National Guard team activated… National Guard Team Plays Key Role in Ricin Response
Hat tip: Instapundit
WASHINGTON, Feb. 29, 2008 – A National Guard civil support team was on scene within an hour last night after Las Vegas authorities sought help with a suspicious substance that later turned out to be deadly ricin.
The incident happened at an Extended Stay America hotel on Valley View Boulevard in west Las Vegas, said Army Capt. April Conway, the Nevada National Guard’s public affairs officer.
The Nevada National Guard’s 92nd Civil Support Team provided support with identifying the suspicious substance and assisting with decontamination, Conway said.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department asked for support from the Nevada National Guard’s 92nd CST about 5 p.m. Within 30 minutes, a 19-member team and half a dozen vehicles from the 92nd CST were out the door, and they were on scene less than 60 minutes from the initial request, Conway said.
The vehicles provide communications, laboratory and other on-scene support for the team.