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BLUEPRINT

FOR THE

NATIONAL DOMESTIC

PREPAREDNESS OFFICE
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BLUEPRINT FOR THE NATIONAL DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS OFFICE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 3

Domestic Preparedness Assistance from the Federal Government 4

Responding to Stakeholder Concerns 4

Section I 5

 Executive Summary 5

The Need for a Single Coordinating Office for Federal Domestic Preparedness 5

 A Vision for Working with First Responders to Enhance Domestic Preparedness 7

Overview of NDPO Functional Areas 7

 Management Plan 10

Interagency Participation 11

Section II 13

 Roles and Missions of Agency Participants 13

 Department of Energy 14

 Environmental Protection Agency 15

 Department of Health and Human Services 16

 Federal Emergency Management Agency 17

 Department of Defense 18

 Department of Justice 19

Section III 21

ENHANCING FEDERAL DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS EFFORTS 21

FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF THE NDPO 21

Planning 21

Training 22

Exercises 24

Equipment/Research & Development 26

Information Sharing 27

Health and Medical Services 30

CONSULTING WITH THE STATES ON A NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS 32

 A National Strategy -- Building a Two-Way Street 32

 Outreach to Communities 33

Appendices 34

Acronyms 35
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Introduction

Success in preventing, preparing for and responding to a terrorist attack in the United States

involving conventional or non-conventional weapons of mass destruction (WMD) will depend upon

the establishment and maintenance of a coordinated crisis and consequence management infrastructure.

 Emergency responders who arrive first on the scene, as well as those in the medical profession who

provide interim treatment, must be adequately trained, equipped, and exercised to ensure their ability

to effectively respond and conduct relief and recovery operations as part of a multi-agency team.

The federal agencies recognize that the response to bioterrorism will be qualitatively different

from a chemical event and will primarily involve the public health and medical communities.

Events within the United States and against Americans abroad have demonstrated the need

to enhance the nation’s domestic preparedness activities. The United States Congress and the

President have recognized the need for federal programs to assist state and local jurisdictions in

preparing for the threat of WMD terrorism.

In 1996, the Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act was passed directing the

Department of Defense (DoD) to enhance domestic preparedness for responding to and managing

the consequences of a terrorist attack using WMD. Under this Act, DoD was directed to provide

training, exercises and expert advice to emergency response personnel, and to provide emergency

response training equipment to local jurisdictions on a loan basis. In implementing its domestic

preparedness program, DoD, in coordination with its interagency partners, selected 120 of the

nation’s largest cities based upon census population figures, special events, and a balanced

distribution throughout the nation. The Act also authorized the Department of Health and Human

Services (HHS) to develop Metropolitan Medical Response Systems (MMRS) in local jurisdictions

across the country.

In 1996, Congress also passed the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which

authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Justice’s

Office of Justice Programs (OJP) to fund and develop an emergency response to terrorism training

program for fire, emergency medical service, and public safety personnel. Furthermore, the 1998

Commerce, Justice, and State Appropriations Act provided for the creation of an equipment

acquisition grant program, as well as training centers for emergency responders at Fort McClellan,

Alabama and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. The equipment acquisition grant

program, administered by OJP, offers grants to metropolitan jurisdictions for the purchase of

operational equipment. The OJP grant and training programs target the Nation’s 120 largest

metropolitan jurisdictions, a separate list which partially overlaps the list of 120 cities used by DoD.

The FY1999 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriation

authorized funding for HHS to renovate and modernize the Nobel Army Hospital located at Fort

McClellan for the purpose of providing training in the health response to bioterrorism.

In addition to these programs, a multitude of other federal departments and agencies also

conduct training programs, or possess relevant expertise and resources for enhancing the capabilities
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of state and local authorities to respond to acts of WMD terrorism. However, federal efforts to date

in this regard have been fragmented. A single office within the Federal government is needed to

coordinate domestic preparedness programs.

Domestic Preparedness Assistance from the Federal Government

In response to calls from members of the emergency responder community across the country,

the Attorney General proposed the establishment of a National Domestic Preparedness Office

(NDPO), to coordinate and serve as an information clearinghouse for federal programs supporting

state and local emergency responder communities in the area of WMD-related domestic preparedness

planning, training, exercises, and equipment research and development. Forming a partnership

between the Federal Government and the nation’s emergency responder community (of state, local

and tribal governments) is the goal of the NDPO.

Fostering cooperation among federal, state and local agencies is consistent with the Five-Year

Interagency Counter-terrorism and Technology Crime Plan (The Five-Year Plan), which sets

challenging milestones for a newly established NDPO. In August 1998, during preparations for the

Five-Year Plan, the Attorney General directed the Department of Justice (DOJ)/Office of Justice

Programs to host a meeting of the nation's “stakeholders” of the emergency response community.

Collectively, the 200 stakeholders represented all of the response disciplines, including fire services,

hazardous materials (HAZMAT), law enforcement, emergency management, and health and safety

communities, as well as national representatives of various professional associations and

organizations. The stakeholders reported their recommendations to the Attorney General at the

culmination of a two-day forum.

Responding to Stakeholder Concerns

The principal recommendation that emerged from the meeting of the stakeholders was for the

establishment of a single federal coordinating office for the many federal programs providing domestic

preparedness assistance to state and local jurisdictions. The NDPO responds to that

recommendation. Other recommendations cited by the stakeholders encompass six broad issue areas

requiring federal coordination and assistance. These areas are: Planning; Training; Exercises;

Equipment Research and Development; Information Sharing; and Public Health and Medical Services.

 The stakeholders cited the need for federal coordination and assistance in all these areas. They also

recommended the creation of a state and local Advisory Group to provide a mechanism for regular

input and guidance from the emergency responder community into federal domestic preparedness

programs.

In October 1998, after consultation with the National Security Council (NSC), the Federal

Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and others, the Attorney General directed the FBI to lead an

interagency coordination initiative now known as the NDPO.

Federal participants in the NDPO will include: HHS, DoD, Department of Energy (DOE), the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the DOJ/Office of Justice Programs, and FEMA. Other
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agencies, such as the U.S. Coast Guard, Veteran’s Administration, and the Nuclear Regulatory

Commission, have expressed interest in participating.

The principal federal agencies with responsibilities and resources for domestic preparedness

have pledged their support for the establishment of the NDPO to serve as a single office for

coordinating federal domestic preparedness programs. The NDPO will address stakeholders’

concerns by providing a single point of contact among federal programs, reducing duplication, and

improving the quality of federal support provided to the emergency response and health care

community.

Section I

Executive Summary

In the first minutes following a terrorist incident involving WMD, the critical response will

come from the state and local first responder communities. These first minutes can mean the

difference between life and death. As noted at the outset, the federal agencies recognize that the

response to bioterrorism will be qualitatively different from a chemical event and will first and

foremost involve the public health and medical communities.

While certain jurisdictions are currently well trained and equipped to respond to a WMD

incident, others are not. The nation’s capability to respond to a WMD act of terrorism will depend

on the smallest as well as the largest cities possessing essential plans, training and equipment. An

effective response will require coordinated planning, training, equipping and exercising on the part

of all agencies involved, federal, state, and local.

This document puts forth a "blueprint" for the NDPO -- a single coordinating office and

information clearinghouse for federal assistance programs -- to better prepare state and local officials

to respond to WMD acts of terrorism within the United States.

By providing a venue for a full and sustained partnership of the federal agencies responsible

for WMD crisis and consequence management, and their state and local emergency management,

public health and medical counterparts, the NDPO will seek to promote the highest level of national

domestic preparedness, using existing mechanisms among state, local and federal agencies.

The Need for a Single Coordinating Office and Information Clearinghouse for

Federal Domestic Preparedness Programs

The NDPO will be an interagency effort to enhance coordination among federal programs

offering terrorism preparedness assistance to states and local communities. As such, it is intended

to serve as the central coordinating office and information clearinghouse for federal assistance

programs, with the goal of integrating and streamlining government assistance. As an information

clearinghouse, the NDPO will provide details on federal assistance programs to state and local

response agencies. The NDPO is not intended to be the creation of a new federal bureaucracy or to
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usurp the assistance programs under the management of other agencies, but rather to be a "one-stop

shop" for state and local responders seeking information regarding federal domestic preparedness

assistance and as a forum for federal domestic preparedness programs to coordinate policy affecting

those programs.

The NDPO will be organized into six program areas to coordinate and share information

related to federal domestic preparedness programs and to provide state and local first responders with

a single, central point of contact for information about these programs. These program areas will

provide an interagency forum in each area for coordination of federal policy and program assistance

to state and local emergency responders. For instance, federal programs providing training will be

assessed in this forum in order to eliminate duplication and to ensure that training programs adhere

to minimum national standards. The NDPO will be staffed by federal, state and local program

coordinators and experts, most of whom are already engaged on a full- or part-time basis in domestic

preparedness activities. In the coordination of federal programs, it is the NDPO’s objective to ensure

proper representation of experts from all disciplines responsible for domestic preparedness and

emergency response. However, NDPO staff will not supplant the functions that are the

responsibilities of its constituent departments and agencies, but rather serve as a forum to coordinate

these programs.

The NDPO will not serve, nor is it intended to serve, as an operational entity. Response

activities will remain with the various departments and agencies whose functions and responsibilities

in a WMD event are described in the Federal Response Plan Terrorism Annex.
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A Vision for Working with First Responders to Enhance Domestic Preparedness

Based on the August 1998 Stakeholder Conference and further consultation with the

emergency response community and Congress, it is apparent that there is a need for more

involvement at the state level. The goal of the NDPO is to build and strengthen the relationships

between federal, state and local communities and their stakeholders to improve this country’s ability

to respond to a WMD incident. The cornerstone of this effort will be the development of a

comprehensive process for developing terrorism-specific response plans and support strategies for

training, exercising and equipping tailored to the needs of individual states and their communities.

Therefore, the Attorney General will ask the Governors to designate a single point of contact within

the states and territories who will have direct contact with the NDPO and who can serve as a statelevel link to the federal domestic preparedness efforts. State participation is essential to a coordinated

effort, and involvement at the state level will be the key to the development of comprehensive state

plans. These points of contact are not intended to replace local networks so important to domestic

preparedness, such as the medical surveillance networks, but rather are an important way to address

issues throughout the state.

The interaction with emergency responder/domestic preparedness personnel throughout the

country will provide opportunities for the NDPO to learn first hand the concerns as well as the

capabilities of state and local emergency responders. This knowledge and direct access to the

planning processes of communities throughout the country will allow the NDPO to adjust as

necessary the focus of all six of its program areas (planning; exercise; training; equipment/research

and development; health and medical; and information sharing) in response to the changing needs of

this country's emergency responder/domestic preparedness communities, particularly as the NDPO

works to ensure that the states develop domestic response plans that are consistent with a national

strategy.

Overview of NDPO Functional Areas

Planning

In an effort to ensure an organized and integrated capability for a timely, efficient response

by federal, state and local agencies to a terrorist threat or act, the NDPO will assist communities by

bringing appropriate representatives of federal response agencies to state and local planning efforts.

To ensure an interagency approach to planning, the NDPO will coordinate planning assistance from

relevant federal agencies and serve as a liaison between the requesting state or local agency and the

federal entities providing planning support.
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Training

The NDPO will provide a forum to assess training needs at all levels and identify solutions

as part of a national training strategy. The NDPO will act as a clearinghouse for information about

federal WMD training, including the establishment and maintenance of a training catalog for first

responders. The NDPO will not have “veto power” over any agency’s programs, but rather, NDPO

will work to avoid duplication among the federal programs by providing a forum to coordinate federal

efforts.

Exercises

The NDPO will provide WMD exercise recommendations, assistance and technical support

to federal, state or local agencies planning efforts. The NDPO, in its coordinating role, will facilitate

the sharing of lessons learned through maintenance of databases of lessons learned, “after-action

reports” and analyses. With the participation of all federal agencies involved in conducting WMD

exercises, the NDPO will be able to facilitate the planning and coordination of WMD exercises

between federal, state and local officials.

Equipment/Research & Development

The NDPO will coordinate federal efforts to provide the emergency response community with

equipment necessary to prepare for, and respond to, a WMD terrorist incident. To this end, NDPO

will help establish and maintain a Standardized Equipment List (SEL) to guide the responder

community in identifying the types and models of equipment available which meet agreed upon

standards of performance and reliability. The NDPO will facilitate the dissemination of information

about new and developing technologies through the member agencies of the NDPO. Existing

technology review panels, such as the Interagency Board (IAB, co-chaired by FBI and DoD), will

be leveraged to ensure interoperability, best performance, and reliability of equipment produced for

the response communities.

Information Sharing and Outreach

The NDPO will serve as a clearinghouse for information that relates to emergency responders

(e.g., trend information, information that raises awareness of threats, guides, publications, and basic

facts about WMD and WMD responses/incidents). The NDPO will provide a conduit for information

dissemination to the emergency response community through several mechanisms, such as special

bulletins and monthly newsletters, for basic information on equipment, training, research and

development (R&D), and information about actual responses to improve awareness.
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The entry point into the state for information sharing will be the single point of contact

appointed by the Governor. This person will serve as the information hub at the state level. 

Unclassified information will be provided to state and local responders through a number of media,

including bulletins, newsletters, websites and community relations projects. 

Public Health & Medical Services

Public Health and Medical Services affect all program areas of the NDPO. The NDPO will

facilitate interagency efforts to support HHS in developing Metropolitan Medical Response Systems,

pharmaceutical stockpiles, the establishment and maintenance of an effective nationwide public health

surveillance system to improve identification of terrorist related and infectious diseases, and the

integration of health care planning into WMD response plans. Although a benefit of the surveillance

program will be its impact upon naturally occurring infectious diseases, the intent of the program is

to identify terrorist-induced diseases. The participation of the public health and medical community

personnel in the NDPO will be critical to its effectiveness as a clearinghouse for state and local

authorities for current information on public health and medical programs.

Program Staffing

When staffed, NDPO will be composed of experts from the federal, state and local

communities in the six basic functional areas referred to above.

The representatives from the state and local communities who will be integrated into the

NDPO staff will possess knowledge and experience in the areas of fire and rescue, HAZMAT, law

enforcement, bomb squad, emergency medical services, public health, emergency medicine, nursing,

emergency managers, and other similar areas. The mix of experts from the federal, state and local

communities will enable the NDPO to form a professional team. The NDPO will also gain valuable

input from stakeholders through conferences and focus groups specific to the responder needs within

any of the established program areas.

To achieve its mission as a single coordinating office and one-stop shop, NDPO will require

a range of agency representatives, including FBI, HHS, DoD, FEMA, and others. In consultation with

interagency partners, NDPO hopes to acquire a full complement of agency expertise.

State and local participation in the NDPO is a significant mission success factor. As such,

personnel estimates are based upon the goal of ensuring that state and local experts are wellrepresented in each of the program areas. Therefore, the NDPO hopes to fill approximately one-third

of its program staff, or 20 positions with state and local representatives, with approximately three

state and local personnel per functional area.
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Management Plan

The Attorney General will provide oversight of NDPO activities as chair of the Domestic

Preparedness Leadership Group (DPLG), a cabinet level group that will be a forum for strategic

guidance and the resolution of policy issues. The principal task of this group will be to contribute to

the development of and updates to the national strategy for domestic preparedness, and to provide

policy and program oversight to NDPO activities.

A State and Local Advisory Group, drawn from constituencies representing, but not limited

to, fire service, emergency medical services, public health, nursing, emergency medicine, law

enforcement, emergency management, and state and local government, will provide critical input from

stakeholders to the NDPO on strategy development and implementation. 

Domestic Preparedness Leadership Group

The Attorney General will chair the DPLG, which will include the Secretaries of Defense,

Energy, and HHS, the Directors of the FEMA and the FBI, the Administrator of the EPA, and the

National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counterterrorism of the NSC. The

DPLG will resolve policy issues that may arise and provide strategic guidance consistent with each

agency’s vision statement.

The DPLG will be regularly apprised of the activities of the NDPO and may be convened as

appropriate for formal review or high-level policy resolution. 

Assistance to State and Local Authorities

Under PDD-62, the Weapons of Mass Destruction Group (WMDP) provides a conduit for

Executive Branch policy and direction, in coordination with the DPLG. Below the principals’ level,

the Assistance to State and Local Authorities (ASLA) subgroup of the WMDP will foster interagency

coordination of federal terrorism-related programs, activities, and initiatives among involved federal

departments and agencies. The ASLA will serve as a forum for the NDPO Director to elevate issues

of concern identified by the state and local stakeholders, as well as addressing crosscutting

interagency domestic preparedness issues and concerns.

To obtain direct state and local stakeholder input into federal Domestic Preparedness

programs, the NDPO will establish a state and local Advisory Group. The purpose of the Advisory

Group is to seek the views, advice, and constructive ideas of non-federal actors to aid in the

development of a national strategy for response to and preparedness for WMD terrorism. The

Advisory Group will offer advice and recommendations based on state and local perspectives from

a wide range of professional outlooks. The Advisory Group will make recommendations to the

Attorney General as chair of the DPLG.

The composition of the Advisory Group will reflect a balanced representation of perspectives

and interests from the emergency response community. They will represent the diverse functional

areas of state and local entities that may be involved in the planning for or response to a terrorist
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incident involving WMD. Members of the Advisory Group will come from both the public and

private sectors, as well as governmental and non-governmental agencies. The Advisory Group,

selected by the Attorney General, will include representatives from fire/rescue, HAZMAT, emergency

medical and public health services, law enforcement, emergency management, and state and local

governments. 

Criteria guiding the selection of members will be:

• Demonstrated background and interest in the issue of domestic preparedness,

particularly in the area of WMD terrorism response;

• Objectivity and diversity with regard to professional perspective;

• Nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, or

sexual orientation; and

• Geographical balance.

In accordance with guidelines set forth in the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the duration

of the Advisory Group will be for a two-year term, subject to renewal thereafter.

The Advisory Group will meet at least four times each year. Advance notice of each meeting

will be published in the Federal Register to facilitate attendance by the first responder community and

members of the public. Public comment on any agenda topic, either in writing or in person during

meetings, will be invited. Agendas, membership lists, detailed meeting minutes, and discussion papers

will be available to the public.

The Advisory Group will report to and make recommendations to the DPLG on a regular

basis. The Advisory Group will meet with the DPLG to identify and discuss key issues and options

from their unique state and local perspective and expertise. The broad experience and expertise of

each Advisory Group member will greatly contribute to the quality of the recommendations made to

the Attorney General, as chair of the DPLG.

Interagency Participation

Given that the range of potential WMD incidents is so varied, it is difficult to determine who

will respond first. For instance, in response to a blast incident, state and local emergency response

personnel are likely to be first on the scene, while the covert release of a biologic agent is likely to

be detected by public health epidemiologists and laboratorians days, and possibly even weeks, after

the agent was released. The goal of the federal domestic preparedness program is to better plan for

and identify, equip, train, and exercise personnel who may be involved at all levels of response to a

WMD crisis.

State and local representatives who are professionals in the various emergency response and

public health and medical disciplines will be integrated into the NDPO and will be key to addressing
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state and local needs. The goal of this approach is take advantage of and leverage existing resources,

programs, and standards that federal, state, and local entities have already committed, developed, and

identified in each of these primary functional areas. The NDPO, therefore, can become an

interagency forum through which the federal, state, and local partners identify and coordinate their

individual efforts to build on existing emergency management, public health and medical capabilities.

The first step for each of the federal departments and agencies participating in the NDPO is

to identify to the NDPO the resources, programs, and standards that the individual department or

agency has already developed in the planning, exercise, training, equipment/R&D, health/medical, and

information/intelligence sharing areas. Having identified what each federal department or agency is

doing in each of these areas, the NDPO, as an interagency body (including state and local

representatives), will then look for redundancy or duplication in efforts, or gaps and shortfalls, and

surface these issues to the interagency community.

Participation from federal agencies involved in preparedness, planning and response is

essential to ensuring that federal programs meet the needs of states and local communities. Having

a “one-stop shop” for information regarding federal domestic preparedness programs, will help state

and local officials to understand the entire federal domestic preparedness support program.

The NDPO will receive regular guidance from response, public health and medical

communities through points of contact within each state, through information sharing, and afteraction exercise and incident reporting. The NDPO will strive to address any gaps and shortfalls in

specific areas, e.g., planning and training. The NDPO will be able to provide more efficient

coordination of federal WMD programs and initiatives based on its federal interagency representation

and its outreach to the state and local response community. 

State and local responders, public health and medical professionals will be able to access

information regarding domestic preparedness assistance and activities directly from the NDPO

through its toll free assistance line. The toll free assistance line will be available to state and local

responders, public health, and medical professionals with questions and concerns involving requests

for training, equipment or federal financial support. The personnel who answer these calls will have

access to a central database and updated information from all program areas within the NDPO. To

the extent a particular caller requires more specific information, the representatives within NDPO

from other federal agencies can provide information specific to particular agency programs and

activities.

Section II

Roles and Missions of Agency Participants
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The NDPO will serve as a clearinghouse and coordination center. Its role is not an

operational one. The NDPO will not have responsibilities for oversight, assessment, or evaluation

of federal WMD preparedness programs, but will play a role in surfacing issues requiring

interagency resolution.

The NDPO will be an interagency forum through which the federal, state, and local partners

identify, coordinate and integrate their individual efforts in the six primary functional areas identified

earlier in order to build on existing emergency management capabilities of federal, state, and local

departments and agencies. Improving coordination and communication regarding federal domestic

preparedness programs will facilitate state and local access to information about these programs.

Participation from federal agencies involved in preparedness, planning and response is

essential to ensuring that federal programs meet the needs of state and local communities. The role

of each of the federal partners is to assist state and local jurisdictions in enhancing their domestic

preparedness capabilities by providing assistance in the areas of planning, equipment, technical

assistance, training, exercise support, and information. Each federal partner will continue to provide

its equipment, training, exercise, and technical assistance programs; but each will do so consistent

with agreed upon national WMD preparedness policy and guidelines.

As a member of the NDPO, participating federal partners will contribute by:

Planning

• Coordinating state and local planning and ensuring that crisis and consequence

management plans are in place across the nation.

• Participating in the integrated federal planning process to provide technical assistance to

participating state and local jurisdictions to assist in:

• Working with federal, state, and local jurisdictions to help assess the level of

capability to meet WMD terrorist threats.

• Working with federal/state/local entities to apportion WMD preparedness

responsibilities.

• Identifying federal priorities for initiatives to meet equipment support, training and

planning support, conduct of exercises, and other technical assistance

requirements.

• Defining issues needing federal attention, such as establishing a means of

identifying, tracking, and treating victims of a WMD event.

• Determining the key elements of effective preparedness plans.

Training

• Coordinating the establishment of WMD preparedness training standards for

state/local first responders.

• Coordinating the completion of state/local training needs assessments to be used to

establish training priorities.
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• Incorporating new WMDP training technologies into existing WMD training

programs.

• Providing a clearinghouse for evaluations and audits of training.

Equipment/R&D

• Surfacing to federal decision-makers issues requiring interagency resolution about

unmet personal protection, detection, and specialized response equipment

requirements of local responders.

• Assisting in the development of an SEL.

• Providing a forum to identify emerging technologies that may be integrated into

current and future first responder training and equipment efforts.

• Assisting state and local authorities in selecting WMD equipment proven to meet

standards of interoperability, performance, and safety.

Exercises

• Providing information to facilitate standards and requirements for state and local

exercises.

• Supporting the implementation of a comprehensive terrorism exercise program.

• Providing information to facilitate state and local involvement in exercises.

• Ensuring that lessons learned from exercises are addressed.

Department of Energy

The DOE’s mission in domestic preparedness is to provide training for nuclear and

radiological incidents to emergency responders and to provide personal protective equipment and

detection and diagnostic instruments, on a selective basis, to state and local law enforcement officials.

 It executes these missions in coordination with DoD and other federal departments and agencies.

 In order to enhance nuclear/radiological planning expertise in regional response units, DOE will

deploy operational planners to DOE Radiological Assistance Program regions to facilitate the

integration of regional and federal response operations plans. In the equipment area, DOE has

provided radiation detection instruments to state and local first responders, with a goal of issuing at

least one such radiation detection unit to every responding bomb squad in the country.

The DOE conducts technical operational field training to first responders, and provides

classroom training through Key Leader Training sessions conducted at DOE facilities. The DOE also

provides training support to other governmental agency in-service training sessions. The DOE

provides formal nuclear/radiological training to bomb technicians and awareness and operations level

hazardous materials training to first responders, emergency medical service professionals, and hospital

personnel. Additionally, DOE develops and conducts operational tabletop exercises and advanced

technical training for first responders.

The two primary roles of DOE within the NDPO involve coordination and liaison. The

DOE's participation will assist in the seamless integration of DOE programs, where appropriate, to

avoid redundancy and fill gaps and shortfalls at the federal, state, and local levels within all program
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areas of the NDPO. In its coordinating role, DOE serves as a “one-stop shopping” point of

information and referral for WMD-related nuclear and radiological preparedness issues and questions

from stakeholders, states, and local jurisdictions. The DOE also serves as the principal source of

information on WMD-related nuclear and radiological preparedness issues for the NDPO itself and

for the NDPO’s constituents among stakeholders and state and local officials. The DOE’s

representative to the NDPO will also serve as the liaison to that agency which has developed, and

continues to refine, nuclear and radiological programs to counter a threatened or actual domestic

terrorist incident involving WMD.

Environmental Protection Agency

Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and

the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, Congress gave EPA legal authority and

responsibility to prepare for and respond to emergencies involving oil, hazardous substances, and

certain radiological materials. The specific planning and response mechanism established by the EPA

using this Congressional authority is the National Oil and Hazardous Materials Pollution Contingency

Plan (the National Contingency Plan or NCP). The NCP establishes a National Response System

which ensures resources and expertise of the federal government would be immediately available for

major hazardous materials incidents that require federal or regional response. The NCP also instituted

a planning and response structure entitled the National Response Team (NRT), composed of 15

federal agencies and departments, as well as Regional Response Teams with representatives of the

same agencies and departments at the regional level. Due to this legal authority, as well as technical

expertise, EPA also coordinates Emergency Support Function (ESF)-10-Hazardous Materials of the

Federal Response Plan (FRP) which is overseen by FEMA. ESF-10-Hazardous Materials provides

for a coordinated response to large-scale releases of hazardous materials during a Presidential

declared emergency or disaster by incorporating the response mechanism and structure of the NCP.

 Other federal agencies also have an active coordination role to play in various sections of the FRP.
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The EPA supports federal counterterrorism programs by using and building upon the

established hazardous materials response structure and mechanism at the federal, state, and local

level. Specifically EPA will:

• Provide planning and response expertise and resources prior to and during a terrorist

incident. The EPA has an established national response mechanism and structure for all

types of hazardous materials incidents, including those which might result from terrorist

events, which can be brought to bear during a terrorist incident. The EPA also has

specialized facilities and uniquely qualified personnel to help local and state personnel

prepare for and respond to hazardous material emergencies.

• Help state and local responders plan for emergencies. Since 1986, Congressional

legislation (the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act or ECPRA) has

required every community to develop an emergency plan that prepares for the accidental

releases of extremely hazardous substances, and should one occur, make provisions for

rapid responses to protect the community. The EPA is working with these local

communities to update these existing plans to incorporate planning and response to

deliberate chemical releases that might occur in a terrorist incident.

• Train First Responders. In addition to EPA’s existing training program for first

responders, EPA is one of six federal agencies participating in a program to train

personnel who are likely to be the first on the scene of a terrorist incident. Local first

responders will be trained to respond effectively and safely to potential terrorist attacks

in which chemical or biological agents have been used against a civilian population.

Department of Health and Human Services

The HHS serves as the lead federal agency to coordinate emergency medical services,

emergency medicine, public health and nursing activities within the NDPO. This role is consistent

with both HHS’ traditional roles in disaster preparedness, health and medical crisis, and consequence

management activities and protection of the public health and those presented in recent Presidential

Decision Directives.

“HHS (PHS) will be the lead agency to plan and to prepare for a national response to medical

emergencies arising from the terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction. HHS, with the

support of other Federal agencies, will provide enhanced local response capabilities through

the development of Metropolitan Medical Strike Team systems: will develop and maintain the

National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), including the National Medical Response Teams;

will work with DoD to ensure deployment of NDMS response teams, supplies and equipment;

and, working with the Department of Veterans Affairs, ensure adequate stockpiles of

antidotes and other necessary pharmaceuticals nationwide and the training of medical

personnel in NDMS hospitals.”

(Presidential Decision Directive #62 – Unclassified)

The two primary roles of HHS within the NDPO include coordination and liaison. In its

coordination role, HHS serves as a one-stop shopping point of information and referral for WMD-
17

related health and medical preparedness issues and questions from stakeholders, states and local

jurisdictions. Additionally, HHS participation serves as a mechanism to facilitate the coordination,

and review of health and medical issues among the other NDPO program areas, within the

interagency community, and among state and local officials.

Additionally, HHS is the designated lead in the effort to upgrade national public health

capability to counter biologic and chemical terrorism. In this role, HHS through the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, will work with public health partners on strategies to improve

bioterrorism-related expertise, facilities, and procedures at local, state, and national levels.

The HHS’ presence at the NDPO also serves as the liaison to the Department (HHS), which

is developing public health and medical programs to counter the consequences of a domestic terrorist

incident involving WMD. These programs include:

• Enhancing local preparedness through the development of Metropolitan Medical

Response Systems (MMRS).

• Enhancing the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) to be prepared to respond

to WMD incidents at the national level.

• Identifying research and development needed to improve civilian medical response to

chemical and biological terrorism.

• Developing initiatives to counter the effects of bioterrorism including (1) deterrence

of biological terrorism; (2) surveillance for unusual outbreaks of illness; (3) medical

and public health response; and (4) research and development.

• Preparing state and local agencies and officials to respond to a bioterrorist incident

through the development of public health preparedness plans, enhanced epidemiology

and surveillance capacity, improved laboratory capability for identification of biologic

and chemical agents, and better communication networks among state, local, and

federal agencies.

Federal Emergency Management Agency

The FEMA’s strategy for domestic preparedness includes (1) building on existing plans,

systems, and capabilities; (2) preparing states and local jurisdictions with plans, training, and

exercises; and (3) the sustainment and reinforcement of initial training. The FEMA administers these

programs through grants, emergency management training, fire service training and state planning

assistance. Grants are provided to emergency managers to enhance terrorism preparedness with

planning, training and exercises, as well as training fire/rescue departments in responding to terrorist

attacks. The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and National Fire Academy (NFA) are the

primary sources of individual training in these areas.

Participation in the NDPO allows FEMA to coordinate training delivery through additional

outlets such as the DoD’s Consequence Management Program Integration Office and the training

institutes of other agencies. The FEMA, and specifically the NFA, have been providers of first

responder training through development and delivery of the Emergency Response to Terrorism
18

curriculum. Moreover, through FEMA’s educational institutions, as well as through coordination

with state training institutes, courses or programs offered by other agencies may be made available

to audiences that normally would not have access to or visibility of the training programs. State and

local awareness of FEMA programs will be enhanced by the NDPO’s outreach and information

sharing activities. As other agencies develop and implement programs, FEMA will have the

opportunity to ensure that its programs are best utilized to fill gaps and shortfalls in a particular

agency’s overall strategy. In return, other agencies will be provided with greater visibility of their

specific programs through the NFA and FEMA’s regional offices.

Department of Defense

The Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996

directed the DoD to provide (1) training of first responders, (2) establishment of a “hot line,” (3) loan

of appropriate equipment, and (4) use of the National Guard and other reserve components as

appropriate. The DoD was also tasked to develop a rapid response capability, as well as support

HHS in the establishment of MMRSs. The various programs developed include: the city “train-thetrainer” program; an expert assistance program; an improved response and exercise program; and a

Chemical/Biological Rapid Response Team. The DoD also developed and implemented a plan to

integrate the reserve components into DoD’s plans for supporting the nation’s response to domestic

WMD incidents. This led to the formation of the Rapid Assessment and Initial Detection (RAID)

teams within the National Guard. Plans are to leverage the geographically-dispersed existing reserve

component capabilities to support the DOJ lead. In addition, DoD partnered with FEMA to develop

databases to track chem/bio equipment inventories and chem/bio materials.

As part of the RAID team development and equipping process, DoD developed a

comprehensive list of commercially available WMD equipment which passed performance capability

and DoD safety tests. The DoD has since shared the list with the various agencies represented within

the NDPO and others. This list has been refined based on emergency responder needs and now serves

as the SEL for emergency responder programs.

Under the proposed transition of the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici program from DoD to DOJ, a

solid relationship between all of the federal partners would be developed and maintained. The

transition plan calls for DoD to retain responsibility for the program until the end of Fiscal Year

(FY)2000, at which time the lead would transfer to DOJ. During FY2000, DoD would coordinate

with DOJ in the city training/planning phases and DOJ would begin to provide grant funding for

training equipment. The DoD, beginning in FY2001, would support the DOJ lead by maintaining the

chem-bio database, portions of the improved response program, the annual federal/state/local exercise

program, “reach-back” expert chem-bio assistance, and WMD equipment testing.

Within NDPO, DoD representation will provide the other supporting agencies with

knowledge of the multitude of defense programs available to federal, state, and local emergency

responders. Specifically, distance learning networks, training and simulation centers, and planned

domestic WMD preparedness exercises will be coordinated with other agencies.

Department of Justice
19

OJP/Office for State and Local Domestic Preparedness Support (OSLDPS)

The OSLDPS within the OJP assists state and local jurisdictions in enhancing their domestic

preparedness capabilities by providing assistance to jurisdictions to acquire equipment, technical

assistance, exercises and training. As a participant in the NDPO, OJP will provide assistance to state

and local jurisdictions in these areas consistent with the policy, guidelines, and principles coordinated

by the NDPO.

In the equipment area, OJP’s Equipment Acquisition Grant program enables state and local

jurisdictions to purchase much-needed equipment for responding to a WMD incident. The OJP will

participate in the interagency Equipment Program Area, coordinated by the NDPO, along with the

other federal agencies that offer assistance programs. This participation will enhance their equipment

program through projects such as the continuous refinement of the SEL, which will assist grantees

in purchasing equipment that meets nationally-established standards.

In addition, the SEL and related interagency projects developed or supported by the NDPO,

will support the research and development efforts for state and local authorities, by the National

Institute of Justice, National Institute of Science and Technology, DoD, the FBI Laboratory and

others.

The OJP currently offers a broad spectrum of training to ensure that state and local

emergency responders have the knowledge, skills and abilities to respond if a terrorist incident occurs

through its Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Training Program and through the National

Domestic Preparedness Consortium, a key element of the federal government’s domestic

preparedness initiative. Jurisdictions that receive equipment grants for fire and emergency medical

services receive training in handling explosives, incendiary, chemical and biological devices through

OSLDPS. While jurisdictions can receive specialized training to respond to WMD incidents through

the Consortium, these programs will be enhanced through participation in the NDPO, which will

provide an interagency mechanism and a forum for certifying the training courses offered and

ensuring that training programs comply with minimum national standards.

The National Institute for Justice (NIJ) within OJP conducts research for Counterterrorism

Technology Development. Among its programs, NIJ conducts operational testing and assessment

of technologies currently under development, supports new efforts to develop lower cost, more

effective tools, and supports continued development of concealed weapons detection technologies.

Through OJP’s participation in the NDPO, the research conducted in these programs will be shared

and coordinated among other agencies and state and local responders.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

In addition to hosting the NDPO, the FBI also has WMD program responsibilities like OJP,

FEMA, DoD, DOE, EPA, HHS, and other participants of the NDPO. Like these other entities, the

FBI has a number of WMD assets and programs which it contributes to the Federal Domestic

Preparedness Program and will coordinate with the NDPO.
20

For instance, the FBI Hazardous Materials Response Unit (HMRU) assists FBI field offices

in an advisory and liaison capacity with technical information regarding the identification and safe

handling of chemical, biological, and nuclear/radiological agents. In addition, the FBI Laboratory is

engaged in a number of coordinated terrorism-related research and development efforts with the DoD

, DOE and NIJ. Administered by the FBI’s Bomb Data Center, the Hazardous Devices School

(HDS) at Redstone Arsenal is the sole source for the certification of federal, state, and local public

safety bomb technicians.

Similarly, WMD Coordinators within the 56 FBI Field Offices nationwide are another asset

of the FBI which NDPO can access. With their assistance, the NDPO can utilize the FBI’s

communications systems and infrastructure to disseminate awareness-based information to the state

and local response communities.

The FBI, in conjunction with other agencies represented within the NDPO, will assist state

and local planners in developing threat and risk assessments, as well as providing, on request,

assistance in the development of integrated domestic preparedness plans at the state and local levels.

Along with the other agencies, the FBI will have representatives within the NDPO to coordinate these

programs within the broader federal domestic preparedness effort.
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Section III

Enhancing Federal Domestic Preparedness Efforts –

Functional Areas of the NDPO

Planning

The Federal Government is required to plan for and respond to threats or acts of terrorism,

while state and local governments are required to plan for and respond to the consequences of all

emergencies to save lives and protect property. Planning is an essential part of domestic terrorism

preparedness and incident response. One of the NDPO’s primary goals will be to coordinate the

development of state and local plans in concert with those of the Federal Government. In addition,

the NDPO notes that in order to be truly effective, the NDPO must not only understand the planning

methodology and plans of the state and local crisis and consequence managers, but ensure that federal

plans interface with state and local plans to facilitate effective crisis and consequence management.

Objectives

The NDPO will build on existing programs, structures, and relationships for coordinating

federal, state and local WMD planning efforts. Some of the main objectives are to:

• Increase the knowledge of federal, state and local WMD crisis and consequence planners

and managers regarding the relationship between federal, state and local response plans

and operations and the Incident Command System (ICS).

• Assist in identifying and eliminating shortfalls and gaps between state and local WMD

crisis and consequence management plans and federal plans.

• Address and track planning-related lessons learned from WMD responses and exercises,

and provide information to the field concerning common planning issues and suggested

solutions.

• Integrate the health care community into WMD terrorism response planning efforts.
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Some of the first tasks will be:

Planning Guide -- The NDPO will survey existing tools available for planning, identify areas of

duplication, and facilitate development of a comprehensive guide for use by state and local teams

working in coordination with federal representatives across the country. Development of a

comprehensive planning guide will be conducted by the agencies with primary responsibility for a

particular area.

Threat and Risk Assessments -- The NDPO will facilitate the coordinated development by relevant

federal agencies of a variety of self-assessment templates, or tools, to assist state and local officials

in identifying the threat and risk posed to a community by the terrorist use of weapons of mass

destruction. This self-assessment process is intended to assist a community in assessing their

capabilities to determine the type and level of training and equipment required to address deficiencies.

Lessons Learned – The NDPO will establish a clearinghouse of information concerning planningrelated issues that are identified in after action “lessons learned” from exercises and incidents that

occur in the field. The NDPO will disseminate the necessary information regarding these issues to

the federal, state and local planning communities.

Training

The NDPO will help coordinate the federal government’s efforts to assist state and local

training strategies by serving as an interagency forum to integrate WMD training programs with

existing training mechanisms. By building upon existing standards identified to the NDPO by its

interagency participants, the NDPO will help to meet the needs of the emergency response and health

care communities. The NDPO will also provide a forum for federal, state and local participation in

the development of future standards.

The NDPO's activities with regard to training will include representatives from OJP, DoD,

DOE, HHS, Department of Transportation (DOT), FEMA, EPA, and experts from other disciplines

as appropriate. These agencies will develop training within their respective areas of expertise in

consultation with the participating federal agencies, state and local government officials, and the

emergency response and health care communities.

Objectives

• Provide a clearinghouse for available federal training in the area of domestic preparedness

as it relates to responding to terrorist incidents involving WMD.

• Provide a mechanism whereby domestic preparedness training needs are assessed; training

solutions identified and/or developed, standardized, tiered, and evaluated; and delivery

of training to the emergency response and health care communities is coordinated.
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Some of the first tasks will be:

Needs Assessment Tool -- The key to coordinated training for WMD preparedness will be an

accurate assessment of the needs and priorities across jurisdictions. The NDPO will identify existing

assessment tools to determine any gaps or duplication. In its function as an interagency forum, the

NDPO will coordinate and facilitate the consolidation of existing tools or the development of any

necessary new tools by the appropriate agency. This self-assessment will be used to tailor the

available federal domestic preparedness training to the specific needs of an individual jurisdiction.

This assessment tool will build on similar work previously or currently being done by other federal

agencies, and will coordinate those results to create a standardized needs assessment tool. The needs

assessment tool will integrate training requirements with those requirements identified through

compatible assessments conducted in the areas of equipment and planning.

Curriculum Development -- The NDPO will catalogue all federal domestic preparedness training

in the “Compendium of Weapons of Mass Destruction Courses.” With the assistance of state and

local representatives from the emergency response and health care community, the NDPO will

identify shortfalls in existing federal training initiatives. Once a shortfall is identified, the NDPO will

work with the federal interagency community to identify the most appropriate agency to develop

curricula to eliminate those shortfalls.

A key state and local training asset available to the NDPO in this effort is the National

Domestic Preparedness Consortium, which is comprised of the OJP Center for Domestic

Preparedness, located at Fort McClellan, Alabama; the National Energetic Materials Research and

Testing Center, located at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology; the National Center

for Bio-Medical Research and Training, located at the Louisiana State University; the National

Emergency and Response and Rescue Training Center, located at the Texas A&M University; and

the DOE National Exercise, Test, and Training Center (Nevada Test Site). The OJP, as a member

of the NDPO, will conduct its training activities in a manner consistent with the policies, principles,

and guidelines produced by the NDPO through the interagency process. These activities will be

conducted in accordance with NDPO’s training program to ensure federal interagency coordination,

and to leverage existing training curricula that can be modified or integrated into the Consortium’s

training program, thereby keeping new curricula development to a minimum.

Curriculum Standards -- The NDPO will work to verify that federal domestic preparedness training

initiatives meet the applicable standards established through the National Fire Protection Association

(NFPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), as well as other pertinent

regulatory entities. The NDPO will also coordinate the development of national standards upon

which to base future programs, and to which all federal agencies may contribute. The NDPO will

form focus groups on an as needed basis to address the review of newly developed training, and to

ensure compliance with these established uniform standards. These focus groups will include state

and local experts from the applicable response disciplines. The NDPO will also build from existing

efforts within the federal government like HHS’ current work with the American College of

Emergency Physicians to develop course competencies and performance objectives for physicians,

nurses and paramedics.
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Curriculum Delivery -- The NDPO will identify existing training delivery systems, such as the

National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, FEMA’s National Fire Academy and Emergency

Management Institute, used by federal departments and agencies offering domestic preparedness

training. The NDPO will also coordinate among federal departments and agencies the development

and implementation of additional training delivery systems, such as distance training technologies, for

use by state and local jurisdictions.

Sustainment Training -- Recognizing the likelihood for personnel turnover within the emergency

response and health care community, and the technical nature of much of the curriculum, the NDPO

will coordinate the development of sustainment training, including means to fully integrate WMD

training into existing entry core curriculums, their certification and re-certification processes. This

type of “embedded training” within fire and police academies, medical schools and other emergency

responder training facilities will eventually help to reduce the number of students requiring

sustainment training. This training will assist state and local jurisdictions with the sustainment of those

WMD response-related skills acquired during initial responder training sessions.

Monitoring and Tracking of Available Training -- The NDPO recognizes that techniques and

procedures will change with evolving technologies and lessons learned during the execution of

training, as well as actual responses to incidents. Accordingly, the NDPO will facilitate the

incorporation of lessons learned into appropriate training curricula.

Exercises

Exercises provide the means by which the first responder community may evaluate and

validate its current training and equipment. They also provide an essential capabilities assessment by

identifying strengths and weaknesses in plans, policies, procedures and supporting systems, as well

as shortfalls in training and equipment. The WMD exercises must be realistic, hands-on events based

on threat-driven scenarios that are designed to evaluate performance, reinforce training and provide

positive feedback. The exercises should incorporate a multi-team, multi-agency concept, ranging

from simple local events to complex multi-jurisdictional national level episodes.

The NDPO will be a clearinghouse for information regarding federal efforts in support of state

and local WMD exercises. Federal exercise efforts that focus almost exclusively on the participation

of federal agency personnel and assets must be fully coordinated with state and local exercises that

also may be taking place. The NDPO will develop a system that utilizes input from the Advisory

Group, as well as the governor’s state-level points of contact to coordinate state and local

involvement in scheduling, planning and conducting coordinated exercises, and the lessons learned

from these exercises will be fed back to relevant agencies through their participation in the NDPO

.

Objectives

The objective of the NDPO with regard to exercises is to provide recommendations,

guidance and technical support for WMD exercises by offering a standardized approach to planning,
25

conducting, and facilitation of lessons learned, to improve federal exercises, and assist state and local

participation.

Some of the first tasks will be:

Exercise Master Events List -- The NDPO will initially compile and maintain a list of all planned

federal WMD-related exercises, in coordination with the Interagency Working Group for

Counterterrorism Exercises, that are suitable for participation by state and local authorities. The

NDPO will provide improved interagency communication and notification of WMD exercises on a

long-term basis. The NDPO will disseminate exercise schedule updates through the single point of

contact appointed by the State Governors, as well as through a secure website. As the NDPO

develops, it will also work to create a database of state WMD exercises being conducted, and apply

the lessons learned after-action tracking system to provide feedback to the NDPO.

Scenario Simulation Templates -- The NDPO will identify existing exercise models based on a

variety of WMD scenarios and will make these models available to state and local communities. Such

scenarios could involve a terrorist attack using either a nuclear, biological, chemical or large

Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

Lessons Learned After-Action-Tracking System -- Federal response and coordination in crisis and

consequence management will be streamlined and improved by learning from the experiences of first

responders. The NDPO will record and disseminate lessons learned from exercises that affect

operations and interagency coordination and cooperation. State and local jurisdictions that conduct

WMD exercises will be encouraged to submit relevant after-action reports to the NDPO to determine

whether or not the exercise accomplished its objectives and how the exercise could be improved in

the future. The after-action tracking system will provide a method for identifying vulnerabilities and

formulating recommendations to address them. The after-action-tracking system of lessons learned

will improve the capabilities of emergency responders and health care professionals to respond to

actual incidents. 

 Exercise after-action reviews and other information will be consolidated at the state level

under the state points-of-contact and subsequently forwarded to the NDPO. The results of these

lessons learned will be compiled and provided back to the state and local communities upon request.

The lessons learned format will be carefully structured so that it is not perceived to be a means by

which to assess blame or discredit the reputation of any persons or organizations concerning any

issues raised during the exercise and overall domestic preparedness process. 

Technical Assistance -- Through the federal agencies represented in the NDPO, technical assistance

will be available to states and local communities before, during, and after conducting WMD exercises.

 This technical assistance, when requested, will consist of answering questions during the planning

of a WMD exercise, taking into account all of the necessary components and issues which should be

addressed before conducting such an exercise. 

Equipment/Research & Development
26

Stakeholders requested that a national equipment information clearinghouse be established

to provide data and feedback on research and development, equipment availability, and operational

testing and performance data. Stakeholders also requested access to community-based federal assets

to supplement first responder equipment and that federal funds help state and local governments to

purchase WMD equipment. Stakeholders suggested the development of a matrix of recommended

protective levels for various responder disciplines and that support for the supply and maintenance

of regional pharmaceutical and medical equipment caches be established.

The NDPO will respond to many of these concerns by bringing together a board of

interagency officials from various local, state, and federal agencies to establish, maintain and update

a national SEL for use by the interagency community in preparation for and response to WMD.

Objectives

The objective of the NDPO with regards to Equipment/Research and Development is to

facilitate equipment standardization and interoperability throughout the emergency response

community, and to develop and maintain an SEL for use by the interagency community in preparing

for and responding to WMD terrorism.

Some of the first tasks will be:

Standardized Equipment List -- The Interagency Board, comprised of highly trained individuals

from various local, state and federal agencies, will work through six subgroups to develop and

maintain the SEL for the benefit of the federal, state and local response communities. 

SEL Updating -- As WMD awareness and preparedness increases, newer and better tools will likely

become available to the emergency response and health care communities to assist them in responding

to a WMD threat or incident. With advances in technology will come improved equipment designed

to enhance the capabilities of on-scene first responders. Improvements in detection, protection and

communications equipment will require that the NDPO periodically update the SEL in order to make

this equipment available to the emergency response and health care community. The NDPO will be

able to disseminate the information regarding newly available equipment through its website,

newsletter, and other media.

Research & Development -- The NDPO will consolidate and disseminate information regarding

emerging WMD equipment technology. This information will be available to both responders and

equipment designers, as appropriate to assist in the development of new equipment to allow

responders to prepare for and respond to a WMD event.

Equipment Testing -- Before stakeholders decide on which equipment will best suit their specific

needs in responding to a WMD event, they will undoubtedly want to know the specific applications,

capabilities and limitations of the equipment that is available. The NDPO will work with the relevant

federal agencies that conduct equipment testing or development to ensure that the independent test
27

results on specific equipment items are made as widely available as possible. The NDPO will not

conduct any equipment testing or act as an advocate for any particular brand, style, or type of

equipment. Rather, it will merely be responsible for disseminating test results to the first responder

community for stakeholders to use as a basis for their decisions on which types of equipment will

most efficiently meet their specific needs.

Responder Equipment Requirements -- Based on input from experts in the Advisory Group, the

NDPO will work to establish for the emergency response and health care community a standardized

set of requirements that all WMD response equipment should meet. The NDPO will provide advice

to stakeholders as to the minimum capabilities required from their equipment to respond effectively

to a WMD incident. Benchmarks such as the NFPA and the OSHA standards may be used to report

to the first responder community on the minimum performance standards recommended for WMD

response equipment.

In addition to providing the first responder community with an overall list of available WMD

response equipment, and their testing results, the NDPO will provide information pertaining to federal

grants and funding programs designed to provide the necessary WMD response equipment to the

state and local first responder community. State and local agencies can access NDPO directly for

information regarding equipment procurement. The NDPO will then identify the most appropriate

agency to assist the requestor.

Information Sharing

Sharing information regarding federal assistance programs for the state and local emergency

response and health care community is critical to a coordinated domestic preparedness effort. The

cornerstones of this effort at the state and local levels will be the single points of contact appointed

by the Governors. In keeping with stakeholders’ recommendations that the federal government

improve the information sharing process with the state and local authorities, the NDPO will facilitate

the dissemination of WMD related information among federal, state and local offices and agencies.

Objectives

The NDPO's information sharing objective is to communicate awareness-related information

directly to the state and local emergency response and health care communities. The NDPO will serve

as a clearinghouse to collect and disseminate WMD preparedness and response guides, publications,

fact sheets, and articles of interest to the emergency response community. The focus will be on

alerting stakeholders to trends or vulnerabilities resulting from terrorist threats or attacks.

The NDPO will provide accurate, intelligence-based WMD awareness information to state

and local authorities to promote public safety, emergency planning and response activities. Through

its web sites and a monthly newsletter, the NDPO will establish direct communications between the

federal government and the state and local first responder communities. These mechanisms will allow

direct input from state and local emergency responders and maintain a constant dialogue between the

response community and the federal agencies concerned. 
28

Some of the first tasks will be:

Special Bulletin -- The NDPO will coordinate with an analytical team from substantive units within

the FBI that regularly receive intelligence information, including those within the International

Terrorism Section, the Domestic Terrorism Section, National Infrastructure Protection Center, and

others. This analytical team will serve as a clearinghouse group to ensure that awareness-based

domestic preparedness information is properly compiled, sanitized, and uniformly disseminated to

recipients in the state and local communities. The NDPO will disseminate this information in the form

of Special Bulletins through the single points of contact appointed by the Governors, through

appropriate law enforcement channels or directly to the appropriate personnel. Prior to the actual

dissemination of the bulletin, the appropriate federal agencies represented within the NDPO will

receive a draft copy for review.

The NDPO will also disseminate Special Bulletins, as necessary, to provide or reiterate

important general public safety information. The Special Bulletins will provide notifications to first

responders via facsimile and/or e-mail concerning critical WMD-related events or issues that may

have a direct impact on first responders and the communities they protect. This will allow the NDPO

to quickly and directly disseminate interagency information to the appropriate personnel.

Toll Free Assistance Number -- Through the toll-free assistance line, state and local responders will

be able to access the NDPO directly with questions and concerns involving requests for training,

equipment or federal financial support. The personnel who answer these calls will have access to a

central database and updated information regarding equipment, training, etc. To the extent a

particular caller requires more specific information, the NDPO’s representatives from other federal

agencies can provide information specific to a particular agency’s programs and activities. In

addition, the state points of contact appointed by the Governors will provide a mechanism by which

state and local issues and concerns can be compiled and presented directly to the NDPO. This tollfree assistance line will not serve as an operational reporting or emergency line, and will not

supersede any existing operational emergency lines operated by any federal agency. 

Websites – To ensure that accurate information is shared with the appropriate recipients in an

efficient manner, the NDPO has established an unclassified Internet webpage accessible to the public

through www.fbi.gov. This public affairs-related webpage is designed to promote public awareness

regarding WMD threats and the actions that can be taken by citizens to protect themselves and their

community. The development of this "Awareness Training" website included input from the NDPO's

state and local partners. The NDPO will develop future web sites that will differ in the level of user

access and the type of information available to better share information with the WMD emergency

responder community. 

Through Law Enforcement Online (LEO), the NDPO has established an unclassified Intranetbased webpage accessible to registered members of the first response community. The NDPO

webpage will include information regarding the six program areas of the NDPO, as well as links to

participating state, local, and federal partner Internet sites. 

The NDPO/LEO webpage empowers the first response community by providing them the

means to become interconnected through a shared network. The system allows the user to participate
29

in distance learning, chat room sessions, electronic bulletin boards and secure e-mail. It also assists

in learning about grant funds. The system is designed to allow stakeholders the opportunity for onestop shopping on preparedness issues.

Monthly Newsletter – An NDPO monthly newsletter, The Beacon, will provide a forum for the

participating agencies to make announcements, disseminate information and request input from

outside sources. This newsletter will be made available to federal, state and local emergency

responder and health care agencies. The Beacon will also provide the latest information available on

training and equipment, as well as upcoming WMD exercises scheduled throughout the country. 

Public Speaking Assistance -- The NDPO will coordinate public speaking engagements relevant to

domestic preparedness and its programs by maintaining a list of qualified speakers and topics. The

NDPO will be able to provide public speaking assistance at the national, regional, state, and local

levels. Through its information sharing efforts, appropriate speakers will be recommended for

upcoming speaking engagements. In addition to speakers representing NDPO itself, the NDPO will

maintain a voluntary database for speakers with expertise in other areas. This data will be drawn from

all of the participating agencies and regions nationwide.
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Health and Medical Services

The primary impact of a terrorist use of a WMD will be upon human and environmental

health. Incidents involving WMD could produce unprecedented numbers of victims, quickly

overwhelming the capacity of local hospitals and healthcare providers.

One of the highest priorities expressed by stakeholders is the need to integrate the medical

and public health community into federal WMD response initiatives and national domestic

preparedness. This integration must include engagement of the public health and medical community

in preparing for the medical consequences of the terrorist use of a WMD. Communities must have

plans in place for the mass prophylaxis of exposed and potentially exposed persons, mass patient care,

mass fatality management and environmental health surety. Without such preparedness, communities

could be overwhelmed.

In the past, federal WMD planning, training, exercise, and equipment initiatives have focused

on initial responders to WMD incidents, such as fire/rescue, HAZMAT, and law enforcement

personnel. State and local communities realize that a biological weapon of mass destruction poses

an even greater health risk to the community with regard to the number of citizens exposed, and the

difficulty in recognizing the early signs of a biological attack. The high risk of widespread life

threatening infectious disease resulting from the use of a biological weapon caused state and local

communities to assess their own abilities to respond to such an incident.

Closer coordination of the medical and public health communities at the federal, state and

local levels is critical. The NDPO's focus on public health and medical services will be coordinated

by HHS and comprised of members from HHS, other federal partners, and representatives from state

and local health and medical professionals. The NDPO will ensure that the health and medical

community perspectives and needs are coordinated and fully incorporated into the other NDPO areas;

i.e., Planning, Training, Equipment/R&D, Exercise, and Information Sharing. It will also ensure that

these perspectives are reflected as a priority overall within the NDPO.

Specifically, the NDPO will serve as a “one-stop-shopping” point of information and referral

for WMD-related health and medical preparedness issues and questions from stakeholders, states, and

local jurisdictions. Second, it will serve as a mechanism for HHS to facilitate the coordination, and

review of health and medical issues with regard to domestic preparedness.

Some of the tasks will be to:

• Participate in addressing public health and medical issues within all other NDPO areas.

• Work with state and local Advisory Groups to assist in identifying and integrating their

medical/public health needs into the efforts of the NDPO as a whole. Recognizing that

state and local entities may vary from region to region and from rural to urban localities,

the NDPO will tailor information to meet different needs.
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• Provide a coordinator/liaison to any designated NDPO focus group to ensure health and

medical issues are raised by the group.

• Assist with the integration and dissemination of public health information throughout the

NDPO's information sharing efforts.

• Act as a source for obtaining information for communities concerning development of

MMRS.

• Encourage stakeholders to identify and develop comprehensive health and medical

systems plans that will become the linchpin for local, county, state, and regional WMD

response planning.

• Interface with other NDPO areas to ensure that issues concerning training, exercises, and

equipment are in harmony with the community’s health and medical response plans. 

 A crucial function of the NDPO will be the coordination and sharing of information on

public health issues related to chemical, biological and nuclear terrorism. Matters related to public

health infrastructure will either be addressed directly, or they will be referred to recognized,

authoritative sources in the health and medical community. 

Health care systems must have the ability to meet the unique challenges posed by a terrorist

act involving a WMD. It will fall upon the local jurisdiction’s existing public health and medical

systems to manage adequately and effectively the human health consequences of a WMD terrorist

incident. Providing appropriate care for the affected population and obtaining critical health system

assets, including health professionals, pharmaceuticals, equipment, and facilities, are crucial to a

successful response. Health system response requirements are driven by the type of WMD incident

encountered, and the setting in which it occurs (rural community, suburb, city, or major metropolitan

area). A chemical incident will result in immediate effects at a known site, on-scene determination

of the causative agent, and a timely response. The effects of the release of a biological weapon,

however, may not be apparent for days or even weeks and would include response issues such as

mass prophylaxis, mass patient care, mass fatality management and infection control.

Response Planning

In a major terrorist incident involving WMD, the key consequence management planning

issues will be medical and public health. The two major elements of response planning for a WMD

incident are the development of appropriate local public health and medical response plans and the

integration of federal response capabilities into these plans.

The NDPO will be responsible for providing guidance to state and local jurisdictions in

developing their individual plans, including plans for integrating the state and federal response to an

emergency. These and related efforts will be closely coordinated with other efforts of the NDPO.
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Health and medical input will be provided regarding the preparation of planning guides and the

dissemination of planning information. Effective response planning will focus on enabling local

jurisdictions to quickly identify and safely treat victims in a mass casualty environment, protect those

who are at risk of exposure, and ensure that adequate federal assistance and support for these efforts

are available, as needed.

Consulting with the States on a National Strategy for Domestic

Preparedness

A coherent national strategy for domestic preparedness will depend on the needs and

capabilities of individual jurisdictions. Any national strategy must make sure that no community is left

out. When and if a terrorist incident occurs, each jurisdiction must be prepared – terrorists will not

discriminate between large and small cities, or urban and rural jurisdictions.

The proposal for the establishment of the NDPO represents a response to the call of

stakeholders who requested one office at the federal level to coordinate information about federal

domestic preparedness programs. The Attorney General and her federal partners in this effort

continue to listen to the concerns of the first responder community. Over the past several months,

and through further consultation with stakeholders, the Governors, and the Congress, the need for

greater state involvement in the domestic preparedness strategy efforts has emerged.

A National Strategy – Building a Two-Way Street

State and local responders and their federal counterparts will need to work side by side within

their states to develop comprehensive plans that address planning, training, equipment and exercises

that incorporate the needs and capabilities of the entire state. Therefore, the key to comprehensive

planning for a coordinated response to a terrorist incident will be involvement at the state level. A

dynamic state presence every step of the way will be critical to a coordinated federal, state and local

partnership in each state.

The Attorney General and the Director of FEMA will ask each Governor to identify a point

of contact within each state who will have direct contact with the NDPO. It is essential that this

person be appointed at the state level because planning for a national strategy must be done with the

perspective of the entire state. This person will have the most knowledge of the state’s existing

emergency plans and capabilities and can most effectively help build on those plans to incorporate

terrorism and WMD-readiness planning into the state’s existing capabilities.

The state point of contact can work with the local federal agency representatives in creating

a comprehensive planning effort within the state. The state points of contact will be the key to the

comprehensive state planning effort since they will know their states best and can facilitate the

working relationships between the federal, state and local communities that will be so critical to the

success of a national strategy. 

Outreach to Communities
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As part of its effort to build federal, state, and local partnerships, the NDPO will reach out

to city and community officials with the assistance of the state point of contact as the liaison to the

emergency responder community within the state. Interactions with the emergency responder

communities will provide an opportunity for federal officials involved in domestic preparedness

efforts to learn first-hand the concerns as well as the capabilities of state and local emergency

responders.

Through planning groups brought together by the state and local responders the emergency

responder community will be able to furnish input directly into the NDPO and the federal planning

process for the design of a national strategy for domestic preparedness. The state point of contact

appointed by the Governor will have direct contact with NDPO in order to ensure that federal efforts

are responsive to the changing needs of the country’s emergency responders. This direct input will

enable the NDPO to improve the focus of its six program areas as necessary.

A comprehensive national strategy for domestic preparedness will require careful planning and

cooperation among all those who will respond in the event of a WMD incident. Through the efforts

of the state points of contact, together with a coordinated approach of the federal government,

partnerships can emerge which will be critical to an effective national strategy for domestic

preparedness.
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ACRONYMS
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ACRONYMS

ASLA

CONPLAN

ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES

CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS PLAN

CT COUNTER TERRORISM

DFO DESIGNATED FEDERAL OFFICER

HHS DEPT. OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

DOD DEPT. OF DEFENSE

DOE DEPT. OF ENERGY

DOJ DEPT. OF JUSTICE

DPLG DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS LEADERSHIP GROUP

EMI EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

EPA ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

EPCRA EMERGENCY PLANNING AND COMMUNITY RIGHT TO KNOW ACT

FBI FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

FEMA FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

FRP FEDERAL RESPONSE PLAN

HAZMAT HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

HDS HAZARDOUS DEVICES SCHOOL

HMO HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION

IAB INTERAGENCY BOARD

ICS INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM

IED IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE
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IPA INTERGOVERNMENTAL PERSONNEL ACT

IWG INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP

LEO LAW ENFORCEMENT ONLINE

LEPC LOCAL EMERGENCY PLANNING COMMITTEE

MMRS METROPOLITAN MEDICAL RESPONSE SYSTEM

MMST METROPOLITAN MEDICAL STRIKE TEAM

MOA MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT

MOU MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

NDPC NATIONAL DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS CONSORTIUM

NDPO NATIONAL DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS OFFICE

NFA NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY

NFPA NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION

NGB NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU

NIJ NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE

NRC NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

NSC NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

OJP OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS

OSHA OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY HAZARD AGENCY

OSLDPS OFFICE FOR STATE AND LOCAL DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS SUPPORT

PDD PRESIDENTIAL DECISION DIRECTIVE

PHMSP PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES PROGRAM

RAID RAPID ASSESSMENT AND INITIAL DETECTION
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RRIS RAPID RESPONSE INFORMATION SYSTEM

SEL STANDARDIZED EQUIPMENT LIST

SLAG STATE AND LOCAL ADVISORY GROUP

USCG UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

VA VETERAN'S ADMINISTRATION

WINJIIP WINDOWS JOINT INTERAGENCY INPUT PROGRAM

WMD WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION