Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996 On June 26, 1996, the Senate passed the Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of Preparedness for the possibility of domestic terrorism involving nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons actions necessary to reduce U.S. vulnerability to these forms of attack.

Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996 The Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996 also confirmed investigations which concluded that: Weapons of mass destruction are increasingly accessible to rogue states and terrorist groups. Terrorist groups and rogue states are becoming increasingly likely to use weapons of mass destruction against the United States. The United States is very poorly prepared to defeat or limit the damage of a domestic nuclear, biological, or chemical attack.

The Act Requirements There is a need to develop a more fully coordinated response to that threat on the part of Federal, State, and local agencies The Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act established the principle of funding domestic preparedness against terrorist WMD attack from the defense budget

Domestic Preparedness Chemical Terrorism Response Preparedness. Biological Terrorism Response Preparedness. Improvements in National-Level Response Capabilities Nuclear Terrorism Preparedness Early Warning of WMD Acquisition and Attack

Controlling the Sources of Supply Securing Nuclear Materials Eliminating Excess Plutonium Stockpiles Dismantling Strategic Launchers Dismantling WMD and Infrastructure. Interdicting WMD Smuggling Controlling the "Brain Drain"

Bomb Threat Preparedness and Response There are a variety of guidelines available for preparing and responding to bomb threats. These agencies include: FEMA US Postal Service ATF

FEMA Guidelines for Suspicious Packages and Letters Be wary of suspicious packages and letters. They can contain explosives, chemical or biological agents. Be particularly cautious at your place of employment.

Characteristics of Suspicious Packages Some typical characteristics postal inspectors have detected over the years, which ought to trigger suspicion, include parcels that: Are unexpected or from someone unfamiliar to you. Have no return address, or have on that can’t be verified as legitimate. Have protruding wires or aluminum foil, strange odors, or stains. Show a city or state in the postmark that doesn’t match the return address. Are of unusual weight given their size, or are lopsided or oddly shaped. Are marked with threatening language.

Characteristics of Suspicious Packages (Cont.) Have inappropriate or unusual labeling. Have excessive postage or packaging material, such as masking tape and string. Have misspellings of common words. Are addressed to someone no longer with your organization or are otherwise outdated. Have incorrect titles or titles without a name. Are not addressed to a specific person. Have hand-written or poorly typed addresses.

FEMA Mail Center Guidelines With suspicious envelopes and packages other than those that might contain explosives, take these additional steps against possible biological and chemical agents. Refrain from eating or drinking in a designated mail handling area. Place suspicious envelopes or packages in a plastic bag or some other type of container to prevent leakage of contents. Never sniff or smell suspect mail. If you do not have a container, then cover the envelope or package with anything available (e.g., clothing, paper, trash can, etc.) and do not remove the cover. Leave the room and close the door, or section off the area to prevent others from entering.

FEMA Mail Center Guidelines Wash your hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to your face. If you are at work, report the incident to your building security official or an available supervisor, who should notify police and other authorities without delay. List all people who were in the room or area when this suspicious letter or package was recognized. Give a copy of this list to both the local public health authorities and law enforcement officials for follow-up investigations and advice. If you are at home, report the incident to local police.

CDC’s Guidelines for Bombings and Mass Casualties Preparing for a Terrorist Bombing: A Common Sense Approach The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has developed guidelines for preparing for a terrorist bombing. These guidelines can be found here.here

Bomb Threat Planning Many facilities have been the subject of bomb threats, though rarely are explosive devices found. A primary fact to be realized is that the operating function or purpose of a facility does not affect materially whether it will be susceptible to bombs or bomb threats.

Bomb Threat Planning A senior manager or the emergency coordinator should be assigned as the person in charge. The police and fire departments should be notified. Based upon the available information the credibility of the threat must be assessed, and the person in charge must decide whether: The building should or should not be evacuated. The scope of any evacuation - full or partial. The duration of any evacuation.

Sample Bomb Incident Plan Designate a chain of command. Establish a command center. Decide what primary and alternate communications will be used. Establish clearly how and by whom a bomb threat will be evaluated. Decide what procedures will be followed when a bomb threat is received or device discovered. Determine to what extent the available bomb squad will assist and at what point the squad will respond. Provide an evacuation plan with enough flexibility to avoid a suspected danger area.

Sample Bomb Incident Plan (Cont.) Designate search teams. Designate areas to be searched. Establish techniques to be utilized during search. Establish a procedure to report and track progress of the search and a method to lead qualified bomb technicians to a suspicious package. Have a contingency plan available if a bomb should go off. Establish a simple to follow procedure for the person receiving the bomb threat. Review your physical security plan in conjunction with the development of your bomb incident plan.

USPS Mail Center Security Guidelines The Mail Center Security Guide was prepared by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to assist in keeping the mail center safe and secure. The guide provides general advice and recommends protective measures to help you assess, prevent, and respond to three types of threats: Weapons of mass destruction. Mail bombs and bomb threats. Mail center theft.

FEMA 452: - Risk Assessment: A How-To Guide to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks FEMA Risk Assessment: A How-To Guide to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks The objective of this How-To Guide is to outline methods for identifying the critical assets and functions within buildings, determining the threats to those assets, and assessing the vulnerabilities associated with those threats. The methods presented provide a means to assess risks and to make decisions about how to mitigate them.

FEMA 452: - Risk Assessment: A How-To Guide to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks The scope of the methods includes reducing physical damage to structural and non-structural components of buildings and related infrastructure, and reducing resultant casualties during conventional bomb attacks, as well as attacks involving chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) agents. The intended audience includes architects and engineers working for private institutions, building owners/operators/managers, and state and local government officials working in the building sciences community.