Transcript Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996 On

Defense Against Weapons of
Mass Destruction Act of 1996


On June 26, 1996, the Senate passed
the Defense Against Weapons of Mass
Destruction Act of 1996.
Preparedness for the possibility of
domestic terrorism involving nuclear,
biological, or chemical weapons actions
necessary to reduce U.S. vulnerability to
these forms of attack.
Defense Against Weapons of
Mass Destruction Act of 1996

The Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction
Act of 1996 also confirmed investigations which
concluded that:



Weapons of mass destruction are
increasingly accessible to rogue states and
terrorist groups.
Terrorist groups and rogue states are
becoming increasingly likely to use
weapons of mass destruction against the
United States.
The United States is very poorly prepared
The Act Requirements


There is a need to develop a more fully
coordinated response to that threat on
the part of Federal, State, and local
agencies
The Defense Against Weapons of Mass
Destruction Act established the principle
of funding domestic preparedness
against terrorist WMD attack from the
defense budget
Domestic Preparedness





Chemical Terrorism Response
Preparedness.
Biological Terrorism Response
Preparedness.
Improvements in National-Level
Response Capabilities
Nuclear Terrorism Preparedness
Early Warning of WMD Acquisition and
Attack
Controlling the Sources of
Supply






Securing Nuclear Materials
Eliminating Excess Plutonium Stockpiles
Dismantling Strategic Launchers
Dismantling WMD and Infrastructure.
Interdicting WMD Smuggling
Controlling the "Brain Drain"
Bomb Threat Preparedness
and Response


There are a variety of guidelines
available for preparing and responding
to bomb threats.
These agencies include:



FEMA
US Postal Service
ATF
FEMA Guidelines for Suspicious
Packages and Letters



Be wary of suspicious packages and
letters.
They can contain explosives, chemical
or biological agents.
Be particularly cautious at your place of
employment.
Characteristics of Suspicious
Packages

Some typical characteristics postal inspectors have
detected over the years, which ought to trigger
suspicion, include parcels that:






Are unexpected or from someone unfamiliar to you.
Have no return address, or have on that can’t be verified as
legitimate.
Have protruding wires or aluminum foil, strange odors, or
stains.
Show a city or state in the postmark that doesn’t match the
return address.
Are of unusual weight given their size, or are lopsided or
oddly shaped.
Are marked with threatening language.
Characteristics of Suspicious
Packages (Cont.)






Have inappropriate or unusual labeling.
Have excessive postage or packaging
material, such as masking tape and string.
Have misspellings of common words.
Are addressed to someone no longer with
your organization or are otherwise
outdated.
Have incorrect titles or titles without a
name.
Are not addressed to a specific person.
FEMA Mail Center Guidelines






With suspicious envelopes and packages other than those that
might contain explosives, take these additional steps against
possible biological and chemical agents.
Refrain from eating or drinking in a designated mail handling
area.
Place suspicious envelopes or packages in a plastic bag or some
other type of container to prevent leakage of contents.
Never sniff or smell suspect mail.
If you do not have a container, then cover the envelope or
package with anything available (e.g., clothing, paper, trash can,
etc.) and do not remove the cover.
Leave the room and close the door, or section off the area to
prevent others from entering.
FEMA Mail Center Guidelines




Wash your hands with soap and water to prevent
spreading any powder to your face.
If you are at work, report the incident to your
building security official or an available supervisor,
who should notify police and other authorities
without delay.
List all people who were in the room or area when
this suspicious letter or package was recognized. Give
a copy of this list to both the local public health
authorities and law enforcement officials for follow-up
investigations and advice.
If you are at home, report the incident to local police.
CDC’s Guidelines for Bombings
and Mass Casualties



Preparing for a Terrorist Bombing: A
Common Sense Approach
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
has developed guidelines for preparing
for a terrorist bombing.
These guidelines can be found here.
Bomb Threat Planning


Many facilities have been the subject of
bomb threats, though rarely are
explosive devices found.
A primary fact to be realized is that the
operating function or purpose of a
facility does not affect materially
whether it will be susceptible to bombs
or bomb threats.
Bomb Threat Planning



A senior manager or the emergency coordinator
should be assigned as the person in charge.
The police and fire departments should be notified.
Based upon the available information the credibility of
the threat must be assessed, and the person in
charge must decide whether:



The building should or should not be evacuated.
The scope of any evacuation - full or partial.
The duration of any evacuation.
Sample Bomb Incident Plan







Designate a chain of command.
Establish a command center.
Decide what primary and alternate communications will be
used.
Establish clearly how and by whom a bomb threat will be
evaluated.
Decide what procedures will be followed when a bomb threat is
received or device discovered.
Determine to what extent the available bomb squad will assist
and at what point the squad will respond.
Provide an evacuation plan with enough flexibility to avoid a
suspected danger area.
Sample Bomb Incident Plan
(Cont.)







Designate search teams.
Designate areas to be searched.
Establish techniques to be utilized during search.
Establish a procedure to report and track progress of
the search and a method to lead qualified bomb
technicians to a suspicious package.
Have a contingency plan available if a bomb should
go off.
Establish a simple to follow procedure for the person
receiving the bomb threat.
Review your physical security plan in conjunction
with the development of your bomb incident plan.
USPS Mail Center Security
Guidelines


The Mail Center Security Guide was prepared by the
U.S. Postal Inspection Service to assist in keeping the
mail center safe and secure.
The guide provides general advice and recommends
protective measures to
help you assess, prevent, and respond to three types
of threats:



Weapons of mass destruction.
Mail bombs and bomb threats.
Mail center theft.
FEMA 452: - Risk Assessment: A How-To Guide
to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks



FEMA 452 - Risk Assessment: A How-To
Guide to Mitigate Potential Terrorist
Attacks
The objective of this How-To Guide is to
outline methods for identifying the
critical assets and functions within
buildings, determining the threats to
those assets, and assessing the
vulnerabilities associated with those
threats.
The methods presented provide a
means to assess risks and to make
FEMA 452: - Risk Assessment: A How-To Guide
to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks


The scope of the methods includes reducing physical
damage to structural and non-structural components
of buildings and related infrastructure, and reducing
resultant casualties during conventional bomb
attacks, as well as attacks involving chemical,
biological, and radiological (CBR) agents.
The intended audience includes architects and
engineers working for private institutions, building
owners/operators/managers, and state and local
government officials working in the building sciences
community.