Dirty Bombs, Chemical and Biological Threats

“Separating Fact From Fiction”

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Organizational Resiliency in Times of Crises---Do you have it?

Harvard Business Review-Gary Hamel: “The world is becoming turbulent faster than organizations are becoming resilient”

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BackgroundRecent National Intelligence Estimate Report: “Terrorist Threat to the US Homeland”

July 22, 2007--Meet the Press segment with the Head of National Intelligence, Mike McConnell said that al Qaida is determined to attack the USA with either nuclear, biological or chemical weapons

Recent headlines say that al Qaida is determined to launch a “mass casualty spectacular event” on US soil

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Background

1/2008 Survey Indicates Nuclear Terrorism is Americas

Top Fear---74%

2/1/2008 US Military Not Prepared For Catastrophic

Attack

Domestic Terrorism Threat On Rise---FBI Chief

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Recent Situations

Ricin in Las Vegas Hotel Room---2/29/2008

Radiological Threat in NYC---8/2007

DC Metro Shut Down---8/2007

Colombia’s Leftist Guerrillas Tried to Acquire

Radioactive Material For “Dirty Bombs”---3/2008

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Government InterventionsExtended Terrorism Reinsurance Backup

Bush signed and directed DHS to consolidate Federal Agency Bio-surveillance Data into 1 database---32 billion

Audit Report of 8/2007--- Falling short of objectives, staffing, weak management, not fully defined requirements, not meeting objectives

Bush signed law 8/2007 implementing 9/11 Commission recommendations , Act of 2007 Title IX Called for voluntary certification program for corporate readiness

ERM Risk Rating for non-financial companies

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Purpose of PresentationWorld unaware and therefore largely unprepared for Bioterrorist attacksOnly thing we have to fear is fear itself---FDR--1933Increased knowledge of threats will result in less panic and casualties if an attack occurs Reduce employee concernsProtect your organization from direct or indirect impactPlan for these threats like other threats---earthquake, hurricane, etc.BCM strategy more important than ever

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The Three Most Frequently Mentioned Mass Casualty Threats are:

Nuclear

Chemical

Biological

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Question?

Which of the potential mass casualty threats (Nuclear,

Biological, Chemical) would likely result in the most

casualties?

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Nuclear BombsInitiated by conventional explosivesAchieve critical massUncontrolled chain reaction occursIntense heatShock waveRadiationRadiation fall out

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Dirty Bomb (RDDs)Not a nuclear bomb

Mix of explosives with radioactive material

Weapon of mass disruptionSpreads radioactive material over immediate areaAlpha, beta, gamma radiation

Over 21,000 organizations licensed to use radioactive materialEmergency response actions

Cover nose and mouth, use maskDon’t touch materialMove upwindGo inside and take off outer clothes and seal in a bag, shower

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Chemical ThreatsDefinitions

– Chemical agents are not true gases but rather aerosolized solids or

liquids

– Volatility-ability to evaporate

– Persistence-ability to stay

Preparations

– Special Clothing needed

– Not as effective when delivered by weapons

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Potential Chemical WeaponsG versus V Agents

Nerve Agents– G A Tabun

– G B Sarin

– G D Soman

Blister Agents– HD-Sulfur mustard– HN-Nitrogen mustard– CX-Phosgene Oximine

Choking Agents– CG Phosgene– CI Chlorine– DP Diphosgene– PS Chloropicrin

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Biological Threat AgentsEasy to acquire, synthesize, and use

No reliable and immediate detections systems exist

Covert application

Recognition of clinical symptoms associated with various BW agents is critical

Masks-multi-layered HEPA

No special clothing needed

Biological Threat AgentsAnthraxPlagueCholeraTularemiaSmall PoxRicinViral EncephalitidiesBotulinum Toxin

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What is the difference between a chemical, biological or radiological threat?

Chemical incidents are characterized by rapid onset of medical symptoms (minutes to hours) with easily observed signatures-pungent odor, dead foliage, colored residue, dead insects/animals

Biological incident symptoms require days to weeks and typically have no characteristic signatures, therefore area impact may be large

Radiological incident requires days to weeks to determine, however, explosion may be the first clue

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Indicators of Possible Nuclear, Biological, or Chemical Incident

Dead animals/birds/fish

Lack of insect life

Physical symptoms

Definite pattern of mass casualties

Unexplained odors

Low lying clouds

Geographical illness

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Personal Safety ConsiderationsEvacuate upwind

If outside, cover skin areas, keep windows closed, turn

off A/C, seal windows and doors

Maximize distance from site of suspected material

When clear of contaminated area remove external

apparel and leave outside

Shower thoroughly

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Questions?

Back to our original question---

Which of these potential threats would likely result in the most mass casualties?

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Strategies To Survive a Mass Casualty Threat

Develop a comprehensive BCM strategy which includes both a BCP and a DR PlanPlan for the worst; easy to scale recovery for lesser disastersTrain for realityCommunicate plans in simple termsEducate employees about mass casualty threats and what to do

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Business Continuity Planning (BCP) Must Include:

Provisions for employee and employee family safety

Identification of key Business Processes

Recovery Time and Point Objectives (RTOs, RPOs) for

Key Business Processes

Identified alternate work sites

Emergency communications plan

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Business Continuity Planning (BCP) Must Include:

Alert levels

Disaster scenarios

Allocation of key employees, workspace, critical equipment, and technology to recover key business processes

Ranking of key business processes by Recovery Time and Points Objectives (RTOs, RPOs)

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Next Steps for Your Organization

• Review your organization’s BCP capabilities versus emergency and recovery requirements (RTOs, RPOs)

• Identify and resolve any GAPs that must be mitigated

• Train your employees

• Exercise your BCP

• Update your BCP