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Jihadist attacks against a Paris magazine office, a kosher market in that city, and the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa seem to signal a new reliance by terrorists on conventional weapons. But you would have to have a short memory not to remember the Mumbai Massacre and the Fort Hood Shootings.

Maybe it is because in France, Canada, and the U.S. assault weapons are easier to come by than the explosives that are the deadly force in countless IED attacks in the Middle East. Despite the best efforts of law enforcement, the military, the intelligence community, and others designated with the task of protecting us from terrorist attacks, the likelihood is that the attacks will continue.

This is not lost on Americans. A recently released poll by the Pew Research Center, shows the public puts fighting terrorism above all other policy concerns for the first time in five years, edging out improving the nation’s economy which finished second in the poll.

In 1998, Osama bin Laden said that the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) was a “religious duty.” In 2003, a fatwa by a radical cleric said it was legitimate to use such weapons to kill millions. There have been more than 50 reported attempts to acquire, create, or deploy WMD. Clearly, the possession of such weapons would give jihadists power on the world stage and lead to further recruitment of fighters.

This idea is still very much alive. A German journalist who imbedded with ISIL in Mosul for ten days, recently returned to report that Islamic State fighters are committed to killing millions who do not share the radical Islamists’ religious beliefs.

A major concern is the instability of certain nations that possess WMD as part of their military arsenal. Despite efforts to remove WMD from Syria, U.S. government sources have expressed fears that President Assad may have held back a small stash of chemical weapons.

In Iraq, it has been reported that ISIL fighters removed forty kilos of uranium from the University of Mosul. While the uranium was not enriched sufficiently to be a nuclear threat, it could well be used as in a radiological dispersion device. In the ISIL stronghold of Fallujah, a water treatment plant uses chlorine to treat sewage. Al Qaeda used chlorine cylinders in IEDs against coalition troops, but without much success. The laptop of an ISIL fighter, who had formerly been a university chemistry student, had plans for weaponizing bubonic plague and making ricin from castor beans. His whereabouts are unknown. Nor do we know if other chemists and scientists have joined ISIL’s cohort.

As hundreds of foreign fighters join ISIL every day there number now exceeds 15,000 including, it is estimated, some 2000 westerners. A top security concern is the potential return of these westerners to their native countries after having been groomed to carry out attacks in their homeland. The Charlie Hebdo attackers are a case in point.

As ISIL controls large swathes of land, the probability grows that people with the appropriate set of skills will find the right raw materials to fashion a WMD. It is an escalating threat which makes, “not if, but when” a prescient prediction. What we can do is train and prepare.

Emergency Film Group WMD Response Package II provides training and response guidelines to emergency personnel who would be called upon to respond to a WMD incident. This package contains four DVDs, two Resource CD-ROMs, and two Leader Guides.

Recently, the media and many politicians have focused a great deal of attention on the Ebola outbreaks in West Africa, where at this writing, some 10,000 have died, and on the few cases that have surfaced in the United States. This has led to some false assumptions, misinformation, and confusion, particularly about the appropriate protection for healthcare workers and others who might come in contact with the Ebola virus.

When two health care workers at a Texas hospital were exposed and subsequently developed symptoms of Ebola, hospital management was called before a congressional committee. It was learned that the workers had been provided with personal protection, but had received no training or supervision in the use of the equipment. Another revelation was that the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) recommendations were based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) model. The WHO model was designed for situations in which “care is given in remote places,” where it would be likely “intensive training would not be available for health care workers,” such as remote villages in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.

This begs the question of why the WHO model would be put forth by the CDC here in the United States where we have the world’s most comprehensive standards on personal protective clothing and equipment. The standards have been developed by government agencies and national standards making organizations and products that meet or exceed the standards are well known and widely available. Subsequently, in late October 2014, the CDC revised its recommendations. The latest CDC recommendations are a vast improvement, yet it seems likely that more revisions will follow.

The major mover in the field of protective clothing continues to be the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) headquartered in Quincy, MA. They have two standards that apply, NFPA 1991, Standard on Vapor Protective Ensembles for Hazardous Materials Emergencies and NFPA 1994, Standard for Protective Ensembles for First Responders to CBRN Terrorism Incidents. In case there is any question here, the Ebola virus is a hazardous material, Hazard Class 6, Type A – an infectious substance. As far as the aforementioned CBRN (chemical biological, radiological, nuclear), Ebola has long been thought of as a potential biological agent that could be used as a weapon by terrorists.

Here is the bottom line- protective clothing certified to NFPA 1991 and NFPA 1994 is reliable for protection against Ebola, provided that proper donning and doffing protocols are followed as well as appropriate decontamination and waste management procedures for viral and bacterial threat contaminants.

Testing carried out under NFPA 1991 (totally encapsulating garments, also called vapor protective clothing) includes chemical resistance – how well the fabric repels the movement of the chemical though the CPC material. Each material is tested against a battery of 21 chemicals. No permeation is allowed for a minimum of one hour. One of the chemicals tested is chlorine. A chlorine molecule is about 5000 times smaller than an Ebola virus. So clearly, any ensemble that meets the standard will provide excellent protection against Ebola.

The ensembles designated Class 2 under NFPA 1994 are tested in a similar manner as the 1991 suits, but undergo separate tests for resistance to viral substances in liquid form. In one test, the entire garment is mounted on a mannequin and then sprayed with water from every direction for twenty minutes. If any water penetrates the ensemble, it fails. So, clearly these Class 2 ensembles are excellent barriers against Ebola.

Although it is likely that any garments used in the treatment and care of patients who have or are expected to have the Ebola virus will be of a disposable type, any re-useable equipment will have to be decontaminated. The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases recommends decontamination of Ebola with a solution of five percent sodium hypochlorite, common household bleach, for three to five minutes followed by washing with soft liquid soap and rinsing. Contaminated run-off must be collected. The latest CDC recommendations advise cleaning with an EPA registered disinfectant wipe “with a label claim of potency at least equivalent to that of non-envelope virus.”

While the latest CDC recommendations focus on the hospital environment, it is important to understand that protection is required in any healthcare setting where there is potential for exposure to patients or infected materials including body substances, contaminated medical equipment, contaminated surfaces, or aerosols generated by certain procedures. Potentially at risk are EMTs, members of hazmat teams involved in transporting patients, mortuary personnel, and those involved in handling medical waste.

In the face of this uncertainty, because no FDA approved vaccine or anti-viral drug is available for Ebola, and because of the high morbidity of these infected with the disease, it is important to learn the most basic lesson of self-protection – that those whose duty calls them to work with Ebola patients can do so safely provided they have adequate protective clothing and equipment and are trained to use it.

At Emergency Film Group, we have been training emergency responders and medical personnel how to carry out potentially dangerous tasks safely for more than 35 years. Several years ago, we created a four part series called Hospital First Receiver which is now in use in more than 1,000 hospitals throughout the country. One program in that series is entitled “Self Protection.” It was designed to provide a comprehensive examination of the protective clothing and respiratory protection issues which OSHA says every user of the equipment must be aware.

While designed for the first receiver, the lessons apply equally to any person who is expected to be involved in the care of Ebola patients.  We have re-issued the program in a new edition to speak directly to the protective clothing issues raised by Ebola. More information about the updated program,  PPE for Ebola and Other Hazards: Protecting Healthcare Workers,  can be found here. . .

Illegal production of methamphetamine in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. The Office of National Drug Control Policy estimates the economic cost to society of meth use in this country between $16.2 billion and $48.3 billion annually.

What happens to the homes that were used to create math once law enforcements shuts down the operation? Lethal chemicals seep into the walls of these homes, leaching out over time, exposing new residents to all the toxins. Meth Lab Cleanup, a national training and abatement company, estimates there are currently 2.5 million meth-contaminated homes in the United States. For every 10 homes used for meth production, experts say, authorities uncover just one.

Many of these homes are sold at deep discounts. And in many states, realtors aren’t required to disclose to potential buyers that the home they are about to purchase once housed an illegal meth lab and is loaded with toxins. Chemical residue from production of the drug seeps into the walls and insulation. That great “fixer-upper” just may be hiding all kinds of deadly chemicals that could make you and your family extremely sick.

So how do you find out if the house you want to call home was once the location of meth lab?

• Visit the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Clandestine Laboratory Register. This list contains the addresses for all homes discovered by law enforcement that contained meth labs. The searchable database has addresses arranged by state and city.
• Talk to the neighbors in the area and find out what kind of history the property has.
• Visit the local police department and inquire about any arrests or issues involving the property.
• Buy a test kit for the property. The cost to clean a former meth house runs anywhere from $5,000 to $150,000. The test kit to determine if there are dangerous chemicals from its production costs about $50.

Emergency Film Group’s Response to Illicit Drug Labs DVD provides training for emergency personnel who may encounter a clandestine drug lab during routine calls or who may be involved in taking down a lab. An ideal resource for law enforcement, hazmat teams, EMS and other emergency personnel.

In a previous post, Emergency Film Group covered the details of the safety alert issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding the potential high volatility of the crude oil coming from the Bakken oil shale patch in Montana and North Dakota. According to the agency, the crude, which is shipped by rail across the U.S. and Canada, could be more flammable than traditional oil. (See story here).

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has also issued a safety alert about crude oil being transported from the Bakken region. The PHMSA alert states:

Based upon preliminary inspections conducted after recent rail derailments in North Dakota, Alabama and Lac-Megantic, Quebec involving Bakken crude oil, PHMSA is reinforcing the requirement to properly test, characterize, classify, and where appropriate sufficiently degasify hazardous materials prior to and during transportation. This advisory is a follow-up to the PHMSA and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) joint safety advisory published November 20, 2013 [78 FR 69745]. As stated in the November Safety Advisory, it is imperative that offerors properly classify and describe hazardous materials being offered for transportation. 49 CFR 173.22. As part of this process, offerors must ensure that all potential hazards of the materials are properly characterized.

Proper characterization will identify properties that could affect the integrity of the packaging or present additional hazards, such as corrosivity, sulfur content, and dissolved gas content. These characteristics may also affect classification. PHMSA stresses to offerors the importance of appropriate classification and packing group (PG) assignment of crude oil shipments, whether the shipment is in a cargo tank, rail tank car or other mode of transportation. Emergency responders should remember that light sweet crude oil, such as that coming from the Bakken region, is typically assigned a packing group I or II. The PGs mean that the material’s flashpoint is below 73 degrees Fahrenheit and, for packing group I materials, the boiling point is below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. This means the materials pose significant fire risk if released from the package in an accident.

Read the entire PHMSA alert here. . . .   

Smoke rises from derailed oil train cars in western Alabama on Nov. 8, 2013.

Emergency Film Group’s Crude Oil Spill Response Package provides comprehensive training for emergency personnel to effectively respond to these dangerous incidents. More information about this package can be found here. . .

Multiple incidents of explosive accidents have prompted the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue a safety alert warning the pubic, emergency responders and shippers about the potential high volatility of the crude oil coming from the Bakken oil shale patch in Montana and North Dakota. According to the agency, the crude, which is shipped by rail across the U.S. and Canada, could be more flammable than traditional oil.

Officials say the oil coming from the Bakken's oil patch is lighter than traditional heavy crudes, making it prone to ignite at lower temperatures. Lighter crudes contain more natural gas, giving it a much lower flash point - the temperature at which vapors given off by the oil can ignite.

Earlier this month, in New Brunswick, Canada, a train carrying the crude oil in one of its cars and propane in three others, derailed in and exploded. The fire that ensued burned for days and residents needed to be evacuated.

Another incident occurred in December, near Casselton, N.D. when a train carrying the crude crashed into another train which had derailed. The crash triggered a massive explosion and witnesses described seeing a “giant fireball” upon impact. Responders arrived on the scene to find 10 of the 106 cars on the oil train fully engulfed in flames. The second train, which was transporting grain, did not catch fire.

No one was injured in the accident, but because of the toxic fumes being released by the fire, the 2400 residents of the town were evacuated to Fargo, about 25 miles away.

In November, a train transporting oil coming from North Dakota derailed and exploded near Aliceville, Ala. There were no injuries but an estimated 749,000 gallons of oil spilled from 26 tanker cars.

In July, a train transporting the oil derailed in Lac Megantic, Quebec, causing a massive explosion. Forty-seven people were killed and more than 30 buildings in the downtown area were destroyed.  About 1.6 million gallons of crude oil being transported was spilled.

Lac Megantic, Quebec explosion.

No explosions or fires in the latest incident which occurred last week when a train carrying the crude oil derailed over the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. The area where the derailment occurred is near the University of Pennsylvania. There are also three hospitals and a major highway close by. There were no injuries and no oil was spilled when the more than 100 car train left the tracks.

The Bakken oil boom has created another boom – the number of train cars that transport the product. In 2009, there were just 100,000 tanker cars which delivered the crude oil throughout the country. But that number quadrupled in 2013 to 400,000.

Industry experts say the dangers of crude have long been underappreciated and need to be communicated to the hundreds of counties and cities that have seen a surge in crude oil trains.

Emergency Film Group’s Crude Oil Spill Response Package provides comprehensive training for emergency personnel to effectively respond to these dangerous incidents. More information about this package can be found here. . .

An analysis of chemical incidents in elementary and secondary schools conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), found that 62 percent of these incidents resulted from human error (i.e., mistakes in the use or handling of a substance), and 30 percent of incidents resulted in at least one acute injury.

Proper handling of chemicals is critical for the protection of students and facility in schools. Keeping an inventory of chemicals, correctly storing and labeling these products, as well as proper disposal are all required for safety. Education and training of the possible risks and hazards of chemicals needs to be provided to those who will be handling these dangerous chemicals.

Damage to a classroom in Fresno, CA after a chemical fire.

In their analysis of these incidents, the ATSDR found that the majority were caused by one of the following:

• Improper chemical storage
• Unsafe handling practices
• Improper application of standard workplace procedures
• Equipment failure (i.e., broken containers, hoses, or pipes)

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recently released a video safety message, After the Rainbow, that focuses on potential dangers in high school chemistry laboratories. The message features Calais Weber, an accident survivor, who on January 23, 2006, at age 15 was burned over 40 percent of her body during a chemistry demonstration performed by her teacher at a prestigious boarding school she attended in Ohio.

What steps can schools take to prevent these accidents? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers these four strategies to help prevent chemical accidents:

1.  Identify places where chemical health and safety incidents might occur on your school’s campus such as:

• Store rooms
• Custodial closets
• Kitchens
• Nurses’ offices
• Swimming pools
• Science and art classrooms
• Motor pools (bus barns)
• Vocational and agricultural shops

2.  Develop and follow appropriate health and safety training and worksite practices for staff/students who use chemicals:

• Store hazardous chemicals securely, in well-ventilated and lit areas; and, in tightly closed, properly labeled containers.
• Avoid the combination of incompatible chemicals (For example, do not store alphabetically).
• Avoid the use of flammable chemicals near open ignition sources (i.e. furnaces and space heaters) or damaged electrical outlets and wiring.
• Perform periodic maintenance checks on vessels and equipment that contain hazardous chemicals (Look for unexpected crystallization in bottles, or bulging containers).

3.  Develop and distribute campus-specific contingency plans; then, train staff and students on emergency practices and procedures for chemical events, such as:

• Practice evacuation and “shelter-in-place” drills with faculty
• Compile chemical event notebooks with emergency checklists and phone contacts, chemical inventories and material safety data sheets (MSDS).
• Designate lead staff to serve as monitors who would be responsible for making sure everyone under their charge follows the appropriate evacuation procedures.

4.    Develop, communicate and implement preventative policies and practices with chemicals on school grounds to:

• Ensure that proper ventilation practices are considered when chemicals like pesticides, paints, and floor strippers are applied.
• Identify and properly dispose of waste or derelict chemicals that have been in storage for an unknown period of time.
• Enforce policies on improper possession or use of chemicals when observed on school grounds; common items may include liquid mercury, pepper spray, or cans of spray paint.
• Substitute equipment that does not use mercury when replacement purchases are made; such as thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, or electrical equipment.

Additional resources for schools from the EPA can be found on their website, including the Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool and the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Kit.

Emergency Film Group’s Chemical Safety Training Package teaches about the hazards of chemicals. This package contains two DVDs, Introduction to Hazardous Chemicals and Fun with Chemistry. It’s ideal for any first responder who may encounter chemicals in the course of their work or anyone who works around chemicals. More information about the package can be found here. . .

A new report written by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism’s (START) in response to the recent theft in Mexico of a truck that was transporting radioactive material, concludes there are “substantial disincentives” for any type of collaboration between Islamic terrorist groups and Latin American-based transnational criminal organizations (TCOs).

For the past two years, START has been working on a project to determine what the potential alliances are of these two groups and if they could work together in order to  obtain radiological and nuclear materials.

The organization concluded that Islamic terrorists would have little reason to trust the TCOs, given the great differences in worldviews. There are several reasons cited in the report that TCO’s would be hesitant to work with Islamic terrorist group, with one of the main reasons being profit-motivation that drives most of these TCOs. The risks involved to the group’s safety, as well as retaliation from authorities, are other factors that inhibit this collaboration.  

Recovered cobalt-60.

Although the recent theft of the truck carrying cobalt-60 wasn’t connected to terrorist activities, it did send up red flags over the potential consequences if this activity were to take place. However, according to the report, “Although unfounded, the recent incident in Mexico stirred concern regarding the potential for criminal organizations to acquire, smuggle and sell radiological materials, possibly to terrorist organizations. While there are many potential intersections between TCOs and terrorists, ranging from hybrid organizations to ideologically- or kinship-based collaboration, the scenario that seems to be of most concern to policymakers is TCOs utilizing their existing pathways and infrastructures for smuggling drugs, human beings and other cargo into the United States in order to provide a ‘delivery service’ for terrorists to smuggle RN weapons or materials into the United States.”

START says that although there is no indication that TCOs and Islamic terrorist groups are working together, there is “significant evidence of collaboration in drug trafficking and the transportation of members of terrorist organizations in and out of Central and South America.”

The report shared these conclusions of what the effects a “dirty bomb” explosion could have on the general population:

“At a minimum, “a radiological attack would entail considerable costs for cleaning up the attack site and may lead to at least the temporary displacement of people residing in the area where the attack occurred. The disruptive psychological impact on a public largely unaware about the effects of radiological terrorism would likely be far more damaging than the actual physical destruction, and could result in billions of dollars in economic damage and could stress the public health system.”   

A stolen truck that was carrying radioactive medical equipment has been recovered by Mexican authorities. The dangerous cargo was being hauled to the Radioactive Waste Storage Center in Maquixco when the truck was stolen while parked at a gas station in Tepojaco.

The radioactive material, Cobalt-60, is used for medical reasons, but can also be used to make “dirty bombs” - weapons where conventional explosives are used to disperse radiation from a radioactive source.

The equipment containing Cobalt-60 shown here as it was loaded onto a vehicle that was later stolen.

The driver of the truck reported he was sleeping in the truck when he was awoken by two men, armed with guns, at around 1:30 a.m. They forced him out of the vehicle and tied his hands and feet and left him in the parking lot as they drove off in the 2007 Volkswagen cargo truck.

The truck was located in a remote area about 25 miles from where it was stolen. The Cobalt-60 was located about a half-mile away from the vehicle, along with the empty protective lead container. Authorities believe they recovered most of the radioactive material.

Officials said they don’t believe the radioactive material was the target of the thieves and believe the two men had no idea what they were stealing. The two men are most likely suffering from radiation exposure.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Vienna-based UN nuclear body, says there are more than 100 incidents of thefts and other unauthorized activities involving nuclear and radioactive material each year. IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano, at a 2012 nuclear security summit, spoke about the effects dirty bombs can have. In his speech, Amano said, “These materials, such as cobalt-60, could be used along with conventional explosives to make so-called dirty bombs. A dirty bomb detonated in a major city could cause mass panic, as well as serious economic and environmental consequences.”

Emergency Film Group’s, Radiation Monitoring, teaches emergency personnel in mission specific Operations Level competencies regarding monitoring for radiation at WMD events as well as natural disasters and industrial accidents. To learn more, read here. . .

Thousands of people were evacuated in western Mexico as streams of gasoline gushed from a pipeline that officials say was tampered with by fuel thieves.

The incident occurred in the town of Tlajomulco, which is close to Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city. The closest homes from the site of the leak are in a housing development only 150 yards. The evacuation took place within a half mile span of the site. There were no reports of injuries and the gasoline never caught fire.

The pipeline is owned by the state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos oil company, known as Pemex. The company closed the valves closest to the leak. Emergency personnel erected a sand-bag barrier around the leak to contain the gasoline and prevent it from entering storm drains.

In 1992, more than 200 people were killed and 1,000 homes destroyed when gasoline leaked into storm drains and ignited in Guadalajara. The effects of the link were comparable to a six mile long bomb.

Pemex has been struggling with fuel thieves for months. Just in the first six months of this year alone, over 1,400 illegal taps fuel taps have been uncovered by the company. That’s more than double the total amount of illegal taps found in all of last year.

Given the knowledge and expertise needed to tap into these high-pressured lines, law enforcement says the thieves must be getting their knowledge and assistance from company insiders. Just this week, 39 Pemex employees and nine sub-contracted fuel delivery truck drivers have been arrested on suspicion of fuel theft. Those arrested were allegedly falsifying weight measurements on loaded tanker trucks at a Pemex distribution facility.

Emergency Film Group’s Pipeline Emergencies was created for the National Association of State Fire Marshals and was funded under a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Emergency Film Group and our parent company, Detrick Lawrence Productions, offer complete production services from development and script writing to screening and distribution. To learn more, read here. . .