DHS helping communities to get ready for chemical attacks

DHS helping communities to get ready for chemical attacks

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The threat of chemical attacks against U.S. communities is “different” – based on an individual community’s risk. This is according to a statement by a Homeland Security Department (DHS) official during a recent House hearing.

“The way we look at risk is we take a threat, we take vulnerability, and we look at the consequences,” said Dr. Mark Kirk, who heads the chemical defense program within DHS’s health affairs office.

“The, we try to come up with what are the greatest likelihood, the greatest consequence of events that could occur. And that’s what drives a lot of preparedness activities beyond that.” Kirk gave this account during a recent hearing of the House Homeland Security’s Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications Subcommittee. The subcommittee held a special hearing on chemical terrorism.

That assessment, said Kirk, helps communities. For example, they can purchase the detection capabilities they need, hire vital personnel, and focus their training, among other issues. According to Fierce Homeland Security, during his opening statement, Kirk said that March 20 marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack in Japan where Sarin gas was released in a Tokyo subway. That incident killed 12 people and thousands more were injured.

Kirk said that attack illustrated the predictable challenges of a chemical incident, namely they occur abruptly with many victims becoming ill at once.

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During the first hour of that incident, 500 people showed up at hospitals. Furthermore, Sarin wasn’t identified for at least two-and-a-half hours after its release, he added. This shows that medical personnel and first responders are operating blind in the early stages of a chemical incident.

Kirk said the DHS and his office, in particular, is trying to help states and local communities become better prepared for such incidents. One way is through demonstration projects.

Last year, the first multi-year pilot demonstration project in Baltimore was completed with the Maryland Transit Administration leading the effort. “We developed a structured approach to systematically examine the entire emergency response system in a large-scale incident and in an accidental release,” explained Kirk.

The demonstration project has been extended to four additional cities or metropolitan areas, including New Orleans, Houston, Boise, Idaho and Nassau County, N.Y. According to Kirk, his department is looking at venues which are at risk in those areas, with a focus on improving rapid recognition, information flow and decision making as well as aligning resources to optimize a community’s response.

Kirk further added the threat isn’t just from chemical warfare agents, but also toxic industrial chemicals. These are often referred to as “agents of opportunity” since they are potentially easy to obtain through “theft, diversion, or purchase.”