Lt. Colonel Thomas Grady told the Central Berkshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee about the training on Wednesday.

LENOX, Mass. — An upcoming training session is eyed to prepare local emergency responders in what to do should there be a terrorist attack.

 

The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council is using federal dollars to put on training seminars in all four Western Massachusetts counties.

 

Agencies from across Berkshire County will participate in the daylong tabletop exercise on April 8 that will test their response to a terrorist planting a bomb at a local rail yard.

 

"This is the first terrorism-focused exercise we've done," said Lt. Colonel Thomas Grady.

 

"This will pull in law enforcement response much more than other exercises."

 

The area emergency planning committee typically runs exercises centered on hazardous materials. This exercise, which will be replicated in each of the four counties, will bring in even more agencies. 

 

"We're not trying to surprise anyone with this scenario. We're trying to find out, once this scenario drops, what the response is going to be," Grady said. "It is a good time to look at the general overall response."

 

Local fire, police, public health departments, hospitals and emergency medical technicians spanning the county will participate as well as regional groups. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, state police, Department of Public Health and Department of Environmental Services will participate from the state level. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be involved on the federal side. The local railroad companies — PanAm and CSX — will also be represented.

 

"It is going to be a large-scale, all-day type of thing," said Pittsfield Fire Chief Robert Czerwinski, who chairs the Central Berkshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee. "This is multifaceted."

 

The exercise won't actually occur at a scene but rather will be done through tabletop planning at the County Club of Pittsfield. The local groups also get a chance to add additional aspects to the exercise to suit needs. The Emergency Planning Committee cited radio communications as an aspect that needs to be incorporated into the training.

 

"Communications always seems to be one of our biggest downfalls," Czerwinski said.

 

Grady said registration for the training had just opened a few days ago and already more than 50 had people signed up. The responders will be sorted into smaller groups and quizzed on various aspects of the response. 

 

Meanwhile, the Berkshire Disaster Animal Response Team is planning a two-day large animal rescue seminar in Lenox. That training will be done with live animals at Undermountain Farm on May 30 and May 31.