City at the ready for war

Jenny Marder

As the United States sits on the brink of war with Iraq, the city of

Huntington Beach continues its preparation plans under heightened

security.

The city has increased safety measures in all of its facilities

since the threat level was raised to the color orange, which means

high risk of terrorist attacks, by the U.S. Department of Homeland

Security on Monday.

“[City employees] have all been asked to look for abnormal

activities and suspicious persons around their workplace,” said

Glorria Morrison, emergency services coordinator for the Fire

Department. “Code orange means read your plans, read your safety

precautions, gear up and get ready to be on the lookout.”

All public safety officials and emergency operations center

personnel in the city have been engaged in intensive training since

March 2000 to prepare for a possible biological, chemical or

radiological attack. Public safety officials include police, fire,

marine safety and public works employees.

Huntington Beach is one of three cities in Orange County, the

others being Santa Ana and Anaheim, to have received a $900,000 grant

from the Department of Justice. The grant money has provided

equipment, training and public health materials to better prepare

cities for an attack by a weapon of mass destruction. Surf City was

one of 120 cities nationwide to receive the grant. .

“We’re very, very well prepared,” said Chuck Reynolds, coordinator

for the city’s weapons of mass destruction preparedness program. “We

were fortunate to have received the grant. We have received more

money than other cities and we have the ability to purchase equipment

and train for an attack.”

The city has detection equipment with sensors that can identify

biological and chemical substances. In an attack, staff is prepared

to take immediate readings to make quick decisions, Reynolds said.

Radiological monitors can also determine if there is a radioactive

substance in the area.

“[A response team will] go in proper personal protective equipment

and use detectors and they can detect biological and chemical

substances,” Reynolds said.

Funds from the Department of Justice have also paid for personal

protective equipment, such as chemical suits, to be worn by rescue

teams and for a decontamination shelter to be set up near the

hospital for attack victims and response personnel. Reynolds said

that staff is being trained to treat 100 people in 20 minutes.

“Decontamination is one of the most critical things that we do,”

he said.

In the event of a chemical or biological incident, instructions on

personal protection, health and decontamination warnings will be

provided by health and safety officials through radio and TV

broadcasts. The city is also equipped to provide supplies of vaccines

and antibiotics, if needed.

In the case of an emergency, the city will sound its seven sirens,

installed at each of the fire stations to alert the public of danger.

The sirens are tested at noon on the last Friday of each month.

“Unless it’s the last Friday of the month at noon, if you hear the

sirens, turn on the AM/FM radio, listen for emergency broadcast and

follow the public safety instructions,” Morrison said.

Police, fire, emergency response, hazmat teams and local hospitals

have staged four large-scale simulation drills in two years, where

public safety officials responded to imaginary smallpox, plague,

nerve gas and a chemical terrorism attacks. Another countywide

terrorism drill is scheduled for May.

For residents who want to learn more on how to prepare, the city

is offering a series of workshops. The first, scheduled for April 5,

is titled “Disaster and Terrorism Preparedness.” For more

information, call the Community Emergency Response Team office at

(714) 536-5974 or check online at www.hb-cert.org.