A large-scale emergency exercise will take place at the Rosslyn Metro on Saturday, Feb. 13. About 150 Arlington police and fire personnel, along with 50 volunteer victims, will participate in a simulated terrorist bombing of a Metrorail train in the tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom.
Firefighters will use their recently-acquired Mobile Emergency Response Vehicles (MERVs) to travel through the tunnels. MERVs, which were used during the 2005 bombing of the London Underground, can reduce the time it takes first-responders to reach underground victims from 45 minutes to 4 minutes.
The exercise will take place between 9 AM and noon. The $1.2 million in funding for it came from a federal Homeland Security grant.
Rosslyn residents should take note that the Rosslyn and the Arlington Cemetery Metro stations will be closed throughout President’s Day weekend for a major track rehabilitation project. The closure will begin on Friday, Feb. 12 at 10 PM. The stations will reopen Tuesday morning.