Citywide Response to a Terrorist Attack

A city in the United States is defined by Webster’s as ‘a usually large or important municipality in the United States governed under a charter granted by the state’. Cities are major population centers with important hubs of economic activity (whether based on trade, manufacturing or service related industries. Cities tend to also be very symbolic by virtue of these economic activities or cultural centers that may be resident. It is these very elements that make our cities what they are that cause them to be targets for terrorist attacks. Terrorism need not be foreign in its origin or affiliation, one need only look at the Oklahoma City bombings in 1995 to the see the consequences of domestic terrorism.

All responses to attack would be handled first by local responders. The federal government and state governments do not have fire departments or medical units to respond. A large scale attack, or for that matter natural disaster, could overwhelm local first responders. An attack that damages major Interstate routes could complicate response efforts by simply denying first responder ingress and egress routes. As people attempt to flee from the attack, or evacuate out of the area threatened by attack, transportation routes become grid-locked. Any injuries or emergencies become difficult to reach due to the increased traffic flow.

Natural disasters, other than earthquakes, tend to give some advance warning and allow first responders some degree of preparation. A terrorist attack however can be for the most part no-notice, anytime, anywhere. The first responders may need to go into an event involving chemical or biological agents dispersed on a large scale. The first responders themselves may even be the targets of attack during their response efforts. A massive attack of this nature may overcome some first responders, therefore it is more critical than ever that communities try to standardize equipment and procedures across the board. Interoperability isn’t just efficient, it is also be a force-multiplier.

Traditionally first responders have included fire, EMS and law enforcement personnel. However another class of personnel needs to be included as well, those who unique skill-sets will be required to operate or maintain critical infrastructures. For example, personnel from public works to operate water treatment facilities, sewer treatment plants, or other utilities would need to be protected and available to assist. Healthcare workers may need to be culled from their normal work centers to become part of a massive medical response unit.

Protecting some targets from an attack is just impractical. Gas stations for example could be used in an attack scenario, however due to the large number of gas stations it is impossible to secure and monitor. Moreover, corporations may not be able to afford to provide the level of security to harden their businesses against possible attack. Hardening a target also means reducing accessibility to customers. Imagine having to show some form of ID each time you purchased gasoline at a particular gas station, more than likely you will go somewhere else that is quicker and more convenient.

Companies are becoming aware that risk-analysis is much broader in its application. Risks are just about profit and loss but of also what company assets may be desirable for use by terrorists. For instance, a small chemical manufacturing company may produce some chemicals that could be used to assemble high-explosives. The company needs to take steps to insure its product isn’t stolen or sold to those with nefarious intentions. Even so, third parties and ruses could be used to get the necessary material. Therefore companies with high-value assets need to be part of the community’s information sharing network.

Information sharing needs to occur across agencies as well as between public and private sector. The time to form these networks is before an attack or disaster happens, not during. Proprietary or “need to know” caveats may have to be altered or completely shattered to create an effective network. All participating agencies and institutions need to buy-in into sharing information from the top to the bottom. Of course achieving this requires money and time, both resources that aren’t in short supply. Grants are available through the federal government to increase training and readiness. Another option is creating a partnership with other industries or communities in other cities or states. Such partnerships could lead to different approaches to creating new response plans or even identifying funding streams for purchasing new equipment.

A terrorist attack need only be threatened to cause a reaction by a city. Strong information sharing networks and mutual aid compacts need to be in place before such times occur.