shows skills they would use in real emergency
Photos by Darin Oswald / The Idaho Statesman
Spc. Sipath Noa, with TSgt. Jon Anderson, checks a doorway with the APD 2000 for traces of chemical weapons or irritants during an exercise with the Idaho National Guard's 101st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team at Gowen Field Wednesday. The 22-member team trains and is equipped to respond to incidents involving terrorist weapons of mass destruction
Sgt. 1st Class Jere Moynihan, communications team chief, mounts an antennae on the communications vehicle Wednesday.
Jason Kauffman
The Idaho Statesman | Edition Date: 12-16-2004
A special team of Idaho Guard members stationed at Gowen Field is prepared to fly anywhere in Idaho within four hours to handle a terrorist attack.
The 101st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team was created three years ago to help civilian Idaho emergency crews deal with biological, chemical or radiological attacks.
"We're an asset to the state of Idaho," said 1st Lt. Jeremy McLean, the team's chief science officer. "It's a pretty vital role."
Since its inception, the team has responded to 12 potential hazards, including one in Elko, Nev. All were false alarms.
The team has an array of specialized equipment, including a mobile testing lab, a mobile communications vehicle and elaborate haz-mat suits — moonsuits, as team members call them. The mobile lab in which McLean works is a fully contained van with a pass-through box that allows field samples to be safely placed inside for analysis.
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