• Emergency Response to Terrorism from a RACES perspective.

• This is a condensation of key points in the National Fire Academy's self-study course. This information should be of interest to many radio amateurs and to ALL RACES MEMBERS. It can be downloaded at: Emergency Response to Terrorism: Self-Study Course
  
• Possible Terrorist Targets:
• High Visibility Targets - usually along routes with high transportation and access potential. Other likely targets include:
• public assembly areas; i.e. Olympic games.
• public buildings; i.e. OKC bombing.
• mass transit systems; Tokyo subway gas attack.
• places with high economic impact; World Trade Center Bombing and Air Attack.
• telecommunications facilities; 
• places with historical or symbolic significance. 
• Other Targets:
• civilian or military government installations
• financial institutions.
• industries that manufacture "sensitive" material.
• infrastructure components.
• explosive magazine storage facilities Sports arenas, parks, etc.
• schools, hospitals, shopping centers Venues for special events.
• Definition of Terrorism:
• The FBI defines terrorism as " the unlawful use of force against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in the furtherance of political or social objectives."

• Terrorist activities are illegal and involve the use of force.
• The actions intend to intimidate or coerce.
• The actions are committed in support of political or social objectives.
• Categories of terrorist incidents: B-NICE
• Biological - Bacteria, Virus, Rickettsia, Toxins. Exposure from inhalation and ingestion.
• Nuclear - 2 types, Use or threat of detonation of nuclear bomb or detonation of conventional explosive containing nuclear material in order to disperse radiation. Exposure caused by inhalation and ingestion of substance. Burns to the body are possible from various types and levels of radiation.
• Incendiary incidents - Fire caused by many devices ranging from simple to complex. Devices can be categorized into 3 types: electrical, mechanical, or chemical.
• Chemical incidents - 5 categories, Nerve agents; Blister agents; Blood agents; Choking agents; Irritating agents.
• Nerve agents: include Sarin (GB) Soman (GD) Tabun (GA) and V agent (VX). First letter of code denotes country that developed the agent. The second letter denotes order of the development. In the case of VX, V stands for Venom and X represents one of the chemicals in the compound. Blister agents;usually either Mustard based (H,HD) or Lewisite (L). Blood agents; include Hydrogen are Cyanide (AC) and Cyanogen Chloride (CK). interfere with the ability of blood to transport oxygen and result in asphyxiation. Choking agents; stress the respiratory tract. Severe distress causes edema (fluid in the lungs) which can result in asphyxiation. Chlorine and Phosgene gas are likely agents. Irritating agentsRiot control agents are designed to incapacitate. Common agents are chloropicrin, MACE (CN), ; tear gas (CS), capsicum/pepper spray, and dibenzoxazepine (CR). Agents cause burning of eyes and throat, respiratory distress, digestive system problems.
• Explosions. 70% of all terrorist attacks involve explosives. Public Safety agencies searching for an explosive device have only a 20% chance of finding it.
• Identify possible local targets: Do the occupants know they are possible targets? Have potential terrorist groups been identified by law enforcement?
• ethnic separatist and emigre groups;
• left-wing radical organizations
• right-wing racist, anti-authority, survivalist groups.
• foreign terrorist organizations;
• issue oriented groups (animal rights, extremist environmental groups, extremist religious groups, anti-authority, anti-abortionists, etc.).

TRACEM (Types of Harm to the Human Body)

1. Thermal Harm - Result of exposure to extreme heat or cold.
2. Radiological - Alpha - Least penetrating unless ingested. Beta - Can damage the skin and harm internal organs if ingested; Gamma - Hi energy, ionizing radiation. Can damage skin, internal organs and cause long term physiological effects.
3. Asphyxiative - Interfere with oxygen flow. Simple types displace oxygen. i.e. CO. Chemical types are classified as blood agents.
4. Chemical - 2 types, categorized as toxic and corrosive. Nerve agents are toxic chemicals. Sulfuric acid is an example of a corrosive material.
5. Etiological - Caused by a microorganism or its toxin. Biological Agents are an example.
6. Mechanical - Shrapnel is an example of mechanical harm.

Time, Distance, and Shielding are keys to Self-protection. Delaying entry into the affected area my be necessary.

Recognizing Psychological Effects Responders to the incident may need Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD).

Scene Control The Incident Command System (ICS) will probably be used by local agencies for scene control. RACES personnel may be used for inter-agency coordination. Federal Agencies involved may not use ICS. Be aware of the possibility of the use of a secondary device to harm rescuers at a terrorism scene. What would happen to victims if the first response of rescue workers was disabled by a second device?

Always try to avoid impeding the subsequent investigation. (Collection of physical evidence etc.)

HAZMAT incidents: The National Fire Academy (NFA) has adopted an incident analysis process called

GEDAPER process

1. Gather Information
2. Estimating course and harm
3. Determining strategic goals
4. Assessing tactical options and resources.
5. Planning and implementing actions
6. Evaluating.
7. Reviewing.

Notification and Coordination:

Consult your Emergency Operations Plan during an incident.

Both State and Local governments have an EOP.

FEDERAL RESPONSE PLAN (FRP) Public law 93-288 authorizes the Federal Government to assist State and Local governments during a disaster.

EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTION TABLE

United States Policy on Counterterrorism PDD-39 directed a number of measures to reduce the Nation's vulnerability to terrorism, to deter and respond to terrorist acts, and to strengthen capabilities to prevent and manage the consequences of terrorist use of nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons, including weapons of mass destruction (WMD).