Combating Terrorism
Federal Response Teams Provide Varied Capabilities : Opportunities Remain to Improve Coordination : Report to Congressional Requesters
Description:... A terrorist act involving a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agent or weapon presents an array of complex issues to state and local responders. The responders, who may Include firefighters, emergency medical service personnel, and hazardous materials technicians, must identify the agent used in rapidly decontaminated victims and apply appropriate medical treatments. They must determine whether the agent has spread beyond the incident site and what actions should be taken to protect other people. They must also be concerned about damage to the physical infrastructure and about coordinating efforts with law enforcement personnel as they conduct their investigation. If the incident overwhelms the capabilities of state and local responders, they may turn to the federal government for assistance. Federal agencies may provide assistance by deploying various response teams. In response to your request, we reviewed federal agency teams that can respond to and help manage the consequences of a domestic terrorist Incident involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agents or weapons. This report discusses (1) the characteristics of federal response teams, (2) whether duplication among teams belonging to different agencies exists, (3) the budget requirements process for teams and how the budgets are linked to a national strategy; and (4) initiatives to improve the operational coordination of federal response teams across agency lines.
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