NCJ Number
194368
Journal
The Beacon Volume: 3 Issue: 10 Dated: July 2001 Pages: 1-5
Date Published
July 2001
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This newsletter describes the community leader’s role in dealing with the terrorist threat; the Pittsburgh-Allegheny Region 13 Working Group; a decontamination symposium; the Clara Barton Center for Domestic Preparedness; a forensic science seminar; and a critical incident response conference.
Abstract
Community leaders are charged with the ultimate responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of the public. The daylong symposium was held in February 2001 and drew firefighters, police officers, emergency response personnel, and elected officials from the thirteen counties of southwestern Pennsylvania. The wide variety of topics included information regarding dealing with terrorist weapons of mass destruction. An exercise demonstrating how quickly a biological agent could spread was conducted. The emergency management coordinators of the Region 13 counties of Pennsylvania were introduced. Region 13 was the first antiterrorist working group of its kind organized in Pennsylvania. It is considered by many Federal agencies as a national model for regional organization and cooperation. The Second Annual Decontamination/WMD Symposium was held in September 2001 and featured nationally recognized speakers on subjects such as decontamination, response to biological events, civil liberty issues, terrorist profiles, personal protective equipment testing, and national pharmaceutical stockpile. The Clara Barton Center for Domestic Preparedness provides basic education and training for those who will deliver humanitarian aid during WMD threats and incidents that could include chemical, biological, or nuclear attacks. The 28th Annual Medicolegal Investigation of Death Forensic Science Seminar was held in September 2001 and was especially designed by medical and law enforcement professionals to serve the training and information needs of those within death investigation systems. The National Institute of Justice’s Fourth Annual Public Safety Conference was held in September 2001 and was an opportunity for members of the first response community to exchange information and see the latest tools and technologies available for incident response and management.