Massive Terror Attack Drill Spans DC and Fairfax, Arlington, PG Counties on Wednesday

WASHINGTON, DC — A massive D.C. region-wide anti-terror drill will take place on Wednesday at six sites in the District as well as in Prince George's County in Maryland and Fairfax and Arlington counties in Virginia. The drill will involve hundreds of police, fire, and emergency medical service personnel along with volunteer actors.

The full-scale exercise is designed to "prepare for the possibility of a complex coordinated terror attack in the National Capital Region," and is being run by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), according to a MWCOG statement.

The staging locations include neighborhoods in the northeast and southeast quadrants of D.C., Prince George's County, Arlington County, and Fairfax County

“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 MWCOG, in the statement. “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. However, there is no reason for residents to be alarmed because the exercise will occur in a controlled environment.”

The exercise will take place from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

In Arlington County, the exercise will take place near the George Mason Antonin Scalia Law School near Clarendon.

"All training activities will be confined to the interior of the training site," Arlington County said in a statement. "Residents can expect to see an increase in public safety vehicles and law enforcement officers in the area. Those traveling near the vicinity of the George Mason Antonin Scalia Law School may hear noise originating from the training site but are reminded that this is a training exercise only."

In Fairfax County, it will take place at the former Lorton Reformatory prison site, according to a statement from the county.

Image via Flickr user Scott Davidson