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Enhancing the Fire Service Response to Today’s Terrorism Threat

Addressing the evolving terror threat landscape, recommend tactics and resources for fire departments to combat terrorism effectively and ensure public safety.

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Enhancing the Fire Service Response to Today’s Terrorism Threat

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  1. Enhancing the Fire Service Response to Today’s Terrorism Threat International Association of Fire Chiefs

  2. Terrorism… • All terrorist acts are crimes. • Most involve violence or threats of violence. • Targets are mainly civilians. • Actions designed to receive maximum publicity. • Intended to produce effects beyond immediate physical damage.

  3. Once a terrorist incident is underway, the success rate is nearly 75%. • Suicide raises the success rate to over 96%.

  4. U.S. Fire/EMS Profile A complicated fire service More than 32,000 public fire departments More than 70% are totally volunteer fire departments More than 850,000 fire fighters 17,500,000 annual fire and EMS calls 9.8 million annual EMS calls

  5. The 8 Terrible Realities of Terrorism 1. That law enforcement, fire, rescue, emergency management personnel may not be better trained or equipped than the terrorists. 2. That the terrorists will not have the same moral or ethical perspectives as the first responders.

  6. 3. The public now expects that an extraordinary rescue effort will occur after any terrorist incident. 4. The tactics of terrorism are constantly changing, and yet most stay the same.

  7. 5. There will be a continued increase in the level of sophistication and technical skills of terrorist groups. 6. Money is usually not a problem for most terrorist groups.

  8. 7. Terrorist incidents will continue to grow in scope and magnitude. 8. Secondary devices are present about 50% of the time.

  9. Trends • 60s: Aircraft hijackings • 70s: Embassy takeovers • 80s: Suicide bombings • 90s: Combination of all previous • 2000s: Chemical/biological attacks and more (?)

  10. What We Can Expect • Continued use of low-tech • Aircraft and transportation • Food related • Telecommunications

  11. Computer-based • Energy related • Arson • Personalization of terrorism

  12. Bombings • Secondary devices • Suicide terrorists • Chemical-Biological-Nuclear

  13. Needs of the Fire Service for the New Threat of Terrorism • Continued awareness training for all first responders. • Incident command training for command officers. • Increased technical training for hazmat teams.

  14. Immediate action by NIOSH to certify chem/bio masks. • Rapid distribution of masks to FDs in major cities and within a 25 mile radius. • Rapid detection equipment for both chemical and biological agents.

  15. Decontamination equipment and procedures for mass casualties. • Existing haz mat team capabilities must be enhanced rather than starting something new. • Increase the number of Metropolitan Medical Response System Teams for mass casualties.

  16. Special units need to be trained for management of mass casualties caused by chemical or biological agents. • Urban Search and Rescue Teams need training and equipment to operate in chemical or biological environments.

  17. Expand and upgrade the USAR program • Establish national collapse rescue program to supplement USAR program (USAR - Lite)

  18. Other Needs • Police must have training and equipment for chemical/biological operations. • Hospitals must have capacity for mass decontamination of patients. • Antidotes must be stockpiled in large quantities.

  19. Every responding agency (local, state, national) must use a standardized incident command system (ICS). • Continual coordination between local, state and national responders is essential for success in protecting our personnel and the citizens we serve.

  20. National agencies need to involve local first responders in every level of discussions for resource allocation…especially training and equipment. • Fire service must guard against money being spent for military terrorism preparation without including the fire service as the primary recipient.

  21. (Name) Fire Department Needs • (Need 1) • (Need 2) • (Need 3) • (Need 4) • (Need 5)

  22. Conclusion • The better the job the fire service does in minimizing the impact of terrorist incidents, the more terrorists will seek new and terrible ways to make their statements. • The lessons learned must be shared among all emergency services organizations…worldwide.

  23. It is not if, but when, the next terrorist action will occur against U.S. citizens and property. The fire service will be there first….guaranteed!

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