Counter-terrorism Exercise

Emergency personnel across the nation's capital and surrounding area plan to conduct a "full-scale" counterterrorism exercise Wednesday in Maryland, Virginia and D.C.

Police officers, firefighters and other first responders will participate in drills across the region Wednesday meant to prepare for the possibility of a "complex coordinated terror attack," organizers said in a statement.
 
"The regional exercise will be staged at six sites in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia, and will involve hundreds of police, fire and emergency medical service personnel and volunteer actors," said the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, a nonprofit association comprised of local governments from throughout greater Washington metropolitan area.
 
"Law enforcement officials practice and exercise their skills on their own regularly because that's the best way to ensure we are always ready to respond quickly and professionally," said Scott Boggs, managing director of homeland security and public safety at COG. "On April 26, we'll go one step further and stage a very realistic emergency event involving multiple sites and actors posing as the casualties.