NCJ Number
190320
Date Published
November 2001
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This paper makes recommendations to improve the Nation's response to a terrorist incident.
Abstract
Although the number of terrorist incidents have declined, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) could lead to a dramatic increase in the number of casualties from terrorist attacks. The most likely nuclear agent is radioactive dust dispersed to create maximum contamination of personnel and facilities. Biological agents pose a more significant threat because of their self-propagation when hosts infect other individuals. The United States is vulnerable to a WMD attack because of nuclear proliferation. If an attack occurs, the first response is to minimize potential injury and death. The second concern is to gather evidence for a future prosecution. A third concern is mitigation. The United States spends about $10 billion a year on WMD preparedness programs. The Domestic Preparedness Program (DPP) trains those who in turn train first responders. Courses include responder awareness training, responder operations, hazardous material (HAZMAT) training, emergency management system training, hospital training, and incident commander training. The General Accounting Office has reported there are geographic gaps in training and the Federal Government has not determined cities' needs for training. State emergency management agencies (SEMAs) have responsibility for emergency preparedness within State borders. SEMAs believe training could be more effective if it is coordinated through a State agency, and some noted that some States prefer going directly to Federal agencies. Jim Gilmore, the governor of Virginia and head of a national panel on terrorism, said the system is in chaos with no clear plan for meeting the needs of citizens. Hospitals are not equipped or staffed to handle terrorist emergencies. To improve the program, the Defense Department should take a "chain of command" approach, proceeding with SEMAs, rather than giving training to 120 cities. By interacting with a SEMA, the department would be dealing with a single authority that is responsible for State preparedness. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency course material, an overriding problem that is critical to the success of emergency management is the difficulty of gaining public support. The lack of any organized program to educate the public in terrorist activities and preparedness is the Achilles heel of the entire national plan. Brochures and pamphlets that deal with educating the public on flooding or hurricanes would serve as a good model for doing the same for nuclear, biological, or chemical attacks. Endnotes