Biological and Chemical Warfare and Weaponry Essay Example

In the United States, the possibility of school-related terrorism has immensely increased. For instance, there has been an increase in instances of terrorist attacks and disrupted attacks. This underscores the need for the re-evaluation of measures necessary for prevention and emergency preparedness. This exercise is a collaborated effort of schools and public safety officials. The objective of public education is the creation and maintenance of a safe and secure school environment that supports effective learning. To achieve these objectives, the community and schools take measures that aim at preventing and mitigating risks, enhancing preparedness and be ready to address different emergency and crisis incidences. It is plausible to say that schools/campus form a critical part of the community. It, therefore, means they are not free from issues affecting the community of the country. In the wake of increased development of biological and chemical weaponry and terrorist activities, there is a serious susceptibility of schools/campuses to attacks. This supports the rationale behind the need for schools' preparedness activities such as detection, response, and mitigation concerning biological and chemical hazards.

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The development of biological and chemical weaponry has increased in recent years. It is therefore important for schools to ensure effective management of threat emerging from deliberate attacks from biological and chemical agents. Biological events are usually difficult to detect immediately. In most instances, biological agents' impacts are delayed but can potentially result in serious sickness or death. Also, they may be contagious or not (Trump, 2018). Chemical events, on the other hand, entail deliberate release of solids, liquids or gases that are toxic and their impacts are usually serious sickness or deaths. In comparison to biological events, chemical incidents are easy to detect with symptoms including breathing problems, choking, loss of coordination and muscular twitching among others (Trump, 2018). Recognition and detection of biological and chemical hazards in schools revolve around preparedness.

It is critical for schools/campus to be prepared to detect and recognize biological and chemical attacks. Preparedness entails cooperative and collaborative efforts by the community. School stakeholders are important in preparedness and include school administration, teachers, staff, parents, school neighbors, vulnerable group members and students among others. This phase entails activities that should be contemplated before the occurrence of the hazardous event (Trump, 2018). Teachers and support staff should be trained, and security plans are well evaluated and refined. Schools should enhance awareness of suspicious activities. Also, there should be attention on perimeter security and access control by ensuring there are fences, signage and other appropriate security measures. Schools should also uphold proactive efforts when controlling access to visitors. There should be procedures used to detect and report cases that are unusual (Trump, 2018). This means there will be measures to detect cases of biological and chemical warfare attacks. Campuses should have school-based programs that help in emergency and disaster preparation. It entails planning the most effective strategies that can improve responsiveness and enhance the required resources and capabilities (Philpott & Kuenstle, 2007). Such activities important in preparation include school disaster and evacuation drills, distribution of First Aids Kits and communication of emergency information among others. Preparedness ensures that schools or campuses can adequately and effectively deal with emergencies.

The response is the step that follows after the hazardous incidence. The procedures in this phase are determined by the type of hazards that led to the emergency. The provision of skills and knowledge to volunteers can be critical in minimizing fear and panic in case of an attack (Ellena, 2010). Response activities are usually immediately after an emergency. These response activities provide emergency help to victims, and they are meant to minimize the possibility of secondary damage. The provision of emergency skills to the students is important; it is essential that they are involved in emergency plans and coordination (Ellena, 2010). Response activities include critical incident stress management for those first to respond and to train for medical emergencies. An effective response is critical in the case of chemical and biological threats ("Campus Safety" 2018). It is important for the response to remain calm. The first responders in schools or campus have different actions. These actions include calling 911 or campus safety; determining the type of threat; initiating the necessary response; helping in creating a quarantine perimeter; aiding in officials in response ("Campus Safety" 2018). It is important to note that biological events are difficult to establish. In essence, the outlined steps should be followed in the case of biological and chemical threats. Immediate and effective responses ensure minimal impacts of the chemical or biological threat.

Mitigation is a critical aspect of emergency preparedness. Mitigation activities usually minimize loss of life or destruction to property from chemical and biological threats. It is essential to carry out a multi-hazard assessment of the campus building in corroboration with the local health and safety professionals and dealing with issues concerning school science labs. In the development of emergency plans, the school or campus should include local agencies and other essential stakeholders (Plummer, 2018). The schools or campus should coordinate with companies, hospitals, and religious organizations. This works to promote coordination of school emergency plans with those of the community. Also, there should be the establishment of a process to monitor and control entry to school buildings (Plummer, 2018). This should include measures of dealing with strangers into and around school compounds. Mitigation operations necessitate schools to carry out many drills throughout the year. This also includes training the school staff on emergency preparedness (Salmon et al., 2017). The school or campus should examine traffic patterns and how students would be handled during a chemical or biological threat emergency. Measures should be implemented to reduced unauthorized vehicles towards campus buildings. Mitigation efforts are meant to minimize the consequences of an emergency on people's life and property.

Conclusion

In the 21st century, there has been an increased in school-related terrorism. This underscores the need for schools or campuses to re-evaluate their measures concerning disaster prevention and emergency preparedness. This prepares schools on how to deal with various attack methodologies utilized by terrorist attacks. Emergency preparedness measures promote the responsiveness of schools and campuses to different threats. In the event schools face biological or chemical threats, some procedures can be followed to reduce panic and extent of the damage. Schools need to improve their preparedness that enhances their ability to detect emergencies. The emergency preparedness ensures that schools can respond adequately and effectively, therefore, alleviate damage from chemical or biological threats. Also, mitigation measures are critical in schools to promote emergency preparedness. This ensures that it is possible to prevent loss of life and excessive destruction of property.

References

Campus Safety: Terrorism Response Protocols. (2018). Retrieved from http://willamette.edu/offices/safety/emergency/terrorism/index.html

Ellena, G. (2010). Disaster and Emergency Preparedness: Guidance for Schools. Retrieved from https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/8b796b004970c0199a7ada336b93d75f/DisERHandbook.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

Philpott, D., & Kuenstle, M. (2007). Education Facility Security Handbook. Lanham: Government Institutes.

Plummer, P. (2018). New Hampshire: School Safety Preparedness Task Force. Retrieved from https://www.governor.nh.gov/news-media/press-2018/documents/20180705-school-safety-report.pdf

Salmon, K., Smarick, A., Hogan, L., Lawson, S., Gable, M., & Sallee, W. (2017). Emergency Planning Guidelines for Local School Systems and Schools. Retrieved from http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/about/Documents/DSFSS/SSSP/EPSS/EmergencyPlanningGuidelines2017.pdf

Trump, K. (2018). Schools & Terrorism: School Terrorism Preparedness - School Security. Retrieved from https://www.schoolsecurity.org/terrorist-response/