The Associated Press
SPARKS, Nev. — The Sparks Outlet Mall opened its door and immediately got very busy. It was the stage for a full-scale exercise to test the City of Sparks, Reno and Washoe County and the state in the event of a terrorist threat.
By the end of the day, some 400 firefighters, police officers, ambulance workers and local government administrators along with the Nevada National Guard’s special bioterrorism unit had dealt with the attack, shootings, a 1,000-gallon diesel spill into the Truckee River and a number of victims - some living, some not.
The exercise, called Noble Responder, was overseen by Sparks officials and paid for by a $400,000 federal homeland security grant that covered overtime for the exercise participants and provided live volunteers. Mannequins and cardboard cutouts represented the victims.
Full Story: http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2005/nov/30/113010056.html