GEARING UP AND GETTING THERE: IMPROVING LOCAL RESPONSE TO CHEMICAL TERRORISM

This dissertation uses Los Angeles, California as a case study to suggest local organizational choices and policies to mitigate injuries and prevent deaths that may result from a chemical terrorism attack. Low cost alternatives to improve the current response level to chemical terrorism are discussed. The dissertation focuses on risk assessment, capability and response performance level, modeling, and budget constraints. It is concluded that decentralization of counter-chemical terrorism equipment throughout the metropolitan Los Angeles would be helpful. Other recommendations include creating low-cost training methods for first responders, identifying policies to speed up decontamination, reformulating certain doctrines that might slow down the mitigation process inadvertently, and continuing to address an approach to disaster preparedness that focuses on all hazards.

• Record URL:
  http://www.rand.org/publications/RGSD/RGSD181/RAND_RGSD181.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  RAND Corporation

  1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138
  Santa Monica, CA  United States  90407-2138
• Authors:
  • Houghton, B K
• Publication Date: 2004-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 201 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Biological and chemical weapons; Budgeting; Chemical agents; Costs; Countermeasures; Disaster preparedness; Disasters and emergency operations; Emergency management; Emergency medical services; Emergency response time; Emergency training; Equipment; Fatalities; Hazards; Hospitals; Injuries; Metropolitan areas; Performance; Policy; Risk assessment; Terrorism
• Uncontrolled Terms: Decontamination; First responders; Modeling
• Geographic Terms: Los Angeles (California)
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00988807
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 11 2005 12:00AM