Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction Essay

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When an incident, for example, a terrorist act involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD), occurs, it can be handled only after the responsible organizations are notified of it. The process of notification involves fire brigades, police, medics, as well as governments and media. As soon as a WMD incident occurs, 911 center is notified of it with a phone call. The Emergency Communications Center informs first responders of the event. First responders assess the situation and share the information with additional responders, as well as rescue victims if possible (Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], 2002).

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Incident Command is established, which notifies local organizations, such as medical facilities, and the FBI Field Office (FEMA, 2002). Then, the state of emergency is declared by local authorities, and the private sector becomes informed of the incident. The gap that needs to be identified in the preparation and response for the WMD incident is access to the required information. Emergency agencies often need to obtain certain information from other organizations. Therefore, the problem of sharing data should be solved beforehand.

The gaps in the process of notification can be illustrated by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011. As soon as the incident occurred, many victims and witnesses began to call 911 (“The 9/11 Commission Report,” n.d.). At this initial stage of notification, the first gap was detected. The 911 system could not cope with a large number of calls due to the lack of powerful equipment; therefore, many people did not manage to connect with operators (“The 9/11 Commission Report,” n.d.).

The gap in access to information also was the case in managing the incident. NYPD Aviation did not inform the 911 center that it was impossible to rescue people from the top of the roofs, so operators could not clearly instruct victims whether they should go up or down (“The 9/11 Commission Report,” n.d.). Thus, the gaps in notification may cause discrepancies in the actions of responsible organizations and hinder them from managing an incident in the most efficient way.

The public is commonly notified of an incident by means of the media. However, events are sometimes misrepresented because the media attempt to attract more viewers rather than inform the population of the facts. Such a dramatic representation of terrorist acts involving WMD may encourage terrorists to repeat their attacks (Jetter, 2017). Furthermore, false news spread by the media distract the police from their urgent work, evoke fear in citizens, and may lead to invalid serious accusations (Marthoz, 2017).

For example, right after the terrorist attack in Oklahoma City in 1995, the media stated that the suspects were two dark-haired and bearded Arabs, while the real offender was a white man belonging to the far right (Marthoz, 2017). It resulted in numerous threats toward people having Middle Eastern appearance and living in the U.S. (Marthoz, 2017). Therefore, the media should not spread panic and fake news. Instead, it has to take part in the notification of people by providing reliable facts and instructing the population about what they should do.

Finally, understanding patient assessment and treatment protocols is an important part of emergency management because it helps to identify those requiring medical aid. Since there is usually a large number of victims involved in terrorist attacks, medics should complete triage and define those who will benefit from the treatment the most (U. S. Department of Homeland Security, 2016).

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It is essential because medical care requires resources that are not infinite; therefore, professionals have to decide what victims are incapable of surviving and who of them can receive treatment with delay. The protocols also determine which medical facilities are best suited for specific traumas, and this information helps to prevent wasting time on transporting victims to an unsuitable hospital (FEMA, 2002). These procedures also assist in planning the emergency management operations according to the hazardous materials used as WMD.

References

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2002). . Web.

Jetter, M. (2017). The effect of media attention on terrorism. Journal of Public Economics, 153, 32-48.

Marthoz, J. P. (2017). . UNESDOC. Web.

. (n.d.). Web.

U. S. Department of Homeland Security. (2016). National response framework. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2021) 'Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction'. 31 July.

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IvyPanda. 2021. "Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction." July 31, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/terrorism-and-weapons-of-mass-destruction/.

1. IvyPanda. "Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction." July 31, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/terrorism-and-weapons-of-mass-destruction/.


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IvyPanda. "Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction." July 31, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/terrorism-and-weapons-of-mass-destruction/.

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