preparedness and Emergency response

The Islamic State (ISIS) is an unrecognized pro-state Salafi Jihad terrorist group that rose to prominence in 2014 after forcing Iraqi government forces out of major western Iraqi provinces, followed by the seizure of Mosul and the massacre of Sinjar. By 2015, this extremist group had grown in power and influence in both Iraq and Syria. The Islamic state had supporters from all over the world before their victory of Mosul and Raqqa. They used the internet to recruit followers from many nations and launched a series of attacks across Europe that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people. (Cutter, Burton & Emrich, 2010). Although most of the ISIS territories have been recaptured by government forces in both Syrian and Iraq, their network has spread to different parts of the world. The militant group still has the capabilities of launching attacks in western countries. Thesis: Most countries including the United States have therefore instituted emergency responses to terror attacks on urban areas, most of which are elaborate and more effective.

After the September 11th attack, the Department of Homeland security (DHS) was formulated by the US cabinet. The duties of this division of the federal government were antiterrorism, cybersecurity, immigration and customers, emergency responses and disaster prevention and management. Since its institution, DHS has managed to prevent numerous terrorist attacks by both domestic and foreign terrorist. There have, however, been other terror attacks that were successful such as the Boston Marathon bombing on April 2013 (Sylves, 2014). The department of homeland security alongside the state governments has formulated emergency preparedness and response programs that are expected to be followed in case of an attack on major cities. With the growing threat of ISIS attacks in Europe, these measures will come in handy in cases of successful terror attacks (Sauer, McCarthy, Knebel & Brewster, 2009).

Emergency response units

If ISIS launched an attack today, the state and local police departments would be the first responders in cases of any ISIS attacks in urban centers. The duties of these police officers are to secure the crime scenes and evacuate the people surround the scene of the attack. The police department has elite units, Special Weapons and Tactical Unites (SWAT) that are on 24-hour standby and can be deployed on a moment's notices in cases of any emergencies. The responsibilities of these units will be to foil ongoing attacks and hunt down high-level terror attackers in the States. The Department of homeland security will also facilitate securing a perimeter outside the scene of the attack to prevent any subsequent attacks (Lentzos & Rose, 2009).

Police officers will also be tasked with redirecting traffic to pave the way for emergency services. These duties will be assigned to the traffic police officers. Roadblocks will also be placed on all the major roads leading out of the cities. This will minimize the chances of the terrorist from leaving the city after carrying out their attacks. The manhunt for the attackers will be coordinated by the department of homeland security in association with the local authorities in the states where the attacks took place (Schuster, Stein, Jaycox, Collins, Marshal & Berry, 2001).

Firefighters are also among the first responders to the scenes of attacks. They will be responsible for putting out the fire to prevent it from spreading to other nearby buildings. They will also enter the buildings under attack and help evacuate the wounded and those trapped in the building. Due to the high population in the urban centers, ISIS attacks can lead to a high number of casualties. Emergency responses are therefore to minimize this number drastically. The firefighters alongside the police officers on the scene will go through the rubbles to rescue survivors and take them to safety (Perry and Lindel, 2003).

Other emergency response units that will be on the scene in case of An ISIS attack will be relief agencies such as the Red Cross team and the Emergence medical technicians (EMT). The Red Cross teams are specialized in the provision of first aid to those who are wounded in the attacks. The duties of the EMT and those of the Red Cross team are aligned. Both teams will check the wounded and perform first aid on the scene, before transporting those who are critically injured to the hospital. The Red Cross team will also set up an emergency medical shelter that will enable the injured to be attended to on the spot by doctors on the scene (Sauter & Carafona, 2012). These shelters will also host those who have been affected by the attack, such as those who have lost their homes. This category of people will be provided with beddings and food. Medical evacuations will also be available by medical helicopters such as those provided by the state alongside those provided by the Red Cross team. The critically injured will be given priority in the medical evacuation by chopper.

Evacuation

Most of the cities in the United States, however, do not have an elaborate evacuation plan in cases of impending disasters. Mass evacuations are necessary whenever there is a terrorist threat of a large scale, and the authorities haven’t determined the targets yet. In such cases, the civilians are evacuated to enable the security agents to track the terrorist. However, the cities n most states of the United States the evacuation plans are not elaborate and only work in cases of natural disasters such as tornadoes, floods, and storms (DiMaggio, Markenson, Loo & Redlener, 2005).

The media is a significant tool in keeping the masses calm and offering a way forward in cases of terrorist threats. For instances in cases of impending the threats, the people will be notified byte media to keep in crowded places such as malls and marketplaces. If the security agents have determined the identities of the potential attackers, the media can be used to circulate the photos of the suspects to keep the citizens on the lookout. On the other hand, the media can also spread panic making the work of security agents more difficult. The forensic teams are the lasts on the scene (Lakoff, 2007). Their duties will be to collect information of the weapons used by the attackers to determine their origin and the group responsible.

It can, therefore, be deduced that, in case of an ISIS attack on urban areas in the United States, emergency response teams will arrive on the scene on a moment’s notice. These emergency response teams include the police, the firefighters, Red Cross and other relief agencies, the EMTs and Homeland security agents. The police will secure the scene; keep civilians at a safe distance and redirect traffic away from the crime scene. The EMT And the Red Cross team will help in the evacuation of the injured, while the firefighter will help it the rescue of those trapped in the buildings. There is, however, no elaborate plan for mass evacuation in cases of massive attacks on the cities.











References

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DiMaggio, C., Markenson, D., T. Loo, G., & Redlener, I. (2005). The willingness of US Emergency Medical Technicians to respond to terrorist incidents. Biosecurity and bioterrorism: biodefense strategy, practice, and science, 3(4), 331-337.

Lakoff, A. (2007). Preparing for the next emergency. Public Culture, 19(2), 247.

Lentzos, F., & Rose, N. (2009). Governing insecurity: contingency planning, protection, resilience. Economy and Society, 38(2), 230-254.

Perry, R. W., & Lindell, M. K. (2003). Preparedness for emergency response: guidelines for the emergency planning process. Disasters, 27(4), 336-350.

Schuster, M. A., Stein, B. D., Jaycox, L. H., Collins, R. L., Marshall, G. N., Elliott, M. N., ... & Berry, S. H. (2001). A national survey of stress reactions after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. New England Journal of Medicine, 345(20), 1507-1512.

Sauer, L. M., McCarthy, M. L., Knebel, A., & Brewster, P. (2009). Major influences on hospital emergency management and disaster preparedness. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness, 3(S1), S68-S73.

Sauter, M., & Carafano, J. (2012). Homeland Security: A Complete Guide 2/E. McGraw Hill Professional.

Sylves, R. (2014). Disaster policy and politics: Emergency management and homeland security. CQ Press.

Wood, M. M., Mileti, D. S., Kano, M., Kelley, M. M., Regan, R., & Bourque, L. B. (2012). Communicating actionable risk for terrorism and other hazards⋆. Risk analysis, 32(4), 601-615.