Fayette County emergency officials

have worked with a variety of agencies to plan how they will respond in

case of a terrorist attack on any facility in the county.

Plans are in place to respond

and sometimes prevent certain scenarios from affecting the public. Local

officials communicate with state law enforcement sources several times

daily to see if there are any intelligence reports that indicate an area

of Fayette County is a possible terrorist target, said Pete Nelms, emergency

management coordinator for the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency

Services.

If Fayette's water supply somehow

becomes contaminated, the intake of water can shut down, Nelms said. This

could be crucial since Fayette depends on the Flint River for much of

its drinking water supply. The Flint starts just south of Hartsfield International

Airport, which could realistically be the target of a terror attack.

Any attack on Atlanta would

ultimately affect Fayette in some way simply because of the number of

local residents who work there, noted Chief Allen McCullough.

In February, Fayette Community

Hospital conducted a drill that simulated a local family being exposed

to smallpox so local medical providers could practice their response.

Smallpox is an extremely contagious viral infection that is fatal for

up to one-third of its victims. Local medical providers have also trained

on how to treat victims of a chemical attack.

The county has also purchased

special "monitoring and detecting" equipment that can be used

to provide crucial information if a terrorist attack ever threatens local

residents. The equipment was originally purchased to help hazardous materials

responders, but can also be used for a terrorist attack.

Fayette has also been analyzed

for high-risk areas such as local industries, who are being asked to take

extra security precautions particularly with hazardous chemicals. Some

businesses and industries have been advised of simple procedures, some

of which are management tasks, to help improve security. Others are asked

to take more visible precautions such as fencing and extra security presences

to further deter any possible attacks.

Fayette's public schools are

at the ready to host evacuees in a shelter plan that would be operated

the county has contacts with several private water suppliers who can help

out.

Fayette County's emergency

planners have built relationships with a host of agencies from the hospital

and local physicians to public health officials so if something happens,

emergency officials know who to call for assistance, McCullough said.

"We may not know how to

solve a problem, but we know who to call," McCullough said.

Meetings with these various

agencies heppen on a daily basis "so we can have our act together,"

McCullough said.

Other agencies involved in

the emergency planning process include the Red Cross, Fayette County's

water, health, and road departments, the county's Department of Family

and Children's Services, along with police and fire agencies from Fayette

County, Peachtree City, Fayetteville and Tyrone.

The county also benefits from

a good working relationship with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency,

McCullough said. Several top county emergency employees hold high-ranking

positions in several state agencies who also are tackling the same terrorist

attack scenarios.

Fayette County has also recently

signed a statewide mutual aid agreement to provide assistance to other

areas of the state if a disaster struck. Local emergency officials would

decide how much of Fayette's resources could be shared elsewhere; in return,

if something happens in Fayette, local officials can count on help from

other agencies also, Nelms said.

"Our number one job, first

and foremost, is to protect Fayette County and we'll always be that way,"

McCullough said.

Many local physicians, who

play a key role in responding to medical needs from a potential crisis

such as a chemical or biological attack, are also communiciating with

county emergency management officials as response plans were developed.

In case of an emergency, non-emergency

county employees could also play roles in assisting public safety officials

in case of a crisis. Some might answer a bank of phones to provide general

information to the public as county officials could designate a special

phone number for people to call so the county's 911 center isn't tied

up with people calling for information.

Back

to News Home Page |