Rest of the story is here:
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7353798
Emergency drill organizers seek 500 volunteers for "attack" on mock rock concert
By Lisa Fernandez
Mercury News
How would you like to spend the day inside a crowded stadium, pretending to vomit and be drenched in fake chemical gas? Sound like fun? Wait, there's more.
Well, you won't get paid. But you will be helping out local firefighters, police officers and paramedics practice for the biggest and most unusual emergency drill in California - a mock bio-terrorist attack on Nov. 14 in Silicon Valley where 500 guests are attending an all-night rock concert at Municipal Stadium in San Jose.
Organizers say it's the first time in Santa Clara County that regular citizens en masse are being asked to participate in this type of drill, which California's 58 counties first began practicing in 2004, as fallout from the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The program, dubbed "Golden Guardian," is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and managed by the state Office of Emergency Services. A 2005 drill in Oakland featured a mock attack on a "concert" at McAfee Coliseum.
"We've always had victims, but they've been off-duty professionals," said Tim Quigley, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley, a key partner of the operation. "This is the first time we're testing the real population. It's one thing to be academic, but we wanted to test the strength of the system."
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7353798
Emergency drill organizers seek 500 volunteers for "attack" on mock rock concert
By Lisa Fernandez
Mercury News
How would you like to spend the day inside a crowded stadium, pretending to vomit and be drenched in fake chemical gas? Sound like fun? Wait, there's more.
Well, you won't get paid. But you will be helping out local firefighters, police officers and paramedics practice for the biggest and most unusual emergency drill in California - a mock bio-terrorist attack on Nov. 14 in Silicon Valley where 500 guests are attending an all-night rock concert at Municipal Stadium in San Jose.
Organizers say it's the first time in Santa Clara County that regular citizens en masse are being asked to participate in this type of drill, which California's 58 counties first began practicing in 2004, as fallout from the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The program, dubbed "Golden Guardian," is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and managed by the state Office of Emergency Services. A 2005 drill in Oakland featured a mock attack on a "concert" at McAfee Coliseum.
"We've always had victims, but they've been off-duty professionals," said Tim Quigley, executive director of the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley, a key partner of the operation. "This is the first time we're testing the real population. It's one thing to be academic, but we wanted to test the strength of the system."
