The inspector sees an X-ray image of several 65-gallon drums inside the container that were not listed on the shipper's manifest documents. But she doesn't contact the traditional first responders-the police and fire departments and bomb squad-because the call could trigger a media frenzy and panic. Instead, the inspector notifies the nearest Laboratories and Scientific Services (LSS) field office or calls the LSS weapons of mass destruction (WMD) hotline (407.975.1780), part of the Office of Information and Technology (OIT). In this case, the closest LSS office is in New Orleans.

Photo Credit: James Tourtellotte

LSS chemist wears an environmental suit when testing for the presence of a chemical or biological agent.

Once New Orleans LSS or the WMD hotline gets the call, they immediately go to work. Two chemists from the Fast Response Team are sent to investigate the drums inside the sea container. Within the hour, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sends a Blackhawk helicopter to New Orleans to pick up the chemists and packed their equipment, which is piled atop two 4x4' pallets and loaded into the bay of the helicopter. The equipment includes "Level A" environmental suits with self-contained breathing apparatus.

Two hours later, the Blackhawk lands at the Miami seaport, and the chemists jump into action, gearing up for the unknown: Are those 65-gallon drums chemical or biological weapons of mass destruction? It's the chemists' job to investigate and to find out what's really inside.

Fortunately, this scenario is hypothetical, but if it were true, responders would have literally no time to waste. Any delay could mean the difference between mission success and a safety-civilian-urban nightmare.

And that's precisely why LSS has established this new unit. Participation on the team is strictly voluntary because the work can be dangerous.

So what do team members do? They investigate situations where chemical or biological weapons might be planted pretty much anywhere around the United States. Did the terrorist leave any evidence behind, any indication of his or her identity or intentions when he planted the chemical device? CBP's Fast Response Team also collects crime scene evidence and as much other technical information as they can find. Chemists use the Joint Chemical Agent Detector to analyze chemical agents like sarin or VX, the grandfather of all chemical weapons. Polymeraze Chain Reaction-type techniques are used to identify biological agents.

And what happens if the presence of a chemical or biological agent is confirmed? In this case, CBP officials will contact first responders and investigators from ICE to assist.

A two-person job
Each first response team consists of two to four LSS chemists, at least one primary and at least one back-up. There's one team at each of the seven LSS field offices, and each team is committed to this collateral duty. "Team members can be walking into an extremely dangerous situation," explains Dave Fluty, a senior scientist in LSS. "They have to want to do this intense work, and consequently, they're highly motivated."

When team members go to a location to collect evidence, the primary enters the scene while the back-up waits. "The reason we don't send in the two chemists to explore a crime scene together is that the back-up can help the other member escape the scene if that becomes necessary," says Fluty.

Besides, the back-up member has other duties. He helps his partner get into a Level "A" environmental outfit, which looks much like those large, bulky astronaut suits, and helps him hoist a five-pound oxygen tank on his back. The tank supplies up to eight hours of oxygen, because as Fluty explains, "The chemist doesn't want to leave the scene until his job is done." After the chemist concludes a search of the scene, he showers in his suit in a portable pool. The back-up member then scrubs the suit with bleach and peels off any residue.

Ready, willing, and able
The Fast Response Teams at the seven LSS field offices are ready, willing, and able to jump into action when called. Team members know that every real mission means that the safety of the American public is at stake.

"Given current world events and threats to our security, I looked at the Fast Response Team as an opportunity to contribute my skills and knowledge to my agency," says Jose Velez, a chemist in the LSS San Juan field office. "I see us as the technical extension of all CBP inspectors, and, considering all they are going through to keep us safe, the least I can do is be there to help and to assess acute situations."

Who handles nuclear and anthrax scares? While the LSS Fast Teams determine the presence of the number and type of weapons of mass destruction, once the threat is confirmed or deemed "highly suspicious" the situation is turned over to first responders. The Department of Energy handles all situations involving weapons and materials composed of uranium and plutonium which are considered special nuclear materials (SNM). The Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. military at Fort Detrick, Md., handle biological threats, including anthrax. Threats resulting from the presence of explosives or chemical agents are usually handled by local first responders.