Wednesday, February 19, 2003
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Wednesday, February 19, 2003 |
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Emergency plans in place locally By JOHN
MUNFORD
Fayette County emergency officials have worked with a variety of agencies to plan how they will respond in case of a terrorist attack on any facility in the county. Plans are in place to respond and sometimes prevent certain scenarios from affecting the public. Local officials communicate with state law enforcement sources several times daily to see if there are any intelligence reports that indicate an area of Fayette County is a possible terrorist target, said Pete Nelms, emergency management coordinator for the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. If Fayette's water supply somehow becomes contaminated, the intake of water can shut down, Nelms said. This could be crucial since Fayette depends on the Flint River for much of its drinking water supply. The Flint starts just south of Hartsfield International Airport, which could realistically be the target of a terror attack. Any attack on Atlanta would ultimately affect Fayette in some way simply because of the number of local residents who work there, noted Chief Allen McCullough. In February, Fayette Community Hospital conducted a drill that simulated a local family being exposed to smallpox so local medical providers could practice their response. Smallpox is an extremely contagious viral infection that is fatal for up to one-third of its victims. Local medical providers have also trained on how to treat victims of a chemical attack. The county has also purchased special "monitoring and detecting" equipment that can be used to provide crucial information if a terrorist attack ever threatens local residents. The equipment was originally purchased to help hazardous materials responders, but can also be used for a terrorist attack. Fayette has also been analyzed for high-risk areas such as local industries, who are being asked to take extra security precautions particularly with hazardous chemicals. Some businesses and industries have been advised of simple procedures, some of which are management tasks, to help improve security. Others are asked to take more visible precautions such as fencing and extra security presences to further deter any possible attacks. Fayette's public schools are at the ready to host evacuees in a shelter plan that would be operated by the American Red Cross, McCullough said. If those shelters need water, the county has contacts with several private water suppliers who can help out. Fayette County's emergency planners have built relationships with a host of agencies from the hospital and local physicians to public health officials so if something happens, emergency officials know who to call for assistance, McCullough said. "We may not know how to solve a problem, but we know who to call," McCullough said. Meetings with these various agencies heppen on a daily basis "so we can have our act together," McCullough said. Other agencies involved in the emergency planning process include the Red Cross, Fayette County's water, health, and road departments, the county's Department of Family and Children's Services, along with police and fire agencies from Fayette County, Peachtree City, Fayetteville and Tyrone. The county also benefits from a good working relationship with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, McCullough said. Several top county emergency employees hold high-ranking positions in several state agencies who also are tackling the same terrorist attack scenarios. Fayette County has also recently signed a statewide mutual aid agreement to provide assistance to other areas of the state if a disaster struck. Local emergency officials would decide how much of Fayette's resources could be shared elsewhere; in return, if something happens in Fayette, local officials can count on help from other agencies also, Nelms said. "Our number one job, first and foremost, is to protect Fayette County and we'll always be that way," McCullough said. Many local physicians, who play a key role in responding to medical needs from a potential crisis such as a chemical or biological attack, are also communiciating with county emergency management officials as response plans were developed. In case of an emergency, non-emergency county employees could also play roles in assisting public safety officials in case of a crisis. Some might answer a bank of phones to provide general information to the public as county officials could designate a special phone number for people to call so the county's 911 center isn't tied up with people calling for information.
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