Emergency Management: WMD Case Study

Introduction

Timothy McVeigh and an accomplice launched the most devastating internal terror attack in America to date. Together with an accomplice, they detonated a truck loaded with IEDs outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building located in the downtown part of Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. 168 people died, and over 500 were injured (Rouhi, 1995).

National Planning Scenario

The scenario in play is an explosion attack using a truck bomb as an improvised explosive device (IED) (National Planning Scenarios, 2006).

Base Plan

Situation

It is a severe explosion that has caused damage to a major building in an urban center. Hundreds of neighboring structures have also suffered from the impact of the IED. There is a mass disruption in services like transport, water, and electricity. There are many fatalities and scores of injured people on the scene. There are raging fires at the site of the attack and all affected buildings still have people trapped within the remaining structure or beneath the rubble.

Mission

Failure to intervene quickly could lead to increased casualties and further destruction of property, which is an unwanted occurrence. The mission is to assist local, state, and territorial governments to respond adequately by facilitating their emergency response services. The Federal government's scope includes (FEMA, 2016):

Prevention and deterrence- obtaining videos and images of the bomb site and key surrounding areas like transport systems, and hospitals, etc. These need to be inspected thoroughly to avoid secondary attacks.

Emergency assessment- agent detection, dispatch, and hazard assessment, monitoring, and sampling at the scene of the truck explosion.

Emergency management and response- it requires the attention of fire engines, law enforcement, EMS personnel, and other parties in a joint operation. Activities include traffic control, search and rescue, public information, and resource support.

Hazard mitigation- key issues will include undetonated devices, toxic fumes, fire, electric hazards, and unstable structures.

Evacuation and shelter- removing people from the incident location and ensuring that the assembly points are thoroughly secured against delayed attacks.

Victim care- the wounded people need emergency care, but the local health services could be overwhelmed hence reinforcements are required in this area.

Investigation and apprehension- any information gathered from the beginning of the explosion, such as photos, will be used by investigative teams to get the facts of the disaster.

Recovery and remediation- cleaning up debris from the explosion site and restoring the building, and transport systems.

Planning Assumptions and Critical Considerations

The planning team must assume various things to help in staying alert and ready for the worst-case scenario (FEMA, 2016). There are various assumptions:

• The explosion did not occur naturally hence is treated as a terror attack until proven otherwise by the Attorney General.
• The large vehicle bomb contains readily available commercial explosive substances like nitrogen fertilizer.
• The average air blast range of a truck loaded with explosives is over 150 meters.
• Tertiary and secondary fatalities will be found at 1.5 times the distance.
• Blast overpressure will crumble brick walls 190 feet away from the blast (National Planning Scenarios, 2006).
• Resources will not be sufficient for all the affected people as aid sources get exhausted.
• Follow up explosions could occur.

Critical considerations include:

• People could be buried under the rubble after the explosion.
• Travel restrictions and roadblocks will interfere with response operations
• The deployed personnel deployed will require food, sanitation, and other services.
• Communication, transport, and electricity in the building, and others will be disrupted (National Planning Scenarios, 2006).

Concept of Operations

The bomb incident is handled with the intent of minimizing the loss of life and damage to the property using Federal and local resources. National Incident Management Systems will help respondents as well as direct assistance from neighboring jurisdictions (FEMA, 2016).

Request for Federal Support

States will activate their response systems to provide additional resources until the local limit has been exhausted. The Federal government often intervenes in domestic incidents of considerable magnitude to avoid loss of life and damage to property and the environment. A massive explosion from an IED will require the attention and help of the Federal government.

Coordination of Federal Support

Federal agencies and departments must work together with state and local authorities as well as community members. The president heads the Federal side to ensure there are no hiccups in the provision of financial and other resources. FEMA and DHS are involved in the coordination as well as the Department for Health and Human Services.

Provision of Federal Support

A terrorist attack is a serious incident that needs the intervention of Federal and local authorities. The core capabilities outline critical Federal support areas like provision of personnel, specialized equipment, emergency teams, assistance programs, and operating facilities.

Concept of Support

Federal emergency support functions incorporate the capabilities of multiple agencies that come together to aid efficient response operations and deliver core capabilities. FEMA and DHS are especially important in the event of an IED explosion incident.

Coordinating Instructions

The security of Homeland Security coordinates all Federal incident cases domestically via a presidential directive. An incident 2 IED explosive attack falls under the Stafford Act. The FEMA administrator assists the President, via the Secretary, in executing the responsibilities of the Stafford Act.

Authorities and References

The interagency operational plan applies to Federal agencies that offer support under the National Response Framework for outcomes that fall within and without the Stafford Act. Emergency operations are in line with the policies and laws of the US (FEMA, 2016).

Risk Assessment

The purpose is to identify the hazards facing emergency respondents as well as factors that hinder the success of the response.

There is the risk of a shortage of resources like personnel, medical equipment, facilities, and supplies to meet the needs of the responders.

There is also the risk of site access and mobility since the explosion generates a lot of debris and damage surrounding roads.

There is the risk of looting and pilferage as the mass confusion and open stores in the urban areas will attract vandals.

The risk of caring for the many fatalities and injured people as well as unharmed individuals who need to be removed from the site.

After an explosion, there is a risk of raging fires and breakdown in communication.

There could be lingering hazardous compounds from the IED explosion.

Operational Coordination

The mission objective is to mobilize Federal assets to support the efforts within the area impacted by the bomb.

Phase 1

It will consist of a pre-deployment of life-saving resources in anticipation of an incident (FEMA, 2016).

Phase2

The bomb in Oklahoma caught people by surprise at around 9 am. Immediately after, specific activities will occur:

• The rapid deployment of state and Federal assets in a formal collaborative framework to address the explosion and assess the needs.
• Maintaining accountability of all deployed resources.
• Providing situation reports to the NOC and FEMA as required.
• Coordinating with ESF to assess the infrastructure damages.
• Determine the fueling locations and transport logistics of emergency personnel.

Phase 2 (b) Deployment

Immediately after creating situational awareness and activating the resource providers, it is time to deploy rapidly since the bomb has already gone off. These are key activities:

• Bringing a bomb squad to test for other explosives.
• Identifying alternative transportation solutions.
• Providing technical support to repair the damaged waterways and electrical fixtures.
• Implementing a hazmat material response and ensuring its safety.
• Developing a site safety plan.
• Coordinating with security to ensure surrounding hospitals and critical buildings are secured.
• Provide a communications system for the law enforcement, firefighters, and other responders.
• Conducting search and rescue operations in the neighboring buildings and beneath the debris.

Phase 2c Sustained Response

Assistance is given until the federal input is no longer necessary as the local authorities can take care of the situation.

Offering the long-term restoration of roads and buildings in downtown Oklahoma.

Supporting the closure of congregate facilities.

Move the serious cases from the casualty collection centers to other facilities according to National Disaster Medical System.

Liaise with NGOs to supervise patient tracking and regulation.

Coordinate with FEMA and local bodies to provide equipment for dealing with the hazardous dust and fumes from the IED explosion.

Phase 3 Recovery

Deactivating emergency services that are no longer necessary.

Coordinating with other departments to identify key lessons learned.

Implementing measures to prevent future reoccurrences such as the desensitization of ammonium nitrate to reduce its explosive qualities (Rouhi, 1995).

The THIRA Process

It consists of four steps:

• Identifying the threats and hazards of importance.
• Give context to the hazards.
• Establishing capability targets.
• Applying the results.

The operational coordination efforts have a clear understanding of the risks and hazards facing the respondents and the accomplishment of the rescue operations. The core capabilities of prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery have been provided by the combination of local and Federal authorities (FEMA, 2013).

ICS

• My role as an incident commander includes:
• Overall responsibility for management of the incidence.
• Receiving briefs from the teams on the scene of the explosion.
• Assigning personnel to the various response activities.
• Ensuring the safety of the responders and the general public
• Providing information to external and internal stakeholders.
• The liaison person with other agencies

Sections

Operations

The operations section directs all the responses and tactical actions happening in the incident area. It is primarily responsible for the development and implementation of strategies.

Planning

This section gathers analyses and disseminates information. It also develops the Incident Action Plan and works closely with the Incident Commander.

Logistics

This section is responsible for providing the services and resources to support the emergency response operations. It is also responsible for contracting goods and services on behalf of the process.

Finance

This section is responsible for tracking the costs of the response operations to be included in the final report. It also assesses the damages and presents an estimate of the cost.

References

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2013). Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Guide. Washington DC: Department of Homeland Security.

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2016). Response Federal Interagency Operational Plan. Washington DC: Department of Homeland Security.

National Planning Scenarios. (2006). Retrieved from https://info.publicintelligence.net/DHS%20-%20National%20Planning%20Scenarios%20March%202006.pdf

Rouhi, M. (1995). Chemical & Engineering News. Pubs.acs.org. Retrieved 13 April 2018, from http://pubs.acs.org/cen/hotarticles/cenear/950724/art02.html