Dane County is fully prepared to respond to a large-scale terrorist attack and is currently developing an extensive message system to phone homes with information and instructions in case of an emergency, according to Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.
In a press conference Thursday, Falk announced the new $140,000 system, called Reverse 911, will be running by the end of the year and will be able to use up to 48 phone lines to simultaneously call affected homes in case of any emergency, not just terrorist attacks.
“We have 120 facilities throughout the county that store and handle hazardous materials. An accident could happen at any one of them, and the Reverse 911 system would help us notify people in the affected areas,” said Kathy Krusiec, Dane County Emergency Management director.
“We’ll also use Reverse 911 to notify special response teams, speeding the response to incidents,” Krusiec added.
However, the county’s next step is to improve its intercommunication capabilities in an emergency where other local, state and federal agencies are involved, Krusiec said.
When the county began its assessment of the most likely targets of an attack in 1998 after the Oklahoma City bombing, the first goal was to train and equip the first responders to an incident.
Falk displayed the full-body protective suits and specialized gloves and hoods, which potential first responders such as the Sheriff’s Department, fire department or emergency medical personnel are all equipped with.
The county also has four mobile decontamination trailers filled with decontamination and medical equipment, and a fast-assembly tent, equipped with hoses for decontamination washings.
In addition, two mobile “mass casualty” trailers are designed to speed medical attention to injured people.
Falk also said thousands of doses of pharmaceuticals are in storage at a local hospital in case of a biological or chemical incident, and plans are in place to tap into the Strategic National Stockpile if necessary.
“[Sept. 11, 2001] helped us determine what kind of potential accidents could happen and triggered how important it was that we [prepare],” Falk said, also adding that the day after officials finished training for an anthrax attack, the county received its first anthrax scare.
Dane County Public Health Administrator Gareth Johnson said although a small number of county officials volunteered to receive the small pox vaccine last year, there is still sufficient numbers of those who are vaccinated who can respond to a small pox outbreak.
Johnson also said the county is planning on training for a mass immunization clinic within the next year using the influenza vaccine as a model.
Falk also said the county’s target assessment plan used in 1998 has been cited by the U.S. Department of Justice and is now used as a model by counties nationwide.
“Since my administration began in 1997, well before [Sept. 11], we have aggressively secured funding to prepare for attacks and accidents that require special response to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive incidents. This has resulted in more than $3 million coming to the county for planning, training, equipment, supplies and exercising the plans,” Falk said.