TERRORISM

Critical Incident Solutions has many years of experience in planning, developing, conducting and participating in multiple Table-Top, Functional and Full-Scale Exercises based on scenarios dealing with terrorism, natural disasters and special events such as the Super Bowl. These exercises are designed to measure the capabilities of local, state and federal departments and agencies in conducting emergency response actions. They provide a means to assess policies, plans, procedures, resources, communication and coordination, as well as command and control of response to an emergency. Evaluation of the flow of communications between agencies, with the media and the public is also a primary objective. Our exercises also touch on issues which are important when responding to an incident and managing a crisis using the National Incident Management System-Incident Command System (NIMS-ICS). Exercises for personnel at the operational level are typically conducted first in order to identify opportunities for improvement in planning, training and response. Follow up exercises for top officials can then be facilitated in order to address policy issues, which were identified during the operational exercises.

Our company has conducted multiple terrorism exercises in order to prepare first responders, healthcare workers and security personnel for incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological or explosive materials and devices. Exercises involving natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and pandemic influenza have also been conducted. Many of our exercises highlight key Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) components including mission essential functions, orders of succession, alternate facilities, communications, emergency notification and personnel accountability procedures along with vital records and databases. These components are examined in order to evaluate a department's or agency's ability to continue to provide essential services and conduct emergency response actions during an incident which disrupts or destroys the ability to employ certain facilities, equipment and personnel.
Terrorism Exercises:

U.S. Department of State WMD Full Scale Exercises (2004 – presently ongoing): Our firm has conducted hundreds of Table-Top, Functional and Full Scale Exercises on every continent in the world for the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security Service, Weapons of Mass Destruction Division. These multi-jurisdictional, multi-discipline exercises are designed to ensure that the host nation can work with U.S. personnel during mass casualty incidents involving weapons of mass destruction. This includes the necessary pre-planning events (scheduling and liaison), conducting and evaluating each exercise (exercise controller and evaluators), and developing standardized after action reports for documenting improvement opportunities at each U.S. Embassy and Consulate. We have conducted these exercises at over 260 U.S. Embassies and Consulates during the last few years, many of which were conducted in high-threat environments. Based on these unique experiences, we know how to ensure that our clients receive the most benefit from conducting a small Table-Top Exercise to a large multi-jurisdictional “regional” Full Scale Exercise.

WMD Terrorism - Bio Watch (CRI) HSEEP Functional Exercise in Texas (presently ongoing): Our firm is currently assisting Harris County and the City of Houston with a functional exercise that involves a Bio Watch alert caused by an Anthrax release over a widespread area encompassing three counties and the city of Houston. A primary objective of this exercise is to evaluate CRI plans and procedures during activation of EOC/Public Health Operations in each of 4 locations that will be affected by the incident. Command and control functions as well as emergency communications will be tested as part of the exercise as public health, law enforcement, hospitals, medical examiner and mental health personnel work together to address the issues surrounding this public health emergency. The exercise will culminate in activation of a POD for mass prophylaxis of victims of the attack.

Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) Terrorism Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) HSEEP Table-Top Exercise for the State of Missouri and Kansas (July, 2007): CIS conducted a Table Top Exercise for MARC that evaluated the region’s response to a large, evolving infectious disease emergency caused by an act of terrorism. The objectives for the exercise included:

Clarify each discipline’s role in Mass Prophylaxis Dispensing.
Demonstrate an understanding of prioritization of dispensing SNS materials.
Clarify each discipline’s protocol for identifying staff to be prophylaxed with limited caches of medication.
Utilize the WebEOC System during the Tabletop exercise to share decisions that have regional impact.

Participants included personnel from 10 local public health departments in 8 counties and representatives from law enforcement, emergency management, emergency medical services and state health departments. Participants from Missouri and Kansas exercised their plans and worked together to determine the best way to respond as a region to address priority prophylaxis and SNS dispensing issues.

The exercise incorporated the use of WebEOC. WebEOC is a crisis management tool used by local jurisdictions in the Kansas City metro area to share information during large events. The training included a functional set-up of a dispensing site for mass prophylaxis. The intent was to expose first responders to the set-up and operations of a dispensing site and discuss their role in providing mass prophylaxis to the general public.

102nd WMD CST Terrorism HSEEP Full Scale Exercise - Portland, Oregon (April, 2007): CIS worked closely with public safety agencies in Portland, Oregon, to plan, develop and conduct a Full Scale Exercise that involved multiple terrorist attacks where RDDs (Radioactive Dispersal Devices) were being used. Agencies that participated in this exercise included the 102nd WMD Civil Support Team, FBI, Portland Bureau of Police, , Department of Energy, and the Oregon Public Health Radiological Protection Service. The exercise utilized a Unified Command to comply with NIMS/ICS for the crisis management of simultaneous events which included a search operation for radiological sources, processing of a contaminated post blast crime scene, SWAT assault on a terrorist stronghold and a bomb squad operation involving precision render safe procedures for a large vehicle RDD. To enhance overall goals and objectives, actual radiological sources were used to provide a “real world” training environment.

Training with radiological search equipment, advanced EOD RSP procedures and interoperable communications equipment were incorporated into the exercise to better prepare public safety agencies in mitigating the possible impact that radiological materials and devices can have on a community. Training with EOD personnel involved building film mosaics (wet film and digital image panels) and taking x-rays of an RDD that our company designed and built to incorporate an industrial radiation source. The training was conducted within a shielded radiation vault. This gave bomb technicians an extremely unique opportunity to build skills that would be needed to deal with a "real world" RDD.

WMD Terrorism HSEEP Full Scale and WMD Terrorism HSEEP Table-Top Exercises for MARTA - Atlanta, Georgia – Web-Based System Utilized (November - December 2006): CIS recently conducted a Table-Top Exercise and a Full Scale Exercise for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) which involved multiple WMD attacks on the public transportation system. Detonation of an RDD was the focus of the Table-Top Exercise. Agencies participating in these exercises included the MARTA Police Department, MARTA Rail, Bus and Station Services, Atlanta Police Department, Atlanta Fire Department, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Cobb County Police Department, Georgia Emergency Management Agency and Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency. Scenario events caused a shut down of the entire public transportation system in both exercises.

During the Full Scale Exercise, responders had to simultaneously deal with an explosion at one of the rail stations, a bus hostage situation and multiple WMD IEDs which had the potential of contaminating surrounding areas with chemical, biological and/or radiological materials. Significant opportunities for improvements in planning and response procedures were identified as a result of conducting these exercises, which were included in the final After Action Report.

During the FSE, each position in the EOC was equipped with a computer work station linked to a single computer. The individual positions were required to log into a system called Web-log to enter any requests for assistance or any change in information as soon as that issue became known to the affected position. A casual observer could notice at a glance when an action was taking place and which issues had been acted upon or resolved. Any issues left unresolved were automatically highlighted in orange.

The Web-log system is web-based. Any computer equipped with an internet connection can gain access to the program with the proper security codes. A laptop computer equipped with an Air-Card can also be used in the field to gain access to the information being recorded in the EOC. In this exercise, the MARTA Emergency Notification System was promptly implemented by the MARTA staff. It was clear that the Web-log system can be used to monitor progress of the event and provide input remotely. This is an advanced capability which the MARTA staff used as an effective crisis management tool.

Super Bowl WMD Terrorism HSEEP Exercises (February 2006; June 2006): CIS provided training to local, state and federal agencies at Dolphins Stadium in preparation for the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami, Florida. An exercise was conducted at the stadium that incorporated multiple scenarios of terrorist attacks during the high profile and widely broadcast special event. All training was designed to measure the capabilities of local, state and federal departments and agencies in response to an incident during the 2007 Super Bowl. CIS staff worked closely with the Miami-Dade Police Department, FBI, DHS, U.S. Secret Service, BATF, FDLE, Fire Rescue, EMS, Emergency Management, Dolphins Stadium Security and Administration and other agencies to conduct training to prepare first responders, healthcare workers and security personnel for an incident involving chemical, biological, radiological or explosive materials and devices.

Critical Incident Solutions has also recently assisted the Tampa, Florida, UASI and local RDSTF Region with conducting an exercise that focused on intelligence information sharing and emergency response to acts of terrorism affecting multiple locations throughout the Tampa Bay region and surrounding counties. This effort is part of an ongoing training and preparedness program, which the Tampa Bay region is using to prepare for the Super Bowl which will be held in Tampa in 2009.

Terrorism (WMD) HSEEP TTX’s for Miami-Dade County, Florida (August – September 2005): Critical Incident Solutions recently designed, conducted and evaluated a total of 5 TTXs in Miami-Dade County with 28 different departments participating. One exercise involved multiple acts of terrorism with targeting of critical infrastructure and numerous government facilities. The second involved a biological agent which contaminated a critical facility within the county. The building had to be evacuated and could not be reoccupied for a significant amount of time. This forced activation of Continuity of Operations Plans in order to provide essential services that the entire county relied upon. The other exercises involved natural disasters which affected all government agencies, emergency services and private industry. Significant after action items were identified as a result of conducting these exercises.

WMD Terrorism TOPOFF HSEEP Exercise - Palm Beach County, Florida – Public Health (June 2006): This Top Officials (TOPOFF) TTX was conducted for the Sheriff, Police Chief (City of West Palm Beach), Public Safety Director, Public Health Director, Emergency Management Director, Fire Chief, County Administrator, State Attorney and FBI Resident Agent in Charge. The exercise was developed and designed to present unique challenges for Executive Management within Palm Beach County in dealing with a series of terrorist scenarios which included radiological and chemical attacks on the water supply, radioactive IED’s (dirty bombs), biological attacks using a highly contagious pathogenic agent, and a large vehicle bomb (LVB) assembled by a radical extremist group operating within the county. These scenarios were well received by participants and allowed them to focus on key issues such as alert notification, threat assessment procedures, fusion center concepts, inter-agency communications, technical capabilities, resource requirements, media and public relations, emergency management of mass casualty events and planning, prevention and mitigation strategies. Significant after action items were identified through this exercise.

WMD Terrorism HSEEP Functional/Full Scale Exercise and WMD Terrorism HSEEP Table-Top Exercise for Alachua County, Florida – Web-Based System Utilized (September & November 2005): Critical Incident Solutions designed, scripted, and conducted a large Table-Top Exercise for 8 major agencies/organizations in Alachua County including the University of Florida, which involved multiple acts of terrorism across the nation affecting multiple universities. Our company also conducted a functional exercise for all major emergency response agencies/organizations including the University of Florida. The scenario involved terrorists detonating a large vehicle bomb (LVB) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida during a Gators Football Game. The blast took out the Stadium Command Post and Command Staff including University of Florida Police Officials as well as several thousand spectators. The Alachua County Sheriff’s Mobile Command Vehicle was also destroyed.

Additionally, terrorists detonated explosive devices at the Alachua County Combined Communications Center which houses 911 Dispatch and Emergency Management Agency’s EOC (Emergency Operations Center). Explosive devices were also detonated at the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, Gainesville Police Department, Alachua County Fire Rescue and Gainesville Fire Rescue. Terrorists also targeted critical infrastructure by taking out key electrical sub-stations, cell towers and other communications facilities causing widespread power and communication outages.

These events required that the Incident Command Post be relocated from the stadium to the University of Florida Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in order to manage the crisis response in the field. Alachua County emergency services departments had to activate their Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) in order to continue their essential functions and provide emergency services for victims of the attacks.

Key personnel from each department, not killed by the bombings, during the exercise actually relocated to alternate facilities and established incident command and department administrative and operational activities using the only means of communication available at the time, namely department radios and web-based communications. The web-based system allowed agencies to share information and make resource requests as needed. Only those facilities capable of providing back up power were available to coordinate emergency response to each bombing location.

Significant after action items were identified as a result of conducting this exercise. These items were captured and reported to Alachua County Officials as part of the After Action Report written by Critical Incident Solution’s staff. Alachua County and the University of Florida benefited greatly from this exercise and are currently at a much higher level of preparedness for dealing with terrorist attacks due to county-wide participation in this exercise.

WMD Terrorism HSEEP TTX for Polk County, Florida (November 2005): Critical Incident Solutions recently designed, conducted and evaluated a Table-Top Exercise in Polk County with various county and city agencies participating including law enforcement, fire rescue, emergency management, public health, EMS, hospitals and communication centers. The scenario involved an act of terrorism which caused the release of large amounts of chlorine gas during a special event which was being held within the county.