Do You Know If Your Organization is Prepared for Bio-Terrorism

One of the biggest problems in determining an organizations ability to attain a sufficient level of Bio-Terrorism preparedness is assessing and understanding just what the abilities of the your personnel are within your organization and what are the organizational goals that need to be met in order to mitigate potential problems should the organization become a target of an WMD Terrorist attack. Knowing how to mitigate an incident before hand is the key to preparedness, but what actions need to occur to reach this level?

In order to better understand the problem we need to get a perspective into just what the problem is and the level of dedication an organization is willing to expend on its preparedness. Bio-Terrorism preparedness includes issues in economic terms such as manpower, equipment and above all else the ability to train to realistic levels, evaluate the training and then determine if the training objectives are being met through testing the ability of the personnel and the plan. All these items cost money. In terms of viewing the economic strain versus the return we need to view all these efforts like an insurance policy, we may never use it however its always there!

TRT Solutions offers this OP-ED outlining some of the problems in bio-terrorism preparedness which can be used as a precursor to an anti-terrorism syllabus for your organization.

You can find addition information on counter-terrorism and homeland security courses and emergency preparedness planning and mitigation throughout our website at www.criminaljusticetrainers.com. If you or your organization requires addition information or services please don’t hesitate to contact TRT Solutions and we will put you in touch with one of our subject matter experts to discuss how we can fulfill your organizational needs.

TRT Solutions provides law enforcement, counter-terrorism, Homeland Security, Emergency Operations and Mitigation Planning as well as Crisis Management consulting and training classes to governmental and non-governmental clients. Additionally at our website you can find Resources about issues in Homeland Security and Terrorism as well as a comprehensive list of homeland security websites that offer your organization additional governmental information on laws and protocols under Homeland Security or OSHA standards.

CBRNE & Bio-Terrorism Preparedness

If an organization is going to preserver from the effects of a CBRNE Terrorist attack they must have a well developed and functional action plan that has been tested in an operational capacity. In terms of planning this is called the TIA and it supplements the Emergency Operations Plan. In managing and writing these plans the objective is establishing a protocol for being as prepared as possible to mitigate a bio-terrorism attack. The primary issues that an organization faces in relative terms to Bio-Terrorism preparedness are:

• Understanding Threat Elements
• Learning you organizational vulnerabilities
• Knowing how to deal with CBRNE weapons
• Having the proper equipment
• Having the right training
• Knowing what resources are available or can be acquired
• Understanding issues that aid in recovery

The Bio-Terrorism Preparedness Plan

The goal of emergency management is to mitigate the circumstances of a critical incident prior to, during, and after the emergency occurs. In order to be successful, the need exists to perform risk and vulnerability assessments to determine your organization’s weakest link(s). Determining these weak links requires planning sessions made up of an organization’s staff that is responsible for ensuring public safety.

The information contained within the crisis plan should be categorically organized in a sequential manner which makes finding the information in a crisis attainable. While some plans are overly complicated in their responses, simplicity is the key to structuring a plan that everybody can access and understand when an incident arises.

The plan must be made up of essential pieces of information that will relay key pieces of information in times of crisis or lay out an operating procedure that should be followed to those involved in mitigation the incident.

Proactive managers must be keenly aware of their surroundings and be able to foresee and recognize problems that, if not corrected, would lead to a crisis incident. It is these warning signs that require an immediate response and part of the response is to communicate to all stakeholders what is occurring and then a corrective response needs to be initiated by the appropriate personnel, in an appropriate manner, ensuring that the crisis is contained and a smooth transition back to normalcy can occur.

In order to ensure that a corrective response can occur, once a plan is outlined and drafted, a walk through should occur that looks at each response and each person’s involvement in mitigating a certain set of circumstances prior to its implementation. Weaknesses in the plan should be pointed out and corrective measures should be implemented. Those with operational responsibility should be made part of the planning process because of their subject matter expertise.

Once the plan is in place, rehearsal and training should occur to ensure all stakeholders know what is expected of them (drilling) during a critical incident.

In conclusion, the plan must become a living document that is constantly evolving and growing as changes and circumstance occur that require changes. Training must be constant and ongoing to ensure staff and stakeholders know their function. Staff must be responsible to ensure the process is continual and must have the authority commiserate with their position to ensure they can ensure this corrective action occurs. The plan needs to be simple, concise and achievable and any logistical support needs must become an integral part of this process in supporting the overall mission at the objective with a proper response.

The planning process, simply put, is a safety net that ensures everyone’s compliance in a organized, professional manner, allowing the transition from crisis to everyday operations is achieved in the most expeditious manner as possible with the least amount of injuries possible.