A team of more than 150 fire and rescue personnel, dog handlers and medical professionals completed a three-day training exercise on Thursday that simulated the aftermath of a terrorist attack.
The annual event, held at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy, is part of ongoing training for the Virginia Task Force 1 International Urban Search and Rescue, a team organized to respond to disasters both domestic and international.
“Everybody on this task force are volunteers and want to be able to help people in need … whether it’s for someone in the United States or whether it’s in Fairfax County or whether it’s overseas,” said Dan Schmidt, spokesman for the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, a sponsor for the event.
During the marathon training session, which had teams operating in 12-hour shifts, responders dealt with a terrorist bombing with simulated rubble piles and medical emergencies.
The task force has been in operation since 1988 and can respond to both man-made and natural disasters. It first deployed in Soviet Armenia after a major earthquake, according to the group.
Most recently, members of the team traveled to Florida last month in anticipation of Hurricane Ernesto, Schmidt said.
