Improving Local and State Agency Response to Terrorist Incidents Involving Biological Weapons
Abstract
American citizens now realize that terrorism is a real threat to our nation at home. Because of multiple terrorist acts such as the September II, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, as well as anthrax contaminated mail and the Oklahoma City bombing, there is a need to plan for the response to domestic terrorism. Terrorist activities are no longer limited to the detonation of conventional bombs, as was dramatically seen with the postal mailings of letters containing B. anthracis spores subsequent to September 11th. Biological terrorism has become a growing concern since the Gulf War and the anthrax- laced letters. Homeland security concern prompted the 104th Congress to pass Public Law 104-201, Title XIV - The Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996 (also known as the Nunn-Lugar- Domenici Domestic Preparedness Act), which, among other mandates, required that the Secretary of Defense develop and carry out a program to improve the responses of federal, state, and local agencies to emergencies involving biological and chemical weapons. As a result, the Department of Defense (DoD) developed the Biological Weapons Improved Response Program (BW IRP), inviting the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Environmental mnmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as emergency responders and managers from multiple states and local communities to participate in the planning process. This program transitioned to the Department of Justice (DOJ), on October 1, 2000, and is ongoing. This planning guide is a first step in helping your community evaluate current Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs), appendices, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA423667