A large number of first responders were involved in a training exercise staged in Fort Myers, Thursday.
The staging area stretched along Fowler Street from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to Edison Avenue near Downtown Fort Myers.
Over 20 agencies participated including law enforcement, fire departments, Emergency Medical Services, chemical response teams, bomb squads and others from Lee County and surrounding cities.
Volunteers at the exercise portrayed victims of suicide bombers, hostages, and terrorists.
“Our training scenario included 3 bombs, 15 injured, 36000 gallons of ammonia release, 3 bad guys with hostages, simulated shelter for 50 evacuees, one biological lab producing weaponized avian influenza and 220 responders who restored safety in 4 hours,” said William Miller Deputy Special Operations Coordinator for the Ft. Myers Fire Department. “The training exercise was conceived not only for practicing a mock terrorist attack, but lessons learned can be applied to many situations, from hurricanes to fires to gas spills,” he concluded.
