Differing Views of the RAID Team Role Exist at State and Local Levels Because the RAID teams are just getting established, there is not much information about the teams at the state and local levels. Therefore, we contacted only a few states, including Pennsylvania, which has a RAID team, and local jurisdictions to obtain their opinion on the RAID team concept. Most local and state officials we spoke with do not see a role for the RAID teams in their response framework. However, officials from Pennsylvania, one of the states to receive a RAID team, are enthusiastic about the concept. Officials from larger jurisdictions usually have very robust HAZMAT capabilities. Many of the officials we spoke with stated that they see no use for the RAID teams because their own experienced technicians can not only perform sufficient detection and identification to begin to handle the situation, but also work in the stressful, dangerous environment. They also did not see the RAID team providing advice on situation assessment and management, which is another of the RAID team missions. These officials consider themselves very experienced in managing HAZMAT emergencies and did not believe the RAID team could suggest anything they did not already practice every day. However, some of the officials did state that perhaps the RAID teams could be a useful asset for those locations with little or no HAZMAT capability. One state official stated that the RAID team could bring certain capabilities to a WMD event, such as expertise on military agents. Officials from Utah's Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management stated that a RAID team would not respond to a WMD emergency in time to be of much help. Since a detachment of the Army's Technical Escort Unit is already stationed in the state and the state emergency management officials have a relationship with the Unit, officials believe the RAID team capability would not be effective for their state. An official from the Virginia Department of Emergency Services believes the RAID team, as a regional asset, would not arrive in time to be an effective response asset, especially since the RAID team would not operate routinely with Virginia's existing coordinated and integrated response program. Virginia has 13 HAZMAT response teams that operate as local teams until called upon to assist another jurisdiction under the state mutual aid agreement. It also has hundreds of highly trained technicians on other HAZMAT teams that can perform the basic detection and identification tasks that allow them to begin to handle a WMD emergency. The official also expressed concern about how the RAID team would interact with the HAZMAT teams already on the scene and what they would do to assist if they arrived too late to provide the expertise for which they were trained. However, he does believe that the RAID teams could bring certain capabilities to a WMD event, such as specific expertise concerning military agents, and acting as liaison between the civilian response and the military assets brought in to assist. He also believes that a RAID team could add materially to Virginia's preparedness and response capabilities, if it was properly trained and equipped and had a well-defined mission consistent with and integrated into Virginia's overall Terrorism Consequence Management concept. The state and federal officials stated that the National Guard, in its traditional assist role, would be necessary and invaluable in a WMD emergency as in natural disasters and other emergencies. They, as well as officials from the International Association of Fire Chiefs, agreed that the detection and identification capabilities in the RAID teams would be better placed in the local responder community, since the local responders will be on the scene first and need information quicker than the RAID team, or any federal assets, could get there to provide it. According to some officials, an investment in more sophisticated detection and identification equipment and advanced training for HAZMAT teams would benefit the teams' response to all HAZMAT emergencies, not just WMD incidents. As we discussed in our November 1998 report, the Domestic Preparedness Program is providing the largest 120 cities in the United States with the opportunity to expand their WMD capabilities; however, there are concerns about some aspects of the program. Pennsylvania State Emergency Management Agency officials are very enthusiastic about the concept. Even though there are state certified HAZMAT teams in 42 of the 67 counties in the state, the officials are modifying their state response plans to include the RAID team as the primary state asset to deploy in a WMD chemical emergency. They also plan to have the RAID team operate in non-WMD HAZMAT emergencies. They believe this not only gives the team a chance to gain operational experience and learn to operate as a team in the stressful HAZMAT environment, it also gives the state an additional HAZMAT asset to deploy. The officials dismissed the idea of relying on federal assets because of concerns about their availability and responsiveness if the state ever needed them. Similar Capabilities Exist at Local, State, and Federal Levels The RAID teams are to assist local and state authorities in assessing a WMD event; advise these authorities regarding appropriate actions; and facilitate requests for assistance to expedite arrival of additional state and federal military assets. The January 1998 DOD plan that led to the creation of the RAID teams focused on some of the military assets with similar capabilities available to support local authorities in a WMD event. It did not consider over 600 state and local HAZMAT teams that have to assess and take appropriate actions in incidents involving highly toxic industrial chemicals and other hazardous materials. Some of these local teams are receiving training and equipment through the federal Domestic Preparedness Program that will give them the capability to respond to WMD events. The plan also did not discuss many of the civilian federal organizations that can provide advice or respond with personnel and equipment to help mitigate the effects of a WMD. Finally, the plan was developed without the benefit of an analytically sound threat and risk assessment. We have said in prior reports and testimonies that such assessments can help decisionmakers in targeting investments, setting priorities, and minimizing program duplication. Local and State According to local, state, and federal officials, a chemical terrorism event will likely look like any major HAZMAT emergency and HAZMAT teams will be the first to reach the scene. HAZMAT technicians are trained to detect the presence of highly toxic industrial chemicals and can use basic identification techniques and equipment to give them sufficient information to begin to assess and respond to the situation. For example, the chemical agent sarin is from the same organophosphate compound family of chemicals as pesticides. HAZMAT technicians can identify this chemical family using readily available kits. The technicians are trained and experienced in the protocols used to handle this chemical family and can begin to mitigate the chemical immediately. The identification of biological agents requires a complex process performed in a lab and cannot, as yet, be done on scene by any unit, including the RAID teams. However, it is likely that detecting and identifying an actual biological agent will involve the medical community over a period of days rather than the HAZMAT community or the RAID teams over a matter of hours. According to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, there are over 600 local and state HAZMAT teams that will be the first to respond to an event involving hazardous materials, whether it is a WMD agent, industrial chemical, or other material. Although these teams vary in capability, ranging from basic to robust, they all have the basic capability to detect and identify industrial chemicals and mitigate the effects of a chemical emergency, either on their own or with help from nearby jurisdictions, private contractors, or federal organizations. Some areas have small teams with little HAZMAT equipment. For example, Utah currently has five Utah Highway Patrol troopers trained to the level of HAZMAT technician who are responsible for managing hazardous material emergencies throughout the state. They have basic chemical identification kits and laptop computers in their patrol cars that allow them to identify the family of chemicals they are faced with and provide information on how to mitigate the effects. Beyond the troopers, the state relies on a network of amateur radio operators, city HAZMAT teams, volunteers with a level of awareness in chemicals, oil company teams, and a detachment of the Army's Technical Escort Unit stationed in the state to handle large emergencies. The state is planning to expand its HAZMAT capability with enough trained volunteers to staff six regional teams, available on an as-needed basis. According to officials from Utah's Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management, this capability, with some awareness training for those involved, will be sufficient to begin to manage the consequences of a WMD event involving chemical agents. Local jurisdictions such as Chicago, Illinois; Fairfax County, Virginia; and Montgomery County, Maryland have more robust HAZMAT units. These units can handle large HAZMAT situations involving the most toxic industrial chemicals with little or no help because of investments in equipment, training, and staff. The units have more sophisticated detection and identification equipment that allows them to know what chemical is present. They are usually outfitted with a higher level of equipment, including personal protection suits with self-contained breathing mechanisms that allow them to enter the "hot zone" area of most intense contamination to quickly begin to manage the situation. The largest cities in the United States, usually the ones with the more robust HAZMAT capabilities, are included in the 120 cities scheduled to receive WMD training, assistance, and equipment through the Domestic Preparedness Program. In our November 1998 report, we reported that the training and equipment that DOD is providing to cities through the program have clearly increased cities' awareness of and should better prepare them to deal with a chemical or biological terrorist incident. State, local, and federal officials agree that the capability for managing a WMD event should be in the hands of the people who will have to deal with the situation first and who most need it-the first responder community. According to these officials, it would be far more effective to improve the capabilities in the first responder community than to create additional capabilities to assist them. Military Assets Available to There are 89 Air National Guard civil engineering units spread throughout There are highly specialized military assets to deal with the full range of |