Working Together for All-hazards Readiness:
Chemical, Biological, Radiological/Nuclear, and Explosive Terrorism
An Overview
Target Audience
This workshop is useful to those who may initially respond to an act of chemical, biological, radiological/nuclear or explosive terrorism including:
- First responders including fire, hazmat and law enforcement
- Clinical and public health laboratory staff
- Public health and environmental health personnel
- Medical personnel including paramedics and emergency department staff
This conference is not currently scheduled.
Conference Description
Are you prepared to recognize a potential disaster and do your part in a coordinated response? A December 2004 report titled "Ready or Not?" prepared by the Trust for America's Health stated "...chemical terrorism preparedness is lagging and radiological and nuclear terrorism preparedness have not been adequately addressed."
We all know that prompt, coordinated reaction to a terrorism event will save many lives and minimize damage to property. To be ready, you must not only understand your own role, but also have an appreciation for the roles of your preparedness partners as well.
This two-day, basic-level workshop enables participants to hear from and interact directly with representatives from national and state agencies that support all-hazards readiness efforts. The experienced faculty describes systems in place for recognizing and responding to chemical, biological, radiological/nuclear events, and valuable resources will be shared. Participants have the opportunity to practice what is learned in a group exercise.
Objectives
Following this workshop, participants will:
- Recognize circumstances that indicate a potential chemical, biological, radiological/nuclear, or explosive terrorist threat, incident or attack.
- Recognize symptoms associated with chemical, biological, radiological/nuclear, or explosive terrorism agents.
- Describe the public health response to a terrorism event.
- Explain the structure and function of the Laboratory Response Network for Bioterrorism (LRN), the Laboratory Response Network for Chemical Terrorism (LRN-C) and Food Emergency Response Network (FERN).
- Describe how to collect and package clinical specimens for chemical analysis by the LRN-C.
- Describe environmental sampling and analysis procedures for terrorism events including preservation of evidence and "chain of custody."
- List types of federal assistance available after a terrorism event.