Protecting Toledo's port

  

TOLEDO, OH (WTVG) -- Training exercises bring together safety, military and law enforcement units.

The September 11th terrorist attacks were almost seven years ago, but some experts say training to make sure that never happens again is more important than ever. Because of that, a weapons of mass destruction exercise happened here in Toledo and our cameras were rolling.

Dozens of police, fire and rescue crews took part in the two-day training along the banks of the Maumee River Protecting our ports has become a big focus of Homeland Security because of the possibility of weapons of mass destruction being brought into this country on board ships.

The first day of training involved exercises on the Willis Boyer, a former lake freighter that is now a museum docked near the High Level Bridge. The training scenario had the ship coming in from a European port with a load of scrap metal that had high readings of radiation when it was first checked out. As part of the training exercise, there was also a crew member who took off.

The exercise involved numerous agencies, including the Coast Guard the Air National Guard, hazardous materials and SWAT teams, as well as canine units, customs and local police and fire.

Todd Audet is with Midwest Terminals of Toledo. He told us, "The intent was to get them together so they can learn each other's capabilities. In the event that something does happen, they are familiar with each other's abilities and know who to turn to."

The second day involved training exercises at Midwest Terminals along the banks of the Maumee River. We were given exclusive access to that exercise. We' re working on that angle right now and we'll have it all for you tonight at six.

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