Preparedness and Response to a Terrorist Attack - Essay Example

The terrorists often give minimal indication of an attack making it a requirement of the concerned agencies to be alert to detect, and counter any terrorist attacks. In order to combat terrorism and terrorist attacks on innocent civilians, it is important to understand the organization with the intention of deducing their capabilities. Being prepared for any terrorist occurrences is often a hard task but unpreparedness to such a threat could be devastating. Terrorism is divisible into bioterrorism, agro terrorism, eco terrorism and chemical terrorism (Poole, 2005).

Based on these ideologies, terrorist attacks could be either overt or covert. “Response and determination of Priorities” As the City's disaster coordinator, my first task would be to link up with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent responsible with anti terrorism in order to map out the most vulnerable potential areas of attack, be it of overt or covert terrorism threats (Wright, 2007). These areas are evident in terms of class A (highly potential) class B (very potential) and class C (potential).

To map target potential as class A, it should be an extremely populated region at most hours of the day, serves very many people, of greater economic impact and social relevance to society. These would be major highways prone to congestion and traffic snarl-ups, social and educational sites, water supply intakes, airports, nuclear facilities and port facilities as well as water supply stations. In order to map target potential as class B, it should be of fiscal and social relevance but with little affect on the overall public.

These would include minor highways, roads prone to congestion at definite hours of the day, HazMat locations, social, and entertainment sites especially in the evenings and the port harbors. Those in class C would be of lesser economic and social relevance to the public and would include government offices, water holding reservoirs, and food packaging facilities. “My approach and steps to be taken” Using these rankings, I would then contact the relevant Police units, Fire and Health City departments and alert them on the impending terrorist threat.

At the same time, I would urge them to activate the relevant sub units responsible for terrorism response. This would be helpful in enhancing the rejoinder strategy. With such a team ready, I would then deploy the anti terrorism units at all the class A and B potential sites while having to deplore others watching over the class C areas. I would then contact the Homeland security and request permission to alert the public on this matter. Collective responsibility amongst this team would be of great concern, and I would ascertain that all the officers are in synchrony with this element.

This is to ascertain that the operation is successful. I would then make sure that my team together with the public is on the lookout for any suspicious people or activities around them. A 24-hour hotline would then be set up to react to any alerts from the team and public. “Relevance of the list on the progress of the city's Emergency Management Plan”. With this list at hand, the City's Emergency Management Plan would gain a great deal in terms of having better awareness while putting up terrorism response strategies.

The department would henceforth strive to set up policies based on this list with the intention of acquiring significant information in the future. This list would come in handy in setting up and allocation of