ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Thursday, April 17, 1997               TAG: 9704170051
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL   PAGE: A-5  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

CITIES TO LEARN HOW TO REPEL TERROR ATTACKS

Local emergency workers will learn to identify chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons.

As the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing nears, the Pentagon has begun a training program designed to help 120 cities deal with the potential terrorist use of chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons.

Local police, firefighters, medics and other emergency workers will learn to identify such deadly weapons, deal with victims and carry out any decontamination that might be required, officials said Wednesday at a Pentagon briefing.

Under this year's $42.6 million program, the military will set up a multi-service ``Chem-Bio Quick Response Force,'' of up to 500 people. Members of the force will travel around the country training local officials, and the Pentagon plans to set up a hot line and an Internet site with further help. Specialized training also will be done at some military installations.

Saturday is the second anniversary of the bombing, and federal agencies are quietly fortifying security. The FBI sent out a reminder about the date and its history. Some agencies issued a list of precautions about reporting suspicious events, abandoned packages and the like.

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