Ohio Department of Health 1

The State of Ohio

Weapons of Mass DestructionWeapons of Mass Destruction

BIO TERRORISMBIO TERRORISM

PROTOCOLPROTOCOL

PROCEDURES FOR LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL PERSONNEL AND AGENCIES

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BIO-TERRORISM

• THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS WHICH MAKE THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS

• NON TRADITIONAL RESPONDERS INVOLVED

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AGENCIES INVOLVED

• LOCALLY– EMA– EMS– FIRE– HEALTH DEPT– HOSPITAL– LAW

ENFORCEMENT– POISON CONTROL

• STATE & FEDERAL

– CDC

– FBI

– EMA

– OSP

– STATE DEPT OF

HEALTH

– USPHS

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FIRE

• Ohio Revised Code places senior fire officer in charge

• Responsible for interagency coordination

• Incident Command System

• Unified Command

• Hazmat

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POLICE• This is a crime scene

• Primary job is securing the

scene and the preservation of the evidence

– building security

– interagency coordination of all law

enforcement

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EMS• Support of Hazmat team

• Decon

• Triage

• Transportation

• Team Vitals

• Patient monitoring

• Coordination with LHD for pt. monitoring

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HEALTH• Local Health Department contacts Ohio

Department of Health• Assist in processing victims if applicable• Long term monitoring of patients• Support of command with information

about the agent• Coordinates with local hospitals• Sends liaison to hospital for patient

inventory

• Contact Poison Control/CDC

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EMA• Local EMA is charged with coordination

of services

• Notifies State EMA

• Finds needed resources

• State EMA coordinates at the state level

• Opens EOC as needed

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• In state buildings, in charge of security

• OSP may coordinates transportation of the sample to ODH labODH lab at OSUOSU

• Maintains the chain of custody and coordinates with FBI

• Transportation will be air and ground

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• By Federal Law, FBI is charged with the

investigation if a crime exists.

• Will coordinate the scene with local

officials

• There are coordinators in Cleveland,

Columbus, and Cincinnati

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OHIO DEPARTMENT OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHOF HEALTH

• Disaster ResponseDisaster Response and InfectiousInfectious DiseaseDisease Bureaus Bureaus will establish a bridge line with CDCCDC and the on scene incident commander

• ODHODH LabLab will accept samples from scene and process them for identification.

• ODH will support local health department

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Scenario: Anonymous Caller- No Device Found

• Telephone call received

• No evidence is seen

• ICS must decide on building

evacuation

• Secondary device should be

considered

• Officials notified

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Scenario: Device Found• Threat is received

• Evidence found

• All potentially exposed personnel must be contained

• Decontamination process established

• Officials notified

• Patients monitored

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Scenario: Potential Threat Opened - Material Present • Envelope or package is received

• Has some type of alleged agent inside

• Package should be contained

• Area should be contained

• Officials notified

• Personnel decontaminated

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Scenario: Envelope Open- No Material

• Person opens an envelope or package• Information inside advises of anthrax

contamination• Nothing seems to be in the envelope

– Envelope or box should be contained– Notify officials– Secure area– DECON to be determined

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• Person does not open envelope or package

• Handle as law enforcement investigation– Notify officials– Envelope or box should be contained

(double bagged and into container)– Secure area

Scenario: Potential Bio Threat - Not Opened

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The Biologic Threat

• Anthrax seems to be the agent of choice at the present time

• There ARE others!!

• Any threat using biologic agents

should be considered real

• Abortion and family planning clinics have been targeted in the past, also industry and schools

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Potential List of Agents• Anthrax (bacteria)• Plague (bacteria)• Q fever (rickettsia)• Smallpox (virus)• Ebola (virus)• Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE)

(virus)• Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (toxin)• Botulinum (toxin)• Ricin (toxin)

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• Calls to 9-1-1 & EMS

responds

• Medical community

response

• Epidemiology

Detection of Covert Biological Attacks

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Covert Incident will be Hard to Recognize

• Symptoms resemble other sicknesses

• May not surface for 3 or 4 days

• Physicians may not be

familiar with symptoms

• Mortality will be expected

• Lab analysis must be expedited in any case

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Local Dispatch & 911 Centers

• Initial dispatch card should include– Fire / EMS– EMA – Law enforcement– Hospitals

• Secondary notification should include– Local health department– FBI

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QUESTIONS?

• REVIEW POINTS:– The GUIDELINES are a “work in progress”– They are ONE of several tools to use in

planning– Incident Command System is a

NECESSARY concept for response– Communication is THE KEY (e.g., HAN,

partnering with other agencies)