It started with an honest mistake. A contracted cleaner at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., accidentally mixed the wrong chemicals together, causing a reaction that led to a call to the local fire department.
“It was reported as an explosion at the National Zoo, which obviously elicits a pretty large response,” recalls Eric Gentry, director of emergency management at the Smithsonian Institution. Part of that response team was then Battalion Fire Chief John A. Donnelly, Sr., who started chatting with Gentry about the need to do some familiarization tours of the Smithsonian’s facilities so in the event of a serious incident, firefighters would be better prepared to respond.