Safety

French officials hold chemical attack drill

Emergency Management Alert, October 28, 2003

First responders held a training exercise on October 22 at one of Paris busiest metro stations, simulating a release of toxic gas inside the Invalides station, the Agence France-Presse reports.

Approximately 500 police, firefighters, and rail staff sealed off the station and treated victims in Frances first-ever drill of this kind. A group of 170 journalists witnessed the exercise on big screens in a special tent nearby.

Last month, British authorities held a similar drill at Waterloo station in London during a normal travel day. The Paris exercise was held in a less busy area of the city and in the middle of the night. The drill began with two suspicious men being spotted by railway workers. Police were unable to apprehend the men before they exploded a chemical device on a platform. Several dozen passengers were caught in the release of the sarin-type gas.

Police and firefighters then entered the area in protective suits and triaged the victims, moving those who could be treated to tents outside. Six decontamination tents were set up on ground level to treat victims in a cordoned-off area.

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