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Mainly, though, the tone was neither blithe nor grim, but rather strikingly matter-of-fact. Tom Reutershan, a U.S. Public Health Service official, described his job as planning for "megadisasters." Reutershan's highest priority is the great California earthquake -- the, he said, not a -- which he hopes will produce no more than 100,000 injuries. "Our National Disaster Medical System can cope with 100,000 casualties, tops," he said. Amtrak trains might be commandeered to ferry some of those victims east -- assuming Amtrak has survived federal budget cuts and the megadisaster in question.
Fast-food restaurants, suggested Tom Fairris, a retired Army antiterrorism / official, may be imperiled. "McDonald's and Wendy's are possible terrorist targets," he said, since the burger joints "represent our ways of doing things, the American way of life." Everyone seemed fond of statistics, but the counterterrorism experts were especially profligate with numbers. How much does it cost to field one European terrorist for a year? Fifteen thousand dollars, said Fairris. How many West Germans are under surveillance for their suspected links to terrorist groups? Precisely 679, said West German Lieut. Colonel Jurgen Reimann. How many terrorist incidents in all were there last year? Stinson, the former Green Beret, purported to know with incredible accuracy: 2,679 attacks were committed by 126 of the world's 174 existing terrorist groups.
In the exhibition hall, there were HEATPAC (a charcoal-fueled body heater), AudioPack (a body-mounted loudspeaker) and Med-Equip Pak 1 (a $285 first-aid kit). OK Safety Supply offered barricade tape, beard guards, butt snuffers (wall-hung ashtrays), toe guards and wasp killer (an aerosol insect spray), as well as a line of protective suits. John Weinel peddled all kinds of rescue equipment, including a shotgun that shoots a line 550 ft. and a switchblade disguised as a credit card. Auto Syringe, a microprocessor- controlled syringe pump, can be loaded with morphine and plugged into a doomed disaster victim. "People who are in their last days," explained Felix Mendigutia of Auto Syringe, "it makes it easier for them to die."
But it was prosaic, even homespun disaster advice that filled the days. Weinel, for instance, explained how to free people trapped underground. "I run with the National Cave Rescue Commission," he said. "There are 500 of us. I get a call about somebody trapped, I pack up and run. It's a lot of fun." Mostly. "I don't really like mines." How come? "They explode." Mike Hildebrand of the American Petroleum Institute dispensed advice about "haz- mat" -- hazardous materials. "Polyester shirts," he said, "are a hazardous material." But leaks and spills are the real dangers. "When the juice gets out of the can," went one hint from Hildebrand, "have your spill- control some distance from the problem so you don't get caught in a gas cloud or something."