Terrorism Preparedness and Response

I. Based on the above description, what type of disaster do you believe happened at this instance What would the first three actions you would take if you considered it to be a terrorist attack Whom would you immediately contact and what would you tell them or ask of them Since the shoppers are panic-stricken what are your most significant fears if order isnt quickly restored What recommendationsadvice would you provide the disaster coordinatorIncident Commander at this time Briefly describe what you consider should be an appropriate media response to this disaster scenario. Also be sure to consider current U.S. policy against terrorism and the role of Federal agencies and the implementation of the NRP.

In this scenario, an explosion in a train station could possibly be a terrorist attack.  Situations like these will not only result in casualties but elicit panic among the rest and utter chaos.  The rule of a thumb in any disaster, whether natural or man-made, is to restore order and urging the public not to panic.  This is essential since it will make emergency (disaster) management easier by the time the proper authorities arrive.  If this goes unchecked, these panic-stricken people might hinder any relief efforts and investigation with people scurrying around with wild abandon. It will also cause a stampede and inflict even more casualties. As a security guard, I have vested authority to secure the area under my watch and this includes restoring order.  Secondly, I must try to quickly assess the extent of the damage and make an estimate of casualties in terms of number and the injuries sustained.  Third, immediately contact the proper authorities or  first responders.   The first would be emergency services such as the paramedics and the fire department since saving lives is high priority.  The sooner they arrive, the more lives that can be saved.  If there is an explosion, there must be a fire which is why it is necessary to call in firefighters.  They are also equipped with the right equipment necessary to retrieve people trapped in rubble or wreckages.  Law enforcement authorities will follow and my immediate superiors if they are not around. 

In coordinating with the disaster coordinator or incident commander, I must be prepared to provide the necessary assistance such as aiding in restoring order, accompany or point out them affected areas since I am familiar with the place under my watch by showing them where casualties can be found to make rescue efforts easier and to make myself available to assist in the investigation by providing eyewitness accounts of the events that transpired under my watch.

II. Rarely do political leaders openly discuss cost management and life-cycle cost theory when they address security issues and the war on terrorism. Of course, we all know that decisions are always made with costs a clear concern. Carefully read the six steps used to implement the LLC methodology. Briefly discuss what you believe to a strength and a weakness in the LLC methodology.

The Life Cycle Cost methodology has identified 6 steps necessary for its implementation.  These are to 1) Determine capability elements 2) Identify and characterize the capability components 3) Develop LCC variables for each component 4) Develop a cost model 5) Annualize the cost model and identify cost drivers and 6) Link the model to national targets and assigned levels (Hall and Dimitrov, 2009, 4-9).

Using the Explosive Device Response Operations (EDRO) as a model for application, one can identify the strengths and weaknesses of the LCC methodology.  For strengths, it identifies the appropriate and necessary resources that would be needed to deal with a certain type of situation.  In the case of EDRO, it generally identifies their capabilities and scope of their operations, according to the level or category.  In this case, the Type III Bomb Team handles single isolated incidents and are trained for it while on the distaff side, the Type I Bomb Team handles multiple incidents happening simultaneously and are adequately equipped to operate under extreme situations that involve chemical, biological and nuclear matter.  Corollary to this, it identifies its personnel, the equipment in its inventory and the training personnel go through to qualify them for a certain situation, as well as assigning them to the appropriate theater or area of operations as stated in the sixth step.  By identifying the extent of the threat or disaster, the disaster or incident coordinator should be able to know what is needed for the job.  One weakness seen here is allocation and assignment of the units as shown on the 6th step, the assignment of the bomb teams, once again using the EDRO scenario.  Type III units are assigned in areas with smaller populations where as Type I and II are situated in larger areas where it is perceived to be more susceptible to terrorist attacks of greater magnitude.  One concern here is terrorists, whether domestic or transnational are getting clever and know where to strike without the risk of being intercepted or interdicted and small communities would be an ideal target for a major strike .  The main concern here is assigning the resources at the right place at the right time (Hall and Dimitrov, 2009, 14).

The other perceived weakness is the funding of these resources as indicated in steps 3, 4 and 5.  There is no doubt that we need quality responders and having such costs money.  This is a problem where there can be no definite answer as monetary resources need to be allocated in other areas also considered important.  Besides material needs, there is also the training and upkeep of the personnel to take into consideration.  Not having enough money will turn away potential recruits and lose veterans and it would be doubly costly having to train a new set of personnel ((Hall and Dimitrov, 2009, 11-13).

In conclusion, preparing and responding to terrorist threats and attacks have proven to be costly and complex.  Although prevention is preferable, it would be realistically impossible to cover all eventualities and therefore, response is equally important as preventive measures.  The necessary resources must be available and that they are made up capable and competent individuals and equipped with the best gear to address any kind of problem.

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