NCJ Number
194401
Date Published
February 2002
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This paper provides recommendations for the "play book" used by policymakers and emergency preparedness practitioners in assembling the elements necessary to plan effectively for and respond to terrorist actions by developing critical relationships, building systems, and setting training and funding priorities.
Abstract
The authors first recommend that each jurisdiction review, rehearse, and revise its emergency plans. Further, a jurisdiction should designate a "preparedness evangelist," who takes responsibility for emergency planning and spreads enthusiasm for contingency planning throughout the jurisdiction. Also, each jurisdiction should adopt a systemic incident management system that would be fully implemented across disciplines, including hospitals and health care. Each jurisdiction should develop and maintain relationships with and among those persons, agencies, and organizations that may be called upon to respond to a major emergency. Emergency planning and response training should be incorporated into the curricula for new employees and incumbent employees across all disciplines. In order to coordinate a nationwide emergency preparedness effort, the Office of Homeland Security should become a cabinet-level agency with full budget and administrative control to act as the "architect" of domestic preparedness. Other recommendations in this "play book" pertain to intelligence, data, and information; emergency communications; critical infrastructure; the health and safety of agriculture and livestock; transportation; public health; immigration and border control; the media; colleges and universities; and funding. Preliminary lessons are drawn from the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, as well as the anthrax attacks.