Terrorism Emergency Plan For Metropolis - Research Paper Example

Terrorism Emergency Plan For Metropolis Introduction The strategic position of Metropolis as a financial, commercial, industrial and transportation hub not just in the state of Florida but also in the wider southeastern region of the country makes the city a prime target of terrorist attacks[Sim081]. The location of a naval base in the city makes it even more prone to terrorism as an attack on the base would affect national security in a significant way. The first part of this terrorism plan identified eight areas of potential risk under two major headings: reactionary and resiliency planning. The second part of the plan presented an outline of the actions the City will need to take in each area. The third and last part of the plan explores these actions in greater detail. Reactionary Planning City and State Response Systems The lack of synergy between city and state response systems creates a conducive environment for terrorism to thrive[Spi13]. Consequently, the Metropolis Emergency Response Unit will take a raft of measures to promote cooperation with the equivalent state unit. These measures will include the two emergency response units holding regular meetings at which they will share all the information that may be useful in averting terrorist acts and keeping their damage to a minimum should they occur. Moreover, the City Emergency Response Unit will take speedy measures to eliminate all bureaucratic procedures that are responsible for delays in responding to terrorist emergencies. The City Unit will team up with other city emergency response units and lobby the Florida State Emergency Unit to do likewise. Doing so will expedite communication between the two units in the event of an emergency. Federal Response System The FEMA is the primary federal entity charged with managing terrorist emergencies. However, inefficiencies within the organization have rendered them less responsive to emergencies[Pre111]. The City of Metropolis appreciates that on their accord, they have little if any control over FEMA. Consequently, the City will petition the state government of Florida and ask them to team up with other states and lobby the President with the view to having them restructure the FEMA in order to improve their efficiency and effectiveness in handling terrorist emergencies. As this is going to be a longer-term intervention, the City will establish a five-member committee whose mandate will be to exert pressure on the state government and sustain the initiative. Coordination It appears that every emergency response unit at local, state and federal levels are caught up in their affairs. None appears to have the time to find out what the other is doing to combat and manage terrorism. This atmosphere of non-cooperation, as already pointed out, creates an environment where terrorists can execute their heinous acts and flee, leaving the agencies in a blame game[Pre111]. Thus, besides sharing information with the state emergency response system, the City Unit will maintain the policy of an open door as far as the FEMA is concerned. Such a policy, it is hoped, will enable officers at all levels of government to exchange important information in an expeditious manner. The City hopes that the FEMA will reciprocate the good gesture. Public Notification As mentioned in the second part of this plan, the City will create the Office of Terrorism Prevention that will fall under the Metropolis Emergency Response Unit. The mandate of the Office will be two-fold: to educate the dwellers of the city on how to detect and report suspected acts of terrorism and to communicate the occurrence of terrorist acts[Spi13]. In order to strengthen the Office, it will be established under an Act enacted by the state legislature. As a result, within sixty days of the adoption of this plan, the Mayor of Metropolis, together with the Office of the Governor will prepare and table before the state legislature the necessary bill for debate. Amongst other provisions, the bill will ensure that the Office is funded adequately to execute its functions. Resiliency Planning Victim Support The City will set up the Office of Victim Support. In order to keep a ceiling over the City wage bill, this is going to be a temporary office to be invoked in the event that an act of terrorism takes place. The staff of the will be drawn from the various city departments. The primary function of the office will be to identify positively the victims of terrorist acts for the purpose of supporting them[Sim081]. In addition, the office will spearhead the reunion of family members who may be scattered in the event of a terrorist attack. The state public service board will be responsible for establishing and abolishing the Office. State legislation may determine how long the Office exists at any given time. Restoration Should a terrorist attack occur and result in damage to business property, the city administration will expeditiously put together a committee whose primary function will be to identify victims and facilitate their compensation. In setting up the committee, the Mayor will ensure the balanced representation of concerned city, state and federal bodies as well the victims and their insurance companies. The committee will collaborate with all the stakeholders to restore victims to their previous positions in the shortest time possible[Sim081]. The Mayor will dissolve the committee upon the successful completion of its mandate. This committee will be distinct from the Office of Victim Support as it will exclusively handle business victims. Prevention The City, through the Office of Terrorism Prevention, will effect a number of measures to prevent terrorist attacks on the city. First the Office will roll out the “Ten Door Initiative” under which they will encourage every resident of Metropolis to know at least ten of their neighbors at a personal. This initiative, the City believes, will make it easier for the residents to detect and report suspected terrorist activities[Spi13]. Secondly, the Office will educate the city dwellers on how to safely report the said activities. Third, the office will work closely with the city security department and advise on the most effective ways of averting terrorist attacks. The goal will be to keep the security department one step ahead of terrorists at all times. Impact Reduction The city will pass a number of by-laws designed to enhance safety and security in all public buildings across the city[Sim081]. First, every building will be required to have adequate entrances and exits of specified width for both human and vehicular traffic. These will facilitate evacuation in the event of an attack. Secondly, every public building will install CCTV surveillance systems and display conspicuous signs that warn members of the public that the building is monitored round the clock. Third, all buildings will have to keep real-time records of the occupants of the building and their exact locations in the building. Again this move is designed to facilitate evacuation. Conclusion The measures proposed in this plan are long overdue. As a result, the city administration should embark on implementing them as soon as the plan is approved. Also, it is worth noting that the fight against terrorism is the responsibility of every resident of the city, not the city administration alone[Sim081]. Hence, the proposed "Ten Door Initiative" is especially important. Neighbors who know one another well are better placed to detect terrorist activities than security agencies. The success or failure of this plan largely depends on how well the residents of Metropolis embrace the said initiative. Thus, it is paramount that the implementers of the plan do everything possible to popularize the initiative. References Sim081: , (Simon, 2008), Spi13: , (Spindlove & Simonsen, 2013), Pre111: , (Preston, Avery, Chakrabarty, & Edmonds, 2011), Spi13: , (Spindlove & Simonsen , 2013), Read More