FLAMING GORGE — All was quiet around the dam as the wind blew. Shots rang out, and when the visitors center's door burst open, people ran toward the parking lot.
Some limped. Some cried.
A masked terrorist menacingly waved a rifle out the door.
Law enforcement and state officials just sat by and let it happen.
Everything was going according to plan.
Nineteen agencies — 225 people — were on hand playing the parts of both victims and responders.
Barry Wirth, spokesman for the Bureau of Reclamation, said the simulated terrorist takeover at Flaming Gorge Dam may prove to be of great use.
Since Utah is the second-largest water wholesaler in the United States, he said, there in an inherent need to protect the resource.
"We want to ensure we can continue to produce water and power from these projects," Wirth said.
Those projects are 58 hydroelectric plants.
The Bureau of Reclamation sponsored the simulation to test emergency responders' abilities to deal with such a situation; check local, state and federal agencies' communication skills; and build a template for the future that the bureau can take to other states and train officials there.
Scott Behunin, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said there is a logical and obvious order to the way emergency response works.
First, local law enforcement and emergency personnel arrive on the scene.
Once they determine the situation is beyond their resources, they notify state authorities, Behunin said.
From there, federal officials descend on the scene, especially if there is a terrorist threat.
The teams at Flaming Gorge included tactical and dive teams; Utah Highway Patrol; Daggett, Uintah and Sweetwater, Wyo., county sheriff's personnel; an explosive ordnance unit; and the division of Emergency Services and Homeland Security.
Wirth said timelines of events, although available to the media, were not given to responders.
FBI agent Rick Palmer said, "We tried to make this as real as possible."
Reality may be somewhat disturbing, however.
At 4:37 p.m., the call came over the radio, "Executing event No. 25." The first ambulance didn't arrive until 5:08 p.m. The second didn't arrive for another 26 minutes.
"It shows you how difficult real problems would be," Wirth said.
State responders would take even longer, having to travel the 3 1/2 to four hours to get to the dam.
Larry Todd, director of safety, security and law enforcement for the Bureau of Reclamation, said normally the first responders would be the security officers who are stationed at the dam.
They would have had their hands full with the gunshots, shootouts and hostages trapped inside the visitors center.
Monday night, officials in charge of the practice observed the arrival of a SWAT team at the Dutch John Airport.
Wednesday, the 225 responders and actors, and their bosses, will receive an evaluation and critique of their work at the dam.
E-MAIL: jdougherty@desnews.com