This them?..............
Posted on 08/06/2007 10:31:52 AM PDT by BGHater
The explosion in the terrorist lab was unexpected and had spread contamination throughout the room.
An RCMP officer, clad in a bulky suit designed to protect him from the blast as well as chemical, biological and radioactive agents, collapsed to the ground after the booby-trap detonated. Nearby, a group of Canadian military specialists, also wearing protective gear and gas masks, rushed to help the man, putting him on a stretcher and moving him away from the area now believed to be contaminated by some kind of chemical, biological or radioactive substance.
His suit was hosed down with various chemicals and the layers of protective gear carefully removed before medical staff checked on his condition.
Although the scenario recently played out at this sprawling base in southern Alberta was just a practice exercise - there was no actual explosion, although at times small amounts of chemical or radioactive substances were used - the speed and efficiency of the soldiers' reactions would be the difference between life and death in a real situation.
The military members gathered around the RCMP officer are from the Joint Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defence Company, the Canadian Forces' unit whose job is to deal with weapons of mass destruction.
The JNBCD company, part of the military's special operations command, handles the "Jack Bauer-24" type scenarios; it provides a national response for chemical, biological and radioactive threats, whether it be tracking down and dealing with a weapon of mass destruction or collecting and cataloging evidence that might be used in court to prosecute terrorists for creating or setting off such a device.
The unit was formed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and by July 2002 was ready with an initial cadre of 46 people. Over the years it has expanded to include more than 100 personnel and a technical array of equipment ranging from robots that can operate in contaminated environments to some of the best nuclear, biological and chemical protective gear in the world.
"It's not a large unit, but it's very surgical in nature," explained Maj. Stephane Boucher, until recently the JNBCD company's commanding officer.
"You don't need an 800-man infantry battalion to do what we do. You just need exceptional soldiers with exceptional capabilities."
The unit can also conduct detection, sampling and identification of a full range of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear hazards as well as provide advice to senior commanders and government officials. Their world is one of mustard gas, anthrax, smallpox and so-called dirty bombs, the term used to describe a weapon which combines radioactive materials with an explosive.
The unit works closely with specialists from the Public Health Agency of Canada who deal with biological threats, as well as the RCMP's explosive ordnance disposal section in Ottawa and the RCMP forensic unit.
The JNBCD company is part of Canada's special forces command, which also includes the Ottawa-based Joint Task Force 2 counter-terrorism unit, a special operations aviation squadron and the Canadian Special Operations Regiment based in Petawawa, Ont.
The threat of an attack on Canada involving chemical, biological or radiological substances is very real, according to those in the unit. Boucher believes that at some point there will be an "incident," as various terrorist groups, including al-Qaida, have indicated a desire to develop and use such weapons.
Boucher said one of the most difficult scenarios the unit would face would be in dealing with a weapon of mass destruction, such as a dirty bomb or nuclear warhead, smuggled on board a ship. Vessels are large and it would be easy to hide such a device. In addition, Canada has such a long coastline that it would be possible to transfer such a weapon to a smaller ship and bring it into the country undetected.
"Most major ports have radiation detection equipment so the bad guys won't come through Vancouver," explained Boucher. "But they might come through one of the many inlets on the coast of B.C., and load off the device on to a fishing trawler and then take it into a small fishing village."
To deal with such potential scenarios, the JNBCD company prefers seasoned military personnel for its ranks. Most are volunteers and company Sgt. Maj. Mike Bezeau said unit personnel have at least three years service in the Canadian Forces. "We're looking for people who come with operational experience," he explained. "We tend to look for people who have demonstrated an ability to think on their feet."
Plans are also underway to expand the unit over the next several years, an effort that will improve its capability as well as the quality of life for its personnel.
The addition of more specialists will hopefully cut down on the amount of time a unit member is on call, which currently is about 50 per cent of the year.
"That's a lot of time for our people to be on call," explained Bezeau. "It's mentally stressful, not only for them but for their families." The fact that the unit has been brought under the wing of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command is also a positive sign and a signal that the JNBCD company will be in existence for a long time, added Boucher. "This year is a our fifth anniversary and we're quite proud of that because many people thought we would be part of some sort of a fashionable post-9/11 trend which would then peter out," he explained. "But I think we're going to be needed for quite a while yet."
Jack Bauer, eh?
Just drop one of those new spiral light bulbs and you can call these guys.
Just tell them you have a major contamination incident from a Mercury spill.
Is there a national bridge collapse emergency response team that can be on site within 48 hours?
Izzat Central Time or Eastern Standard?........
This them?..............
Good. ‘Jacque’ Bauer. Reporting for duty.
Hopefully they do better security checks than CTU does — how many “traitors” has CTU had? At least 1 a season, right?
Bob and Doug. My first thought also.
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