Article published April 23, 2009 Fifth Third Field hosts EPA emergency team drill High-tech gear gets workout at stadium
Kathy Clayton of the federal EPA affixes one of five gamma ray de-tectors at Fifth Third Field in downtown To-ledo. A team of EPA monitors has been in Toledo this week, practicing how it would respond to a malicious chemical spill or the presence of radioactivity in the event a ‘dirty bomb’ was discovered in the area of the stadium. Today, the team will don protective suits for more drills.
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THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH
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The thin, yard-long cylinders affixed to light standards around Fifth Third Field for Tuesday’s Mud Hens game with Indianapolis looked simple enough, but they were supersensitive radiation detectors designed to be located outside nuclear power plants.
They were just part of the high-tech array the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency brought to downtown this week for a series of emergency response exercises at the ball park.
Game night, EPA personnel monitored the air inside and outside the ball park for any hint of radiation or chemicals that could be used to make a bomb.
Inside the park, equipment was hidden in girders and a monitoring team was closeted in a room with its laptops which received constant readings.
Outside, mobile responders — one on foot, another in a utility cart — patrolled with their own sets of sensors.
This morning, EPA responders in full-body hazardous materials suits with air tanks are scheduled to conduct a drill in which they collect samples of simulated chemicals in the public areas of Fifth Third Field.
Anita Boseman, an EPA team member, checks a monitoring device during a drill at Fifth Third Field in downtown Toledo. The stadium provides plenty of room for simulation of emergency scenarios.
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“Hopefully, these are always just exercises, and we never have a real situation,” said Mick Hans, a spokesman from EPA’s Chicago office.
“Post 9/11 and post Katrina, things have been working better. … It’s all about moving quickly and efficiently,” Mr. Hans added.
“There’s a government-wide system put in place to mobilize to respond,” explained Tom Kreuger, an EPA attorney at the drills.
EPA’s emergency responders train annually for hazardous chemical, radiological, and biological situations. This week’s drills did not include a simulated biological threat, but provided good, realistic practice for the others, Mr. Hans said.
Fifth Third Field is not a likely target for a terrorist attack, he acknowledged. “But this is a good size for us to practice on,” Mr. Hans explained.
Watching the proceedings before the ball game was Timothy Murphy, Toledo’s commissioner of environmental services.
“It’s a big plus for the community to have this group here working with us,” Mr. Murphy said.
EPA’s electronic hardware was impressive — and expensive. The Genitron radiation detectors set up around the ball park cost $10,000 apiece, said Doug Draper, a health physicist on contract to the federal agency.
Their batteries last 10 years, and their signal has a range of 60 miles. They are extremely sensitive, capable of detecting even small changes in background radiation levels, Mr. Draper said. They have even detected people who have undergone medical treatment using nuclear materials. Five detectors were used around the ball park.
Brian Cooper, an EPA environmental scientist, had perhaps the most unlikely setup.
He pushed around a baby carriage containing a laptop and an assortment of chemical and radiological sensors. The computer on the carriage was GPS-coordinated and plotted his path on a photographic map as he circled Fifth Third Field. He could also send his data in bursts to the home office in Chicago.
“We’re always concerned about radiation, dirty bombs, and things like that,” he said. “With our system here, we can quickly find something like that.”
Contact Carl Ryan at:carlryan@theblade.comor 419-724-6050. Permanent Link
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