HomeNewsArticle Display

Are you ready? Planning for bioterrorist threat part of Tinker’s EM program

  • Published
  • By Darren D. Heusel
  • Tinker Air Force Base Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE --  (Editor's Note: The following is the third in a four-part series on Readiness and focuses on the various types of biohazard attacks the base could experience. Next week's final article in the series will discuss where to go, what to do in the event of any type of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive attack)
   Terrorism in and of itself is not new. And even though it has been used since the beginning or recorded history, it can be relatively hard to define.
   Whether it's the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on Dec. 21, 1988, the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen on Oct. 12, 2000, or the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the East Coast, terrorism remains "the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear..." and it is rapidly becoming the predominant strategic tool of our adversaries.
   And while Tinker officials regularly rehearse for most types of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive incidents as part of the base's Emergency Management plan, they also prepare for another contingency - bioterrorism.
   Lt. Col. Donna Johnson Bacon, Tinker Public Health officer, said military and civilian medical authorities train together regularly for a unified medical response to a bioterrorism agent.
   According to Col. Bacon, the most common diseases used in the scenarios are anthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, Q fever and the Ebola virus.
   "A bioterrorist attack will be different in that, unlike an explosion or chemical attack, symptoms will not show up for two to seven days after exposure to the agent," she said. "There will be no 'mass casualty' response at one location.
   "Instead, as symptoms occur, people will go to their medical providers at the Tinker Clinic, their local civilian clinics or local emergency departments."
   Because each disease is different, Col. Bacon said there is not one set of signs or symptoms to watch for.
   "Only by a coordinated disease surveillance network will a bioterrorist attack be picked up early," she said. "The Tinker Public Health Office monitors disease rates daily, looking for any unusual patterns."
   Col. Bacon said the Tinker Public Health Office reports disease statistics to the Oklahoma City/County Health Department and receives reports back. OKCCHD also receives daily disease reports from all the local emergency departments in addition to many private medical offices, she said.
   "Should a bioterrorist attack occur and mass immunization or antibiotic distribution be needed, the Oklahoma State Department of Health will request the Strategic National Stockpile from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," Col. Bacon said.
   She went on to say a large stockpile of vaccine or antibiotics will be in Oklahoma within hours, ready for dispersal to local neighborhood distribution centers. The OKCCHD plan calls for people to go to their neighborhood distribution centers after picking up family members from school or work.
   "Tinker AFB will have a distribution center, but it is not designed to service all Tinker employees and their families," Col. Bacon said. "It will be primarily for those who live on base and those who are 'mission essential' personnel."
   She said the OKCCHD will take the lead in broadcasting locations of distribution centers and personal prevention steps on television and radio stations.
   "Tinker officials will also provide up-to-date information and guidance to the public through a number of different resources such as the Tinker Messaging System, Commander's Access Channel and the Straight Talk line should an emergency situation unfold," Col. Bacon said.
   In addition to the bioterrorism threats to the base, officials here have to prepare for other emergencies as well such as mass casualties, chemical emergencies, natural disasters and severe weather, radiation emergencies and other types of outbreaks and incidents.
   In the event a WMD or hazardous materials incident should arise, there are many symptoms Tinker officials want the community to be aware of.
   Steve Ferreira, Tinker emergency manager, said general symptoms will include difficulty in breathing; irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract; changes in skin color or irritation of the skin; headache or blurred vision; dizziness; clumsiness or lack of coordination; cramps or diarrhea.
   Should someone have to go through a decontamination station, Mr. Ferreira said most personnel may be possibly contaminated with either a hazardous material or WMD agent and they should leave the incident scene immediately.
   "If first responders haven't arrived on scene, they should seek the nearest source of water and flush their clothing and skin, especially the eyes, with copious amounts of water," he said.
   Once emergency responders arrive on scene, Mr. Ferreira said they will most likely start a gross decontamination using spray nozzles on fire hoses and stripped off outer clothing.
   "Personnel will then be segregated into safe areas where officials will be monitoring for symptoms and further decontamination if necessary," he said.
   Mr. Ferreira said those who require immediate medical attention and transportation to medical facilities will be gross contaminated at the scene, stabilized as best they can be and decontaminated further once the arrive at a medical facility.
   For more information on public health issues, go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emergency Preparedness and Response Web site at http://www.bt.cdc.gov/. 
Pandemics Death Toll Since 1900
1918-1919
U.S. 675,000+
Worldwide 50,000,000+
1957-1958
U.S. 70,000+
Worldwide 1-2,000,000
1968-1969
U.S. 34,000+
Worldwide 700,000+