Response to Weapons of Mass Destruction

Section 2 - EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

PURPOSE:

Establish procedures for Maitland Fire Rescue personnel to follow during alarms in which act of terrorism or use of weapons of mass destruction are suspected or used.

PROCEDURE:

• Acts of domestic terrorism have increased over the past several years. Personnel should remain alert for any potential areas of terrorism by remaining current with local affairs. Several types of locations have been designated as “high-risk” for acts of domestic terrorism:
  • Any large gathering of people – Festivals, Churches etc.
  • Politically Sensitive buildings – Federal Offices, Abortion Clinics, Religious Facilities etc.
  • College and University Campuses
  • Visit to the community of a political figure – President, Head of State etc.
• Devices used by terrorists may include weapons of mass destruction (WMD). These weapons may involve, but are not limited to, the use of items of the following nature:
  • biological
  • nuclear
  • incendiary
  • chemical and/or powders
  • explosive
• The types of injury/illness that can be expected from such devices include, but are not limited to:
  • Thermal burns
  • Radiation sickness
  • Asphyxiation
  • Chemical burns/inhalation
  • Trauma caused by explosive/mechanical weapons

• Personnel should consider all possibilities when faced with these situations.
• Initial arriving officers to such incidents must perform an accurate scene size up and rapidly employ additional resources as needed. Initial actions should be to isolate the scene and gather as much information as possible from witnesses. Requests for specialized rescue teams should be made immediately upon recognizing the scope of the incident is beyond what initial responding units can effectively handle.
• Additional specialized equipment may be required to handle detonations or activations of these devices. An act of domestic terrorism is considered a Federal offense and will activate a response from the Federal Government. You should expect to be dealing with Federal agencies throughout the incident.
• Military resources within the State of Florida have the capability to respond to weapons involving biological and chemical devices.
• The responsibility for securing the device will rest with the Maitland Police Department or Orange County Sheriff's Department. Fire/Rescue Personnel are not to engage in the search of, or the removal of, any explosive devices. The Fire Department’s task will be to prepare for the possible detonation/activation or deployment of a device and treatment of any subsequent victims.
• Any other type of assistance will be provided to the Police Department only through the approval of the Battalion Chief.