Defense Group Inc.'s CoBRA Software used at Operation Furies

On Saturday, 8 February 2003, Defense Group Inc., (DGI) participated in Operation Furies, a realistic counter-terrorism response training drill conducted by the United States Marshals Service, the Alexandria Police Department, and the Alexandria Fire Department. The simulated scenario involved an overturned chemical tanker truck, coupled with a simulated chemical agent release inside the courthouse, ostensibly to disrupt the courtroom proceedings of one of the high profile terrorists being kept at the Alexandria jail.

CoBRA® and Operation Furies

On Saturday, 8 February 2003, Defense Group Inc., (DGI) participated in Operation Furies, a realistic counter-terrorism response training drill conducted by the United States Marshals Service, the Alexandria Police Department, and the Alexandria Fire Department. The exercise took place in the vicinity of the United States District Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia. About 400 emergency response personnel were involved in the exercise, representing the US Marshals Service, the Federal Protective Service Police Department, the FBI Counter Terrorism Task Force, the Alexandria Police Department, the Alexandria Fire Department, the Alexandria Sheriffs Office, and the United States Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF). The simulated scenario involved an overturned chemical tanker truck, coupled with a simulated chemical agent release inside the courthouse, ostensibly to disrupt the courtroom proceedings of one of the high profile terrorists being kept at the Alexandria jail.

The DGI team provided CoBRA® (Chemical Biological Response Aide) HardPak computers, comprising ruggedized Itronix GoBook Max laptop computers preloaded with the CoBRA® incident response management software, with trained operators who served as part of the exercise control and evaluation team. The laptops were all wireless-enabled, allowing the CoBRA® units in place at each of the functional command posts during the exercise to pass critical data in real time over a broadband wireless connection. DGI set up a wireless local area network, connecting the Fire Departments Operations Command Post with the Unified Incident Command Center (UICC). Using a server provided by DGI, the CoBRA® units at these locations were able to share files and communicate directly throughout the entire exercise.

The CoBRA® HardPak on-scene with the Alexandria Fire Department HAZMAT unit was equipped with a new high speed wireless modem, running on the Verizon CDMA network. This enabled the CoBRA® team to provide live webcam video images from the site of the overturned tanker truck leaking simulated chemicals, while the response measures enacted by the responders on-scene were logged. CoBRA Incident Reports were filed over the same wireless connection, to include embedded digital photographs of the incident scene and critical HAZMAT data from the integral CoBRA® chemical databases.

On Wednesday, 12 February, the DGI team supported a follow-on command post exercise that showcased an Army simulation system called the Emergency Preparedness Incident Command System (EPICS). At this exercise, the same players from Operation Furies exercised the coordination measures they practiced on Saturday, with the additional layer of the City of Alexandria Emergency Operations Center (EOC). CoBRA® units were located at the simulation center (where computers showed the actions being taken on scene, in lieu of real players on the ground), the UICC, and the citys EOC.

At the end of both exercises, the CoBRA® units generated a detailed log of every action taken at each of the exercise command post locations, to include key communications within the command posts contributing to decisions that were made. The team embedded key digital imagery in the resulting report, as well as screen shots from the CoBRA® chemical database resources accessed during the incident. This enabled the exercise controllers, and all the participating units, to review the actions taken, assess where improvements might be required, and better plan for future incidents using the lessons learned from Operation Furies and EPICS. The agencies involved in these exercises demonstrated true forward thinking in their application of cutting edge technologies to the increasingly difficult problem of public safety.

About DGI
Since 1987, DGI has been assisting federal, state, and local government agencies in their response to potential incidents involving biological and chemical agents, nuclear weapons, radiological materials, and conventional explosives. DGI has provided its products and services to the FBI, Pentagon, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, DOE, and National Guard as well as corporations such as MCI WorldCom and Bristol Myers Squib. DGIs CoBRA® family of products provides first responders with efficient coordinated response through recognized SOPs and checklists, dissemination of intelligence reports, and standardized incident reports. DGIs thick client architecture ensures that the system remains operable even when communications systems have been temporarily lost. For more information on DGI, visit their website at www.cobraguides.com or contact Neil Cohen (703) 535-8725 x141, neil.cohen@defensegp.com.