Emergency response drill entails the short steps and strategies that involve the functions of different agencies responding to an adverse emergency event. The type of response exemplified in this emergency drill is a CBRNE case, where terrorists seek to use chemical, biological or radiological weapons on private grounds. The exercise also extends to a nuclear threat within the jurisdiction of the agencies involved in the drill. The location of the incidence requiring an emergency response is in Los Angeles. Principally, the emergency response agencies in the exercise have primary mandates, which are not confined to any specific agency. Therefore, the functions can be performed by the first responders to the scene to avoid time wastage in establishing responsibilities at the stage.
First, the first responders to the scene must assess the general damage or threat implicated in the emergency. Emergency assessment is an essential role that is aimed at establishing the budgetary estimates needed for that particular situation. Moreover, the initial evaluation can help in determining the level of the CBRNE threat, and call upon the agencies best equipped for mitigating the situation. The second general mandate for the agencies involved in the drill is hazard operations, which assists in containing any spilled hazardous material. Hazard operations also prevent further damage from the emergency, the CRBNE. Moreover, first responders to the scene are mandated with population protection to reduce the losses that can arise (Davis et al., 2016). Lastly, the emergency response unit should manage the incident if other agencies fail to respond in due time. However, each agency in this emergency drill should not exceed a response time of 48 hours. In addition, agents should embrace the interrelationship between agencies to create a smooth execution of commands.
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In this accord, the first responders to the CBRNE case include the FBI, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the department of defense, and the American Red Cross. The four primary responders can aid the state first responders before further support is provided from other essential agencies from the federal government. Each agency in the emergency situation has unique roles in averting the threat, but some responsibilities also cut across the functioning of all the agencies (Lee et al., 2010).
For instance, the FBI is one of the leading entities that have phenomenal experience in dealing with CRBNE situations. Ideally, the agency tracks terrorist activities in due time and is one of the first responders to threats. Moreover, the agency can establish timely reports of the situation and communicate the necessary information to the public. To this end, the FBI is an essential agency in this emergency drill due to their proficiency in counterterrorism and their infrastructure to aid local authorities in managing a threat incidence.
Secondly, FEMA is a first responder in the CRBNE threat and its presence in the drills is essential because disaster administration requires quick coordination. FEMA has a widespread network within federal agencies for responding to emergencies linking information between agencies and streamlining communication (Davis et al., 2016). Further, the federal agency is the lead communicator of disaster management progress to the public. However, the jurisdiction of FEMA is not only restricted to terrorism threats, but also the environmental disasters that may ensue from a terrorist attack. Over the recent years, terrorism has heightened in intensity, hence creating the need to establish contingency in the response drill.
The third agency in the response drill is the department of defense, which is mandated with the provision of armed assistance to other agents. Additionally, the DoD is actively involved in the eradication of weapons of mass destruction on domestic soil, and the case falls directly under their jurisdiction. DoD is responsible for sourcing technical expertise from the National Guard, the marines, the air force, and other branches of the military that can be utilized in this specific situation. The bottom line is the DoD gives the threatened states the assistance they need under terrorist attacks.
Lastly, the American Red Cross is an essential first responder to a disastrous situation because they provide health care to the wounded. Terrorist attacks are usually fatal and having an agency that is equipped with the correct healthcare infrastructure is essential. Apparently, the American Red Cross is a private entity, but its long relations with the state agencies make it an amicable ally in containing the adverse effects of a terrorist attack. Moreover, the agency can provide food and efficient shelter to the individuals affected by the attack. Red Cross can also sensitize the community in providing direct assistance like in the donation of blood to aid the attack fatalities.
The emergency response drill is executed on the highly populated area hence requiring the agencies in the disaster management team to develop a close relationship in their functioning. A good relationship between the agencies is critical in ensuring that time wastage is averted in the management plan (Levy, 2014). The FBI has a direct contact with other agencies in the response drill to streamline the execution of commands in the quest to manage a CRBNE attack. For instance, the FBI has a close relationship with FEMA in the response drill. Ideally, FEMA can protect populations within the probable attack zone by providing transportation and equipment for managing the disaster (Davis et al., 2016).
FEMA also gains the FBI assistance in creating public awareness to the nature of the situation being handled. Further, the data from the FBI assists FEMA in determining the extensiveness of probable disaster by assessing the infrastructure used by terrorists. Moreover, the information obtained from the FBI is used by the DoD to devise ways of countering a possible threat in the country. In the CRBNE case, the DOD can assess essential information that can help in developing a task force plan for apprehending the terrorists.
Lastly, the FBI aids other agencies avert danger, in the case the terrorist ambush agents. Another significant relationship between the agencies is the relationship between FEMA and Red Cross. Predominantly, Red Cross can boost FEMA’s population management in the attack location because the agency has the adequate infrastructure of managing large numbers of fatalities. Moreover, the complementary relationship between the two agencies is depicted in the shelter and food that Red Cross aids to the victims of an attack.
In this accord, the lead agency, in this case, is the DOD, whose capabilities of containing a CRBNE attack are unparalleled. However, each of the agencies presented in the emergency response drill is of essential assistance to the efforts of the DoD. Emergency response requires the existence of contingencies in the case the first responder is incapable of dealing with a threat or disaster (Cashman, 2000). Interrelationships between agencies in the response drill create the successful management of an incidence.
Despite the competence of the emergency response agencies, budgetary constraints also determine the ability of agencies to counter a threat (Levy, 2014). The fiscal allocations are dependent on the magnitude of the problem and agencies involved in the drill. Apparently, the agencies presented in the exercise receive adequate government funding. Therefore, the budgetary allocations for each agency will result in effective management of the situation. American Red Cross can also source private funds to support the management of the looming disaster.
References
Cashman, J. R. (2000). Emergency response to chemical and biological agents . Boca Raton: Lewis.
Davis, L. M., Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (U.S.), United States., & National Defense Research Institute (U.S.). (2006). Combating terrorism: How prepared are state and local response organizations ?. Santa Monica, CA: RAND National Defense Research Institute.
Lee, J., Cleare, T. W., Russell, M., & Government Institutes. (2010). Establishing a healthcare emergency response coalition. Lanham: Government Institutes.
Levy, J. (2014). The First Responder's Field Guide to Hazmat & Terrorism Emergency Response. Cork: BookBaby.
