Tahoe bomb squad prepares for the worst case scenario

It was preparation for an emergency drill, but the 14-pound pipe bomb sure looked real.

It had two foot-long pipes filled with metal pellets and was covered in tape and nails. It's the mock weapon Tahoe-Douglas emergency service agencies plan to use in the spring during a bomb evacuation exercise at Kingsbury Middle School.

"It's modeled after the device that went off at the Olympic's Centennial Park," said Jim Antti, member of Tahoe-Douglas Bomb Squad and creator of the fake bomb. "By definition this is a weapon of mass destruction. This is the exact same pipes used in Centennial Park and they found nails on roofs a mile away."

After showing Douglas County employees the device last week at at Tahoe-Douglas' Fire Station in Round Hill, Antti sat down with a cell phone and made a call similar to what a terrorist would make.

He spoke to a secretary at Kingsbury Middle School who was told beforehand about the training exercise.

"There is a bomb in a green backpack in the library," Antti said into the phone. "This is happening because you can't protect our children."

The group of emergency service workers and others county employees met for a "Table Top" exercise during which they spent two hours going over different scenarios which might arise during such a crisis.

"We're here to expand our minds and ability to respond to an emergency," said Tahoe-Douglas Fire Assistant Chief Bruce Van Cleemput. "We have to work as a team to try to resolve problems. We're testing the system we hope ... blowing the air out of the lines."

An emergency drill like the one planned in the spring is expensive and a challenge logistically. Dick Mirgon, director of Emergency Management in Douglas County, estimated the cost for the training exercise, including overtime, to be between $11,000 to $15,000. Mirgon said he may apply for state grant money to cover some expenses.

During the drill, one or two classes will be evacuated from the middle school. Those students, along with more than 300 students from Zephyr Cove Elementary, which plans to hold a fire drill the same day, will be transported to Whittell High School to wait out the drills.

One only needs to look at the statistics and history to realize that Douglas County is not immune to terrorism. Mirgon said 13 bomb threats were reported in the last 12 months. But something more serious than a threat or a suspicious package came August 27, 1980, when a bomb containing 1,000 pounds of explosives blew apart most of a Stateline casino. An explosives expert planted the bomb in attempt to extort millions of dollars from the gaming hall. The bomb went off but no money was exchanged. The bomber was caught a year later and sentenced to life in prison.

Despite threats and real bombs the county has dealt with in the past, the team of emergency personnel assembled Wednesday seemed confident that they will be able to handle any future crisis situations.

"We have one of the best regional mutual aid plans," Smith said. "And our incident management team is a model for the rest of the country."