In May-June 2000, VEM
in partnership with the VSP Criminal Intelligence Unit conducted
a threat/risk assessment of potential or actual terrorist events
in Vermont that involve Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The
Department of Justice supplied the materials that were distributed
to all law enforcement agencies in the state requesting information
on terrorist threats and terrorist organizations that might exist
within their jurisdictions. The results of this study determined
that to date, there had been no terrorist incidents in this state.
However, Vermont had experienced three Anthrax hoaxes that were
categorized as WMD threats.
Shortly after September
11th, the Vermont State Police created the VT Terrorism Hotline
at 802-872-4040. This hotline now serves as a 24-hour information
sharing service for terrorism related information.
In addition to assessing
the current terrorist threat levels in Vermont, members of VEM
and VSP conducted a vulnerability analysis of sites/locations
that might be a target of a terrorist attack. The following types
of facilities were included in this assessment:
State Government office
buildings
State and Federal courthouses
Federal office buildings
Military installations
Chemical storage facilities
Research facilities
Nuclear or radiological facilities
Colleges
Hospitals
Malls/major shopping centers
Airports
Water treatment and waster water treatment facilities
Women’s health clinics
Electrical utility infrastructure
The most critical facilities
were evaluated in each terrorism management district. In evaluating
the potential threats, the following factors were considered:
- vulnerability assessment
rating utilizing the number of BNICE (biological, nuclear, incendiary,
chemical, explosive) sites within that district
- vulnerability ratings
of federal and state government facilities within that district
- proximity of facilities
and municipalities to the Vermont/Canada border
- population of each
district
According to experts
from local communities, state and federal government, a biological
terrorist attack could quickly overwhelm a community or state’s
emergency response resources. A large, covert biological warfare
attack would represent a public health catastrophe that could
result in tens of thousands of victims.
Although the public
health community would be most heavily involved in a response,
other key agencies such as police and fire departments would have
significant response roles. If a terrorist were to overtly use
a package or device containing only a small amount of a biological
warfare agent inside an enclosed building, then the incident response
might be consistent with that of a hazardous materials (HAZMAT)
response. A covert biological attack may not be identified for
hours, days, or weeks and will more than likely be identified
by the public health community.
Biological agents are
living organisms (bacteria, viruses) or toxins (poisons produced
by plants or bacteria) that tend to be more lethal per weight
than chemical weapons. These agents can be released as an aerosol
spray or introduced into the water or food supply with widespread
implications. These agents may be naturally occurring or genetically
engineered to be resistant to various environmental conditions
or available medications. In many cases, the equipment needed
to grow biological agents requires nothing more than that used
to ferment wine and beer at home.
General indicators
of possible biological agent use include:
- large epidemic,
with an unusual number of ill or dying
- particularly high
volumes of victims complaining primarily of respiratory symptoms
that are severe and are associated with an unprecedented mortality
rate
- the cause of the
infection is unusual or impossible for the particular region
- multiple, yet simultaneous
epidemics (i.e. animals and humans with the same illness)
- dead animals of
multiple types are encountered
- the delivery vehicle
of the agent is identified
- prior intelligence
reports or claims by aggressors of a biological warfare attack
If, while responding
to the scene of an emergency, first responders suspect that a
biological attack has/is taking place, personal protective measures
should be taken that are consistent with those taken when responding
to a hazardous materials incident. If the biological attack is
covert in nature, first response resources may be tasked with
additional responsibilities as directed by the Vermont Department
of Health (VDH). Those responsibilities may include but are not
limited to pharmaceutical stockpile security, health lab security,
enforcement of quarantines, hospital security, traffic control
at strategic entry/exit points into a suspected contaminated area,
and crowd control.
