Life-Threatening Situations as an Imminent Danger to an Individual Paper Example

Introduction

One of the life-threatening situations is the terrorist holding a gun. He has the gun pointed to the hostage's head, and he could open fire at any instant. The hostage has nowhere to go and can only rely on external assistance since resisting the terrorist could prove fatal.

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The responding police officers are also in a life-threatening situation by doing their job. The terrorist could use his gun to fire at the police officers in an attempt to disperse them. A cornered assailant may feel that he has nothing to lose and hence open fire.

The chemical explosive device also presents a life-threatening opportunity. Police, at the time of response, do not understand what type of chemical device they are facing. The explosive, reportedly, contains lethal cyanide gas that was to be dispensed in the subway. The terrorist has enough time to activate the gas, and it poses a great danger to the hostages, police, and anyone within the vicinity (Crime Watch Daily, 2016). The enclosed environment of the subway can make the attack more lethal since the gas is concentrated there with nowhere to escape. Inhaling the gas could result in a slow and painful death.

Once the terrorist is contained, and the hostages secured, the police go back up to remove and disinfect their tactical gear. It also presents a life-threatening situation since any residue, if not properly cleaned, could pose a grave danger to an officer's life.

Besides the "Elite Counterterrorism Unit," what other teams/ agencies, more than likely, would be involved in this scenario? Explain

The video shows a simulation by the Elite Counterterrorism Unit, but terrorist attacks in America require more than one agency to respond. The response to terroristic threats is often a highly coordinated, multiagency, tribal, local, and Federal responsibility. The following Federal agencies will respond (United States Government, 2001):

Department of Justice/Federal Bureau of Investigation (DOJ/FBI)

The Attorney General will oversee the development and implementation of policies aimed at mitigating terror attacks, and will prosecute the criminals responsible for the act of terrorism since it is a violation of US law.

The FBI implements a Federal crisis management plan since it is the lead investigative agency in the event of a crisis. An FBI special agent will be in charge of the entire response operation involving the state, Federal, and local teams. The FBI stays as the Lead Federal Agency Attorney General transfers the mandate to FEMA.

Department of Homeland Security/ Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS/FEMA)

FEMA is the lead agency in charge of consequence management, which involves the measures taken to restore core government services and protect public health and safety. FEMA also designates the appropriate liaison personnel in the Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC) and deployment with the Joint Operations Center (United States Government, 2001).

Department of Defense

DOD supports the FBI's crisis management functions and technical operations. It also supports FEMA in its consequence management role. The DOD is uniquely designed to fight terrorism and deal with a weapon of mass destruction. It has assets such as the Technical Escort Unit, US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases and the Chemical Biological Incident Response Force from the US Marine Corps. All these units are available to the LFA should they be deemed necessary.

Department of Energy (DOE)

DOE supplies technical/scientific equipment and personnel during all aspects of a WMD incident. It can assist both the crisis and consequence management teams with technical advice, threat assessment, forecast modeling predictions, and direct tactical support. It also offers technical support and assistance like device and diagnostic assessment, search operations, radiological assessment, and identification of material.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

EPA provides equipment and technical personnel to the LFA in the event of a WMD attack. It offers operational support and technical advice for chemical, radiological, and biological releases. The necessary EPA assistance includes hazard detection and reduction, agent identification, environmental monitoring, and collection of forensic evidence among other activities.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

HHS supports both FBI and FEMA in their roles. HHS offers technical advice, epidemiological investigation, DEST deployment, sample collection and analysis, medical management planning, and on-site protection and safety activities (United States Government, 2001).

Does your town/city have a terrorism response component? If so, how is it structured?

Yes. There is an emergency response plan in place to respond to terrorist incidents.

Structure

The local jurisdiction exercises preeminent decision-making authority during the phases of preparedness, response, and recovery. The FBI oversees the investigative stage, and the local authority appoints its representative to the FBI's Joint Operation Center.

Implementation of emergency protective measures such as advising people where to shelter.

Initiation of response activities such as precautionary evacuations, and requesting the activation of state and Federal response teams.

If the attack occurs suddenly, as a result of terrorism, and causes major consequences, the FBI and DHS initiate the emergency responses. DHS immediately consults with the state Governor and President to determine the extent of the consequences.

Response to the consequences is coordinated by Homeland Security's Emergency Management wing from the emergency center. The state response preparations occur in consultancy with the local authorities of affected areas.

Local agencies cannot respond to the complexities of a terror attack involving a WMD, and hence they will need assistance from the fire marshalls department, state police, FEMA, EPA, FBI, DOD, and DOE.

Civil law enforcement is the jurisdiction of state and local police forces.

The HHS is deployed to manage the medical emergencies in local health facilities.

The FBI oversees the entire investigation from a Joint Operations Center, with crucial support from the local and state resources.

References

[Crime watch Daily]. (2016, May 12). Intense Counterterrorism Training with L.A. County Sheriff's Department [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qpxKcgJox8

United States Government Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of Operations Plan. (2001). [pdf]. Retrieved from https://fas.org/irp/threat/conplan.pdf