CONWAY — Special Weapons and Tactics team members were literally feeling the heat Monday afternoon from both the high heat index and their Weapons of Mass Destruction training exercises.

Team members were dressed in full gear, ready to confront a variety of scenarios set up at the City of Conway Shooting Range to test their response in potential disasters. The training, which runs through Friday at several area locations, is for emergency response units from around the state and also includes Explosive Ordinance Disposal, Urban Search and Rescue, and Hazardous Materials teams.

“We are doing this to better prepare ourselves for anything that could potentially happen,” said Sgt. Robert Kegler of the Horry County Police Department. “All of the scenarios that are happening this week are things that have been taken from real life. … They’re not necessarily going to be a terrorist attack, but some are major incidents.”

Kegler said some of the training does revolve around events that could happen in the area, such as hurricanes. He said the exercises not only develop individual skills, but also gauge how team members work together in a crisis.

The exercises are being conducted by Red Tail Tactical Technologies, where employee backgrounds are in military special operations. Specifics of the training are kept under wraps from outsiders, as well as from participants. SWAT team members didn’t know what course of fire they would face, but the exercises are designed to mimic extreme conditions they don’t normally confront.

“Anything that we do this week is just going to better prepare the whole SWAT team in general,” Kegler said.

Contact VICKI GROOMS at 443-2401 or follow her at Twitter.com/TSN_VickiGrooms.