FORT HARRISON - It's a call no one wants to get: a terrorist attack inside the city, the deployment of a dirty bomb, or the release of a chemical or biological agent.

No one wants to answer the call, but some day, the members of the 83rd Civil Support Team may have to do just that.

In the few weeks since the Secretary of Defense approved the team's certification to create the first and only response team of its kind in Montana, the 22 specialists stationed here have already responded to two calls, including an envelope filled with a mysterious white powder in Browning and a "situation" at a silo near Malmstrom AFB.

Both calls turned out to non-events, but in the post-911 world, the threat of terrorism remains real and Lt. Col. Mike Rand, commander of the 83rd CST, takes it seriously.

"Our primary responsibility is to respond to an incident involving weapons of mass destruction," Rand said. "I don't think Montana provides a valuable target for terrorists. But it doesn't mean the threat doesn't exist."

After Hurricane Katrina, Congress directed the CST and its multi-million-dollar assets to also help during natural disasters. Montana's team, just one of 55 across the country, is capable of responding to attacks and chemical spills alike.

About three quarters of the funding for CST comes from the Department of Defense and the rest comes from the state.

Rand began recruiting his team's 22 members last year. Today they sit down the hall taking a chemical refresher course, using different sized marshmallows and toothpicks to build models of chemical bonds.

"Nerve gas, toxins, bio-agents - we need to have a good understanding of what those elements are and how they come together," Rand said. "The team needs to understand how the chemistry works. We practice every day."

The CST contains several sections that include a survey team led by Capt. Dana Barnicoat, an operations cell led by Capt. Todd Verrill, and a decontamination team.

Capt. Juan Stevens, the team's nuclear science officer, specializes in chemistry while Staff Sgt. Jennifer Simmons, the team's medical NCO, helps analyze samples.

"When the samples come off the decontamination line, we divide them up for the FBI and the state lab," Simmons said, stepping into a large white truck known as the Analytical Laboratory Suite.

The back of the truck appears as a science lab on wheels. It comes equipped with glove boxes for handling hazardous materials, infrared spectrometers, and equipment used to identify isotopes, including alpha, beta and gamma radiation.

The truck is also capable of distinguishing between chemical and biological agents. Determining which agent is suspected is the first step in designing the appropriate response plan.

Simmons said a polymerase chain reactor, or PCR, allows the team to reveal proteins found in biological agents like anthrax, E-coli and the plague.

In contrast, she said, the HAPSITE analyzes chemical compounds using a mass spectrometer. The portable device can identify over 100,000 chemicals including nerve, blister and choking agents.

"The time it takes to identify the compound depends on what we're running," Simmons said. "It takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes using the HAPSITE, and 30 to 40 minutes using the PCR."

Chemical and biological agents behave differently in different weather conditions. Biological agents may disperse, Rand said, while chemical compounds may drift, depending on their weight and the prevailing wind.

"If it's contained inside a facility, our options are a lot better," Rand said. "But if it's outdoors and it starts drifting, we'd need to make some decisions."

When devising a response plan, the team would also turn to the Tactical Operations Center. The vehicle includes a weather station that can conduct a forecast to determine what, if any, evacuations might be needed. It can also model a hazardous plume to help with containment.

Nearby, Rand shows off the Advanced Liaison Vehicle, a black Chevy Suburban that makes James Bond look 20th Century. Montana's sporadic cell-phone service would have little impact on the team's ability to communicate in the field.

Two satellites are mounted upon the Suburban's roof and two satellite phones are tucked between the front seats. Radios include both UHF and VHF and a wireless fax, copy, scanner and printer sits in the back.

Montana has six regional hazardous material teams already in place, Rand said. If the teams need help during a chemical spill, such as the chlorine spill near Alberton several years ago, they can call Disaster and Emergency Services, which in turn contacts the 83rd CST.

"We've got a lot of different capabilities," Rand said. "We can bring things to the site the other teams don't have. We can help them out if they need something."

Reporter Martin Kidston can be reached at 447-4086, or at mkidston@helenair.com