BIOTERRORISM: are we prepared?
(mini project # 6)
The question was posed: what precautions are your local city officials taking in regards to a biological terrorism attack?
What is biological terrorism?
A bioterrorism attack is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. These agents are typically found in nature, but it is possible that they could be changed to increase their ability to cause disease, make them resistant to current medicines, or to increase their ability to be spread into the environment. Biological agents can be spread through the air, through water, or in food. Terrorists may use biological agents because they can be extremely difficult to detect and do not cause illness for several hours to several days. Some bioterrorism agents, like the smallpox virus, can be spread from person to person and some, like anthrax, can not.
The following information is taken from the website of the Florida League of Cities, Inc.
City of Fort Lauderdale
Mayor Jim Naugle
Fort Lauderdale Emergency Management Response
The City of Fort Lauderdale recognized that during a critical incident or emergency situation cooperation between various agencies and across jurisdictional boundaries is paramount to a successful outcome. The city has taken advantage of two federally funded programs – the Nunn-Luger-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Program and the Metropolitan Medical Response System. The city has offered a Senior Officials Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Awareness Workshop for city and county elected officials and executive staff.
The Fire-Rescue Civilian Emergency Response Training (CERT) and Community Police Academy curriculum has been modified to include WMD awareness education. An Exercise Design Workshop was presented to multi-agency staff in preparation for designing countywide exercises for practicing coordinated response to acts of terrorism. Subsequent planning for a Chemical Incident Tabletop Exercise, and a Biological Incident Tabletop and full-scale Chemical Incident Field Exercise has been initiated.
The city has presented a WMD Law Enforcement Awareness Training Course to many of the local law enforcement officers, an Emergency Response to Terrorism Operations Training Course to multiple-agency emergency responders, an Emergency Response to Terrorism Train the Trainer Course to instructors of first responder agencies in Broward County, and an Emergency Response to Domestic Biological Incidents Training Course to a countywide audience. In addition, the city has increased permanent staffing of the city’s Fire-Rescue Hazardous Materials Response Team.
The City of Fort Lauderdale has been an active participant on the Governor’s Regional Domestic Security Task Force and the countywide Terrorism Advisory Committee (TAC). The Police Department has a membership in the Florida Intelligence Unit, which is a multi-agency law enforcement unit that specifically targets terrorism from domestic organizations, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which promotes intelligence sharing between the FBI and local law enforcement agencies. The city is also participating with local law enforcement and hospitals in exercising mass decontamination, surge capacity and forward movements of patients.
Additionally, the city has completed a Terrorism Annex, which offers shared common protocols for countywide first responder use in WMD events, and procured additional equipment in the area of detection, personal protection and decontamination for the city’s first responders. City employees and regional participants have participated in residential training in the following areas: Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings Training, WMD Hazardous Materials Technician Live Agent Training, and Radiological/Nuclear Responder Operations Training. We have secured grant funding to provide personal protective equipment to Fort Lauderdale Police Department personnel and enhanced equipment for the department’s bomb squad.
Contact Person:
Rhoda Mae Kerr, Deputy Chief
Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue
101 N.E. 3rd Avenue, Suite 500
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Phone: (954) 828-6825
E-mail: RhodaK@ci.fort-lauderdale.fl.us
Or
Chuck Drago, Assistant Chief
Fort Lauderdale Police Department
1300 W. Broward Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Phone: (954) 828-5589
E-mail: ChuckD@ci.fort-lauderdale.fl.us
City of Fort Lauderdale
Mayor Jim Naugle
Fort Lauderdale Emergency Management Response
The City of Fort Lauderdale recognized that during a critical incident or emergency situation cooperation between various agencies and across jurisdictional boundaries is paramount to a successful outcome. The city has taken advantage of two federally funded programs – the Nunn-Luger-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Program and the Metropolitan Medical Response System. The city has offered a Senior Officials Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Awareness Workshop for city and county elected officials and executive staff.
The Fire-Rescue Civilian Emergency Response Training (CERT) and Community Police Academy curriculum has been modified to include WMD awareness education. An Exercise Design Workshop was presented to multi-agency staff in preparation for designing countywide exercises for practicing coordinated response to acts of terrorism. Subsequent planning for a Chemical Incident Tabletop Exercise, and a Biological Incident Tabletop and full-scale Chemical Incident Field Exercise has been initiated.
The city has presented a WMD Law Enforcement Awareness Training Course to many of the local law enforcement officers, an Emergency Response to Terrorism Operations Training Course to multiple-agency emergency responders, an Emergency Response to Terrorism Train the Trainer Course to instructors of first responder agencies in Broward County, and an Emergency Response to Domestic Biological Incidents Training Course to a countywide audience. In addition, the city has increased permanent staffing of the city’s Fire-Rescue Hazardous Materials Response Team.
The City of Fort Lauderdale has been an active participant on the Governor’s Regional Domestic Security Task Force and the countywide Terrorism Advisory Committee (TAC). The Police Department has a membership in the Florida Intelligence Unit, which is a multi-agency law enforcement unit that specifically targets terrorism from domestic organizations, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which promotes intelligence sharing between the FBI and local law enforcement agencies. The city is also participating with local law enforcement and hospitals in exercising mass decontamination, surge capacity and forward movements of patients.
Additionally, the city has completed a Terrorism Annex, which offers shared common protocols for countywide first responder use in WMD events, and procured additional equipment in the area of detection, personal protection and decontamination for the city’s first responders. City employees and regional participants have participated in residential training in the following areas: Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings Training, WMD Hazardous Materials Technician Live Agent Training, and Radiological/Nuclear Responder Operations Training. We have secured grant funding to provide personal protective equipment to Fort Lauderdale Police Department personnel and enhanced equipment for the department’s bomb squad.
Contact Person:
Rhoda Mae Kerr, Deputy Chief
Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue
101 N.E. 3rd Avenue, Suite 500
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Phone: (954) 828-6825
E-mail: RhodaK@ci.fort-lauderdale.fl.us
Or
Chuck Drago, Assistant Chief
Fort Lauderdale Police Department
1300 W. Broward Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Phone: (954) 828-5589
E-mail: ChuckD@ci.fort-lauderdale.fl.us
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