By Sandhya Dirks, KALW Crosscurrents
For the past eight years, one weekend in late summer brings first responders from across the country and around the world — firemen, medics, SWAT teams and police officers — to Alameda County for Urban Shield, one of the largest law enforcement training exercises in the country.
Urban Shield throws these first responders into simulated scenarios out of the direst headlines: terrorist attacks, downed planes and catastrophic natural disasters. The situations are all mock events, complete with actors and even stage makeup, but these trained, professional first responders treat them as if they are real.
Read the complete story at KALW Crosscurrents.
