Sunday, December 5, 2010

GAME DAY 5: Blister Agent

Welcome to the 12 Days Prepared Game: Official Game Rules

GAME DAY 5 SCENARIO:  
In this scenario, terrorists use a light aircraft to spray chemical agent YELLOW into a packed college football stadium. The agent directly contaminates the stadium and the immediate surrounding area, and generates a downwind vapor hazard.

The attack causes a large number of casualties that require urgent and long-term medical treatment, but few
immediate fatalities occur.

Agent YELLOW, which is a mixture of the blister agents sulfur Mustard and Lewisite, is a liquid with a garlic-like odor. Individuals who breathe this mixture may experience damage to the respiratory system. Contact with the skin or eye can result in serious burns. Lewisite or Mustard-Lewisite also can cause damage to bone marrow and blood vessels. Exposure to high levels may be fatal.

You are in the stadium at the time of the flyover.  

Two simple questions:
  • What are the initial actions as you see people starting to react to the blister agent around you?
  • How do you think the community should prepare for this possibility?
Play along by answering the questions in ONE of the following locations 
Original Game Rules for #12DaysPrepared can be read here: http://cresa911.blogspot.com/2010/11/12-days-prepared-challenge-starts.html

4 comments:

Cindy Stanley said...

1. Seek shelter if available, try not to panic (difficult), stay in area for treatment rather than retreat in my car. Take off outer clothes, place in garbage bag.
2. Be aware of possible scenerios, like terrorist attacks. Have a family communications plan - have my family emergency #'s with me. Keep copy of Emergency Resource Guide in my car.

mktgurl said...

Since the agent is traveling downward, it is probably heavier than air; and since all the exits are at the bottom of the stadium, it would be best to migrate towards the top of the bleachers and preferably the covered bleachers. But if the stadium has fans blowing air around, nowhere inside the stadium is safe. Best first reaction is to treat it like a chemical spill and try to wash off the affected areas with soap and water after immediate contact. This might be difficult to do if everyone else in the stadium is thinking the same thing. The bathrooms will have long lines and be inaccessible. If my party isn't affected by the chemical, as in, not on our clothes or skin, we should evacuate ourselves from the stadium as quickly as possible. Someone should pull the stadium's fire alarm (if it hasn't already), that would be the fastest way to get the Fire Dept and paramedics to the scene.

As for community prepardness, I'm not sure. Maybe have mandatory mock drills with the city's Fire department for any public establishment that seats 500 or more patrons.

mktgurl said...

Addendum: on second thought, the fire alarm might incite more panic since not only are people being eaten alive by a mysterious air-borne chemical agent, a fire alarm sound would cause them to think they're about to be burned alive. No fire alarm. The stadium staff could try to contain mass panic by running a pre-recorded emergency message over their PA system and have clearly designated areas for first aid and staffers that are trained in it, CPR, and emergency situations.

:p said...

I would look at the wind direction, go upwind the best I can, seek safe shelter and begin decon. (Find my truck with all the response needs) 2?. Be ready with a plan. When I walk into big/new places I am always making sure I know where the exits are and make a plan in my head.