It’s all a drill: Explosion, shooter exercise at Sonoma Raceway

An earthquake, gunman, explosion and a hazardous materials mess will unfold Thursday at the Sonoma Raceway in a complex drill for more than two dozen local, state and federal agencies preparing for the possibility of all of the above.

The main exercise will be Thursday, 7-11:30 a.m. but travelers near the raceway on Highways 37 and 121 will see emergency vehicles in the area Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, said Sandy Wargo, public information officer for the Novato Fire District.

On Thursday morning, the activity will ramp up with many emergency and military vehicles coming and going at the raceway. And, if weather allows, three helicopters are expected to land and take off, simulating victim transport. The drill isn’t public but organizers warned of possible traffic issues as well as the sounds of gunfire and explosions. But the noises won’t be real - they’ll be coming over a loud speaker as the exercise unfolds, Wargo said.

“The incident is to reflect an earthquake in the Bay Area, with people having fled to the Sonoma Raceway for shelter. While people are being sheltered we’re going to have a couple of incidents happen,” Wargo said.

An explosion will become a hazardous materials response. Officials also will ramp up the response by adding someone firing a gun.

Officials involved said the exercise will give local and state agencies a chance to prepare how to coordinate efforts on a possible situation.

“It’s a combination of incidents that actually could happen because people, when they’re displaced, it kind of ups the ante,” Wargo said.

Participating law and fire agencies are from Sonoma, Marin, Solano, Sacramento and Alameda counties and Marin county fire, as well as the FBI and a variety of state agencies including Cal Fire and the state National Guard. Local agencies include the Sonoma County sheriff’s SWAT deputies, the CHP, the county’s hazardous materials response team and fire agencies.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.