When the M\/V St. Nicholas pulled away from the Allen Marine dock near Juneau’s ferry terminal Wednesday, it had the usual items on board, such as life vests, donut holes and coffee.<\/p>\n
It also carried a radioactive device.<\/p>\n
The ship, along with the 30 volunteer passengers on board, was involved in an exercise called Shielded Eagle that simulates a terrorism scenario. The scenario includes threats both on land and sea, forcing the Coast Guard, Juneau Police Department and other agencies to work together.<\/p>\n
In the simulated scenario, a JPD officer pulls a car over and finds a suspicious suspect inside. This suspect, the officer determines, is a foreign national who just got off a ferry. This brings a U.S. Customs agent into the fray, who finds there to be radioactive material in the suspicious car.<\/p>\n
The suspect then tells police that there’s another person and radioactive device on a ferry. This forces JPD to then communicate with the Coast Guard to find the device on the ferry.<\/p>\n
In Wednesday’s exercise, the Allen Marine catamaran played the role of the ferry. Steve Baenen, an emergency management specialist for the Coast Guard, spoke to the passengers prior to disembarking.<\/p>\n
“You add the element of realism to this exercise,” Baenen told the passengers.<\/p>\n
The radioactive device on board was also real, Radiation Safety Officer Tom Clawson said to the passengers Wednesday. The amount of radiation was small and contained, he said, but there was still a high enough amount for JPD and U.S. Customs devices to pick up a signal on it.<\/p>\n
The passengers were all volunteers. Some had volunteered with prior simulations by the Red Cross or Coast Guard, but many were first-time participants. Terri Mills, who moved to Juneau just last summer, signed up for the exercise to get out and see the scenery. She wasn’t sure what to expect. Neither did Taylor Funderburk, who has had an eye on joining the Coast Guard in the future. Funderburk also hadn’t participated in one of these scenarios before, and said he hoped to have fun and see the Coast Guard personnel in action.<\/p>\n
The action started right at 9 a.m. Wednesday, as the St. Nicholas left the dock and JPD made its traffic stop just across the street. Emergency Management Specialist Steve Goff and State and Local Liaison Amanda Becerra took notes as JPD officers and a customs agent spoke to the volunteer playing the suspicious suspect. The officers then called back to dispatchers, who then roped in the Coast Guard and began the part of the exercise on the sea.<\/p>\n