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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides both state and local governments the opportunity for preparedness program funding through its federal grant programs. These non-disaster grants are offered to enhance the capacity of state and local emergency responders to prevent, respond to, and recover from a weapons of mass destruction terrorism incident involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive devices and cyber-attacks. There are currently eight different grant programs offered by FEMA, in addition to its Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

One of the requirements emergency organizations must meet in order to qualify for federal grant funding is they must have adopted the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS is a comprehensive, nationwide systematic approach to incident management. The system uses a core set of doctrine, concepts, principles, terminology and organizational processes for all hazards and offers standardized resource management procedures for coordination among different jurisdictions and organizations. 

NIMS is based on creating a proactive system that assists emergency responders during incidents or events and focuses on five key components:

• Preparedness
• Communications and Information Management
• Resource Management
• Command and Management
• Ongoing Management and Maintenance

 By offering a universally consistent and flexible national framework, NIMS provides a way in which government and private entities at all levels can work together to manage domestic incidents, whatever the cause, size, location or complexity.

Emergency Film Group’s NIMS: Introduction to the National Incident Management System DVD provides NIMS video training describing response protocols for hazardous materials, terrorist, and other major incidents. Focus is on the Incident Command System. To learn more, read here. . .

A recent one month investigation by the Associated Press (AP) found that fears of terrorism has made it extremely difficult for the public to find out what type of hazardous materials are being stored in their neighborhoods. In many communities, both the public and emergency workers have no idea that potentially explosive chemicals are being stored there.

The explosion at the West, TX fertilizer plant that occurred in April is a perfect example of this issue. After a fire broke out at the plant, there was a tremendous explosion, caused by ammonium nitrate, which was stored at the plant. Despite the known dangers of the chemical, the majority of the people in West, including the town’s EMS director, had no idea that ammonium nitrate was being stored at that facility.

Aftermath of West, TX fertilizer plant explosion.

But as the AP reports, there are hundreds of facilities, just like the West Fertilizer Co., sitting in the midst of schools, businesses, hospitals and residential neighborhoods. How many is unknown. When the AP made nationwide inquiries, 28 states responded, providing a count of over 120 facilities that are located in areas that put the public at serious risk. The other 22 states refused to provide the information.

Anyone located within a quarter to a half mile of a facility where an explosion occurs is at risk. Debris from the West explosion was found almost two miles away. Based on the information that was provided, more than 600,000 people who live within a quarter-mile of a facility, are living in a potential blast zone if as little as 190 tons of ammonium nitrate is detonated.

Some of the states that refused to provide the requested information cited the risk of terrorist attacks and their interpretations of federal law as the reason why. Ohio, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho and South Carolina were included in that group. West Virginia told the news organization they could either review the paper records in person, or request the records individually.

Statistically, however, Americans are more likely to be hurt from chemical or industrial accidents, such as the explosion in West, than from terrorist attacks, such as the Boston Marathon bombing.

Emergency Film Group’s Protective Actions: Evacuation/Shelter in Place DVD teaches organization how to organize and carry out an emergency evacuation plan. This informative training video training program is for emergency response personnel - incident commanders, police officers, emergency management personnel, National Guard troops, hazmat teams, firefighters, security personnel, dispatchers, emergency operations center personnel - and others who might be involved in ordering or carrying out protective actions. To learn more, read here. . .

The federal government offers no clear guidelines for chemical exposure from oil spills, leaving protection of the public in the hands of state and/or local officials when an accident does occur. There have been at least three oil spills from ruptured pipelines in the past three years, but each community handled each situation differently.

In June, 2010, 33,000 gallons of medium grade crude oil leaked from a ruptured pipeline into a Salt Lake City, Utah neighborhood. The oil leaked into Red Butte Creek and all through residential neighborhoods. There were no evacuations done. Many of the homes had windows opened, allowing fumes to seep into homes. These fumes can cause drowsiness and lethargy in people when exposed and many of the residents reported sleeping until noon that day.

A month later, in Marshall, Mich., a million gallons of heavy Canadian crude spilled into the Kalamazoo River. Four days later, officials finally issued a voluntary evacuation of residents.

In March of this year, 22 families were evacuated from their homes when 200,000 gallons of heavy crude leaked from a broken pipeline in Mayflower, Ark. However, residents who lived just blocks away in the same subdivision weren’t evacuated. The oil flowed and ended up in a lakeside community, where it is still being cleaned up. None of those residents were ever asked to evacuate.

Spilled crude oil is seen in a drainage ditch near evacuated homes in Mayflower, Arkansas.

Also at issue is the lack of studies to determine the long term health dangers from exposure to oil fumes. Many people who were exposed complained of headaches, nausea and respiratory problems after the incidents, and medical experts don’t know what long-term effects may appear years later.

Crude oil contains over 1,000 chemicals, many of which have been classified as hazardous to humans. One of the most dangerous is benzene. Increased exposure to benzene has been shown to cause leukemia and neurological problems. None of the federal guidelines about benzene exposure covers exposure from oil spills.

Despite plans to expand the pipelines by more than 10,000 miles - many of those miles in populated neighborhoods -  there are still no plans for the government to set chemical guidelines at oil spills. Nor are there any plans to conduct studies of long-term health effects on those that have already been exposed.

Emergency Film Group’s Site Management & Control is part one of the Hazardous Materials: Managing the Incident series. The film includes information on preplanning to set up a systematic, coordinated approach to a hazmat accident; procedures for establishing command; guidelines for safe approach and positioning at a hazmat incident; establishing the perimeter and hazard control zones; and procedures for carrying out protective actions. To learn more, read here. . .

A 65 year old Oregon man has been arrested and charged with six counts of aggravated murder and three counts of first-degree arson in connection with the slayings of three people. Edward Lawrence Nelson, of Coos County, is accused of killing his wife and a married couple who lived next door, and setting both houses on fire to cover the murders.

Police responded to a call from someone who reported they saw both homes on fire and the suspect driving away from the scene. When emergency responders arrived at Nelson’s house, they found Kathleen Nelson dead. The preliminary investigation indicates homicidal violence as the cause of death.

The home next door was also on fire, and the bodies of retired teacher Renae Cottam and his wife, Lola, both 73, were also found. The couple was both killed before the fire started. Investigators have also said that both fires were intentionally started.

Nelson was arrested shortly after by Oregon State Police. His bail has been set at $6 million. Autopsies are pending on all three victims. The investigation is ongoing.

Emergency Film Group’s Fire Investigation Package is a two-part series of training videos which covers investigating fires. Part One covers interviewing, examining the scene, writing reports and follow-up activities. Part Two studies how fires typically begin, fire behavior, how firefighting tactics may affect the fire and destroy evidence, methods for determining the point of origin and cause of the fire, identifying accidental fire vs. arson, gathering evidence. To learn more, read here. . .

Edward Lawrence Nelson faces multiple charges, including murder and arson, in the deaths of three people.

Authorities are investigating what caused a massive explosion at a Louisiana chemical plant that killed one person and has left over 75 people injured, some critically, with burns, heart and breathing problems, blunt trauma and other injuries.

The blast occurred at the Williams Olefins plant in Geismar, located along the Mississippi River. It is only one of 12 plants along a 10-mile stretch of the river. According to the company website, the Williams Olefins facility produces 1.3 billion pounds of ethylene and 90 million pounds of propylene, highly flammable gasses used in the production of petrochemicals, per year.

Hundreds of employees were working inside the plant when the explosion occurred. Witnesses described the scene as “mass hysteria” with workers running and climbing over gates, trying to escape the fire that erupted after the explosion, shooting flames as high as 200 feet into the air.

Massive explosion rocks Louisiana petrochemical plant.

Several employees remained behind in a blast-proof control room, where they managed to shut down critical areas and prevented the disaster from spreading throughout the plant.

Authorities confirmed that 29 year old Zachary Green, from Hammond, was killed in the blast. His body was found by hazmat crews who were inspecting the site. Of the dozens of other victims who were treated at area hospitals, three still remain in critical condition.

Investigators still don’t know what caused the explosion, but did say it was the propylene and not the ethylene which had caught fire in the explosion. Louisiana Department of Environment Quality (DEQ) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials were at the scene monitoring the air quality following the blast.

Ethylene can affect the nervous system, causing shakiness or dizziness, and can irritate eyes and sinuses. Propylene can be a potential carcinogen and can cause difficulty breathing when inhaled.

Emergency Film Group’s Propane, Butane & Propylene is part of The HazChem Series of safety training videos. This program focuses on propane, butane and propylene, the most common liquefied petroleum gases. Highly flammable, their containers can fail with explosive force. To learn more, read here . . .

An 11 year old boy is dead and his mother seriously injured, both the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. Jeffrey Williams and his mother, 49 year old Janine Williams, both from Rock Hill S.C., were staying in the same Best Western Hotel room where a Washington couple was found dead in April.

According to Boone, N.C. police, emergency workers responded to a call from the hotel for Room 225 and found the boy dead and his mother in a deep state of asphyxia. During that response, a presumptive test indicated an elevated level of carbon monoxide in the room. Janine Williams was rushed to the Watauga Medical Center where she is listed in stable condition.

Emergency crews responding to Best Western found an 11 year old boy dead.

The Watauga County Health Department announced that preliminary indications are that Jeffrey died from asphyxia. Final results are pending for toxicology samples that have been sent to the N.C. Office of Chief Medical Examiner.

On April 16, Daryl Dean Jenkins, 73, and Shirley Mae Jenkins, 72, both of Longview, Washington,  who family members describe as being in “good health”, were also found dead in Room 225. Initial autopsy reports were inconclusive as to the cause of death and samples were also sent to the Chief Medical Examiner. Just two days after Jeffrey was found dead, new toxicology tests confirmed the couple also died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The room is situated directly above an equipment room with a natural gas heater for the enclosed indoor pool. On March 6^th, a Watauga Health inspector ordered the Best Western to fix ventilation problems immediately, writing in his report, “Chemical/Equipment room is required to have natural cross ventilation or forced air ventilation. This must be corrected ASAP.” There is no record that the hotel ever fixed the problem.

Emergency Film Group’s CO: Response to Carbon Monoxide Incidents DVD training program provides training to firefighters, industrial fire teams, EMTs, police, poison control center personnel, plant safety personnel and others who may be called upon to respond to an incident involving carbon monoxide. To learn more, read here. . .

Over the past few years, terrorist acts like the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, the attempted bombing in Times Square, and numerous foiled attacks, have changed the way law enforcement police our cities and towns. The threat of terrorist attacks – improvised explosive devices (IED), biological and chemical weapons – don’t just happen in foreign countries anymore. It’s no longer just a war on crime law enforcement face when they hit the streets every day, but also a war on terrorism.  

As the events of the Boston Marathon bombing unfolded and the world watched as hundreds of law enforcement and emergency responders sprang into action, utilizing all the knowledge and training they’ve received, and displaying incredible courage, our company felt humbled, knowing that some of our programs may have played a small part in the outcome.

Several of the City of Boston public safety agencies are on our client list – including the Boston Police Department, Boston Fire Department and Boston Emergency Medical Services. Terrorism: Explosive & Incendiary Weapons, Detecting Weapons of Mass Destruction, Terrorism: 1st Response, Terrorism: Radiological Weapons, Terrorism: Biological Weapons are just several of the many Emergency Film Group programs these agencies have purchased, as have many of the other federal, state and municipal agencies who were called in to assist.

Other EFG clients include the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, CIA, OSHA, Environmental Protection Agency, Honeywell, IBM and US Steel, as well as thousands of other federal, state and municipal agencies, hospitals, universities and private corporations.

Emergency Film Group and Detrick Lawrence Corporation have produced over 150 training programs on emergency response and won more than 140 awards for training effectiveness and filmmaking excellence.

Each Emergency Film Group training program is developed with guidance from a technical committee of the foremost authorities in the subject field. Many of them serve on the committees of standards-making organizations - guaranteeing that the information is accurate, authoritative and current with relevant consensus standards and federal guidelines.

Training films typically run from 18 – 25 minutes and cost between $75, 000 - $125,000 to produce. Actual fire fighters, law enforcement personnel and emergency responders appear on camera – ensuring authenticity and adherence to regulations. EFG’s technical committee reviews our library of programs regularly to make sure each one production is up-to-date.

A full list of the products we offer can be found here. . .

Prop used in EFG's 'IEDs & VBIEDs' training film.

Emergency Film Group has begun production of its latest project, Target: Transportation Systems. The training program is funded by the United States Congress and designed to support the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) and law enforcement efforts to prevent and deter acts of terrorism. The project is organized in four modules, describing the vulnerability of transportation systems to explosive device attacks and how transportation industry personnel can make major contributions to the security of the nation’s transportation network.

Filming of the first module recently took place on location at several Massachusetts transportation facilities. This program studies terrorist attacks on transportation systems around the world and filming included re-enactments of several major terrorist incidents. Both facilities personnel and local actors participated in the filming.

Several scenes were filmed at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport, in West Tisbury, and featured different methods of concealments of improvised explosive devices (IED) as well as basic security procedures to prevent terrorist attacks.

EFG films at Martha's Vineyard Airport.

Another day of filming was spent at the Steamship Authority ferry terminal in Woods Hole, both aboard the SSA’s vessels and at the ferry terminal in Woods Hole. EFG’s crew, with the help of several local boat owners, the Falmouth Harbormaster and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute was also able re-enact examples of terrorist actions on the water.

The third day of filming was spent with the MBTA Transit Police Department.  Three MBTA facilities – South Station, World Trade Center Station and Courthouse Station - became the scene of “terrorist activity” as the EFG’s cameras rolled. Several MBTA Transit police officers participated in the filming, including the Transit Police’s bomb squad.

Other programs in the series will focus on in-depth look at IED components, the mind set of terrorists and how the set about to organize an attack, and responses to suspicious objects, including protective actions, incident command and response priorities.

As with all of Emergency Film Group’s productions, this program was created with the assistance of an expert technical committee, with members from Safe Skies, Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP), TSA, Transportation Explosives Security Training Center (TESTC), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), NYPD Bomb Squad and the FBI.

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Responders to hazmat and WMD incidents who have been active since 911 are well aware of what happened in the wake of the anthrax attack in 2011. Thousands of anthrax scares kept hazmat teams scurrying to “white powder” calls, almost all of which turned out to be harmless substances. The newest scourge involves another biological agent - ricin.

Ricin letters have been sent to the President, a US Senator and New York’s Mayor Bloomberg, and the organization Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The letters attack the stance of persons and organizations who back stricter gun control legislation.

Terrorist planting a powdered biological weapon.

When the anthrax attacks happened, news organizations worldwide turned to Emergency
Film Group because it had recently release a training film called Response to Anthrax Threats. As is the case now with ricin, little was known about anthrax.

In 2001, letters containing anthrax were sent to Senator Tom Daschle, NBC and other media outlets. The anthrax had been weaponized and milled to very fine dust. In the aftermath, there were nineteen confirmed cases of anthrax and five persons died. Many more were exposed and underwent treatment. Anthrax can kill up to 90% of its victims.  The most likely and most lethal route of exposure is through inhalation. Within one week of exposure acute respiratory distress and cyanosis may appear. A vaccine is available and certain antibiotics can be effective immediately after exposure. However, there is usually no effective treatment after symptoms begin.

In WMD training for emergency responders, biological agents are usually divided into four major categories: Viruses, Bacteria, Toxins, and Rickettsia.  Anthrax is categorized as bacteria, while ricin is a toxin.

Biological toxins are produced by plants, animals, or microorganisms. Ricin is a protein found in the castor bean plant. The plant (ricinus communis), generally found in areas with a year-round warm climate, is a fast-growing leafy plant that can grow ten feet in a single season. Oil from the castor plant has been used for medical purposes for thousands of years: everything from hair growth to a laxative.

Castor oil is the key component in numerous industrial applications. Its water-resistance has made it a component in paint and varnish. Castor oil can maintain viscosity at extremely high temperatures so has been used as motor oil and in nylon production.

The seeds contain between 40% and 60% oil. Ricin is also present in lower concentrations. A lethal dose of ricin is considered to be four to eight seeds for a healthy adult. However, reports of actual poisoning are relatively rare, and suicides involving ingestion of castor beans are unheard of.  However, a more lethal form of ricin can be extracted from castor beans by concentrating it. Videos on line have explained how to this- a fairly uncomplicated, but time consuming process using readily available supplies and chemicals.

The likely routes of exposure are through ingestion, injection, or inhalation. A lethal does may be as little as a few grains of table salt.

If the ricin is ingested, symptoms may be delayed by up to 36 hours but commonly begin within 2 to 4 hours. These include a burning sensation in mouth and throat, abdominal pain, purging, bloody diarrhea, and seizures. Within several days there is severe dehydration, a drop in blood pressure and a decrease in urine. Unless treated, death can be expected to occur within 3 to 5 days. Antidotes are under development, but there has only been limited testing with humans. Symptoms can be treated, but long term organ damage is likely in survivors. Commercially available castor oil is not toxic to humans in normal doses

Ricin is known to have been used by injection in at least two assassinations.  In 1978, the Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was assassinated by Bulgarian secret police who surreptitiously injected him on a London street with a modified umbrella using compressed gas to fire a tiny pellet contaminated with ricin into his leg.  He died in a hospital a few days later; the pellet was discovered during an autopsy. Markov had defected from Bulgaria some years previously and had subsequently written books and made radio broadcasts which were highly critical of the Bulgarian communist regime

The United States restricts the possession or use of ricin since it is a potential weapon of biological terrorism. According to the 2002 Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness Act, possessing, using or transferring ricin is prohibited. There are no federal regulations restricting the possession of castor bean plants.

The recent spate of ricin letters has often been treated in the press as part of the gun culture issue. But there should be no mistake, sending a ricin letter to anyone is an act of terrorism. The federal regulation is clear. Terrorism is “the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof in furtherance of political or social objectives.”

Written by Gordon Massingham, the director and writer of the Emergency Film Group program “Terrorism: Biological Weapons.” Part II of the series will address sampling and decontamination issues.