Chapter 46

1. Chapter 46 Emergency Response to Terrorism

2. Overview • Terrorism Defined • Emergency Response to Terrorism • Weapons of Mass Destruction • Contamination vs. Irradiation • Preparedness • Emergency Response

3. Terrorism Defined • An illegal act involving the use of force designed to intimidate the public • Domestic terrorists are US citizens who have a dispute with issues and policies of the US • International terrorists are citizens from other countries that have a dispute with the policies of the US

4. Oklahoma City: FEMA News Photo New York: Photo by Bri Rodriguez/FEMA News Photo

5. Stop and Review • What is meant by the term terrorism? • Differentiate between domestic and international terrorism.

6. Emergency Response to Terrorism • Preplanning and training are the first steps in being able to effectively respond to a terrorist attack • Awareness level training is the minimum level of training at which all emergency responders should be trained

7. Weapons of Mass Destruction • These are devices designed to kill or maim as many people as possible at one time • There are three classifications: • Nuclear • Biological • Chemical

8. Nuclear Weapons • Placement of an explosive device with depleted nuclear materials • Called dirty bombs or nuclear dispersion devices

9. Evidence of a NDD • Unusual debris (lead shielding) • Pieces of small metal containers • Dispersed powder or ceramic granules • Blue or purple glow from powder or metal • Unexplained heat from powder or metal

10. Nuclear Weapons • Other targets for nuclear attacks: • Fixed facilities that store nuclear materials • Trains, ships, or trucks that transport nuclear materials

11. Identifying Nuclear Materials • Transported in a cask • Marked with a red or black trefoil in a white or yellow triangle

12. Protection against Nuclear Materials • Time, distance, shielding • Geiger counter • Radiation pager

13. Contamination vs. Irradiation • When irradiated, you can become ill but you are not still contaminated; you only suffer from the injury related to the dose of radiation • When contaminated, you still are giving off radiation and can continue to contaminate others around you

14. Biological Weapons • There are three classes of weapons: • Bacterial agents • Viral agents • Biological toxins Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control Public Health Image Library.

15. Bacterial Agents • Anthrax • Is resistant to typical means of disinfection • Can be aerosolized and spread through the air • Can remain infectious in soil or water for many years • Symptoms include: fever, fatigue, cough, chest discomfort progressing to severe respiratory distress

16. Bacterial Agents • Plague • Weaponized into an aerosolized form • Highly contagious • Symptoms include flu-like symptoms which progress to respiratory distress and further to cardiovascular and respiratory collapse

17. Bacterial Agents • Glanders • Spread from animals to humans • Contracted through inhalation • Symptoms include chills, cold sweats, headache, progressing to acute systemic infection and septic shock

18. Viral Agents • Smallpox • Lack of current immunizations makes this a biological threat • Symptoms include rash concentrated on the face and extremities • Treatment is solely supportive

19. Viral Agents • Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF) • Ebola is the most common • Spread via contact and airborne contagions • Symptoms include flushing face and chest, fever, petechiae

20. Biological Toxins • Harmful substances created by microorganisms • Botulinum • Ricin

21. Chemical Weapons • Five classifications: • Nerve agents • Blister agents • Blood agents • Choking agents • Irritating agents

22. Nerve Agents • Stem from pesticides (organophosphates) • SLUDGEM represents the classic symptom pattern • Additional symptoms are pinpoint pupils, blurry vision, involuntary muscle twitching, chest pressure

23. Blister Agents • Generally not fatal; used to incapacitate large numbers of people • Symptoms include reddened skin that becomes covered with blisters • Can rub off clothing • Mustard gas, lewisite

24. Blood Agents • Cyanide • Interferes with the ability of blood to use oxygen • Colorless gas with a faint almond smell • Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, headaches

25. Choking Agents • Cause severe respiratory distress and asphyxia • Chlorine gas, phosgene gas • Symptoms include burning in the eyes, coughing fits, choking

26. Irritating Agents • Generally not lethal • Tear gas, riot gas, pepper spray • Symptoms include coughing, choking, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting

27. Preparedness • Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) • Hazard analysis • Resource list • Facilities list • Collaboration with law enforcement is important • Federal Response Plan (FRP)

28. Preparedness • LACES is mnemonic for remembering the keys to scene safety • Look-out • Awareness • Communications • Escape route • Safety zones

29. Emergency Response • Survey Scene • Identify the hazards • Activate the plan • Call additional resources • Be aware of people around scene upon arrival

30. Emergency Response • Air monitoring and detection devices • Geiger counter • Dosimeter • Ionizing detection units • Colorimetric sampling device

31. Emergency Response • Self-protection • Time • Distance • Shielding

32. Emergency Response • Threat reduction • TRACEM is a mnemonic that helps remember the hazards to look for • Thermal • Radiation • Asphyxiants • Chemicals • Etiologic • Mechanical

33. Stop and Review • What is an emergency operations plan? • Name potential signs of a terrorist attack. • Describe the principles of self-protection in the event of a terrorist attack.