PHOTOS: Cedar Rapids firefighters train for biological attack

Not real, but realistic.  That was the goal for Cedar Rapids Firefighters staging a full scale drill for a biological attack on Friday.

About one third of the entire fire department suited up for a mock anthrax attack  at the main Cedar Rapids Post Office.  And firefighters were joined by police, Linn County Emergency Management, Iowa National Guard and other state and federal agencies that would get the call for any biological threat.

Most in the public don't think about the anthrax scare that gripped the nation in the early 2000's with potentially deadly powder mailed to public figures in envelopes.  Aside from the occasional false alarm involving “suspicious powder,” the fear has largely faded.  But first responders can't afford to forget.

When the original anthrax attacks began in 2001, Cedar Rapids Firefighters didn't have a lot of specialized equipment use in response.  Battalion Chief Greg Smith recalled his inventory then as some pump sprayers, a little bleach and other equipment that would fit in the back of a van.

“It was kind of the whole-what is anthrax issue.  We had to learn that on the fly.  Now, we've had eight or nine years to think about it-train on it,” Smith said.  As for equipment now, the changes were evident at the drill.  The scenario assumed an alert from a biological detection system on postal service equipment.  Fifteen Kirkwood paramedic played the role of victims exposed to anthrax in a mail processing area.

All 18 members of a Weapons of Mass Destruction Team wore special full body hazard suits with an air supply that prevents exposure to any airborne bacteria.  They erected a portable tent and equipment to create a decontamination area for those exposed.  One of the Kirkwood students, who was in grade school during the original anthrax attacks, all this was an eye opener.

Ben Symonds said “it's good, because you've got a firsthand experience of what's going to be happening…all the steps… it's just a great experience all around.”

Linn County Public health was one of the groups working with firefighters.  For health workers, training to decontaminate those exposed to a biological agent isn't all that different from dealing with an infectious disease.

Stephanie Neff, Linn County Public Health spokesperson, said “there is definitely some crossover.  We saw some with our H1-N1 experience setting up for this type of event was a little easier-we had some of the processes in place.”

One firefighter, Curt Woode, said he appreciates getting the chance to practice with the hazardous materials suit since firefighters don't routinely get to use that specialized equipment when fighting fires.  “It's a different world. In an incident like this we're standing up, walking, the suits are a lot lighter –you sweat a lot, maybe a gallon of sweat it seems like.  But there's no crawling around, no high heat, no stress other than the psychological part of thinking hey my equipment protects me or things like that.  But otherwise, it's a different world completely,” he said.

Other firefighters say responding to some kind of biological attack isn't something they'd normally do.  But it's something they have to know how to do when the time comes.

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