Mass Destruction

Ever since I was in elementary school, I always had large dreams and aspirations. Growing up, my dream job was to be a “fire truck driver.” My fascination with first responders and emergency management was large; I always wondered what happened when someone placed a 911 call. Whenever I saw an emergency vehicle responding on the street or in the air, I always wondered what steps were needed to put that response into action.

During World War I, chemical warfare was utilized as a Weapon of Mass Destruction to commit large scale attacks against oncoming forces. Wartime scientists used chemicals such as chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas to cause blindness, asphyxiation, and death (Fitzgerald, G 2008). During these attacks, over 1.3 million people suffered chemically induced injuries and more than 90,000 killed by chemical weapons. The devastation caused by chemical warfare led to the gathering of 160 nations to sign treaties banning the use of lethal chemical armaments. On both a national and local level, emergency managers work to evaluate the potential of terrorist attacks of all magnitudes and means.

Clinton, I enjoyed reading your post as you tied the information from the CERT Disaster Psychology video into your discussion post. I was unaware of CERT and how first responders for this team receive training for disaster psychology training to prepare themselves for responding to an incident. I believe that educating first responders is very simillar to training in the miltary. Often in a moment that is stressful, it is hard to predict how someone will respond to a stressful and horrific incident. If a first responder is taught breathing techniques, or how to calm themselves and to always ensure they are checking on their teammates, they will be able to complete their mission. Another important note is the delayed responses to disasters

With preparation at the local and federal level things such as precautions and safety measure implemented in strategic planning, training, and response; first responders can minimize the risks associated with a terrorist attack. Terrorism can take many forms creating a variety of potential risks to first responders. With this in mind, responding agencies and other factions of the government must evaluate their vulnerabilities, their capabilities, and the preventative measures that they have in

To understand the threat that is posed by weapons of mass destruction (WMD), what defines a WMD must first be understood. The definition and use of WMD is covered by 18 U.S. Code § 2332a - Use of weapons of mass destruction. The term “weapon of mass destruction” is defined as any destructive device that is further defined under section 921. Under section 921, a destructive device is anything that has explosive, incendiary, or poison gas properties. 18 U.S. Code § 2332a - Use of weapons of mass destruction expands further by defining a WMD as any type of weapon that is designed to cause death or serious injury by release, dissemination, or impact by nuclear, biological, or chemical means. The legal code also covers weapons that release dangerous levels of radiation. Under FBI guidelines, the term WMD is used to describe a collection of modalities that include: chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive and is over referred to as CBRNE.

Weapons of mass destruction, or WMDs for short, are nuclear, biological or chemical weapons "that is designed or intended to cause [widespread] death or serious bodily injury" (Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction). Many countries use them as a deterrent of war, and as a potential form of retaliation. However, the construction, possession, and usage of WMDs could possibly be the most self-destructive thing humanity has ever done because they lead to nothing but death and destruction, as evidenced by the U.S. bombing or Japan in WW2, the Iraqi chemical warfare against the Kurds, and and the Soviet Union's massive biological warfare program.

Today, the threat of weapons mass destruction (WMD) has become one of the most dangerous threats effecting all nations security over the world, the national security of the superpower such as united states, as well as human life all over the world. Especially with the development of modern technology and the ease of access to information, more deadly weapons could be manufactured and used by countries against another or may be by terrorist groups.

Emergency responders, the police, and military rely heavily on practicing in high-stress emergency situations to train their officers. The goal is to get people accustomed to performing their best when it counts the most, practice can make it perfect. Police practice situation that are likely to face them in real conformational situations, the more intense the situation the likelihood of perfection will surface when it

The incident involving the use of the weapon of mass destruction implies disastrous health effects, but the current incident management plan does not address the health component properly. The WMD incident may involve a large number of victims and the possible deterioration of the public health in a long-run perspective, especially in case of using chemical or nuclear weapon. This is why the plan should be detailed and it should address different scenarios that may need different strategic approaches to the public health and incident management plan. The mere cooperation of state and local health agencies is not enough to address such incident. Instead, the national public health program is needed to address the incident involving the use of

Around the world, at an alarming pace, public safety responders are finding themselves in the crosshairs of society. Gone are the days of respect and authority as being a given. In a time where everyone generally has access to a video or camera on their phone, there is nothing normal or typical in regards to interactions with the public. What used to be a simple traffic stop, has the potential to be escalated and posted out on social media or smeared across the prime time news channels. The threat is no longer primarily reserved for just one field within our profession. Police are being ambushed and killed in astronomical numbers. Firemen are being called to a scene and shot. Dispatchers are being followed into stores for wearing a uniform

Terrorism poses a serious threat to the security of every nation; a worldwide problem that doesn’t recognize borders, nationality, or religion. These Non State Actors (NSA’s), entities engaging in international operations without the authority of an established nation are always looking for a better way to further their agenda. One of these ways is through the pursuit of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Most isotopes that can be utilized to create an operational device are easily tracked due to their radioactive signature, and the technology is rare making it difficult to acquire a feasible nuclear program. The next best thing is to instill fear and panic, is chemical and Biological weapons. The only way to deter these actions is to actively monitor precursor, sources, and the organizations and groups which have expressed interest in creating a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) program.

While nuclear weapons are universally known as a weapon of mass destruction, they are not the only type. Other types of weapons of mass destruction include, radiological, chemical, and biological. While nuclear weapons may be the most known, biological and chemical weapons are more commonly used. To this day, chemical and biological weapons continue to be used in the Syrian Civil War. Specifically, Chlorine and mustard gas have been used on all sides of the civil war, and in most cases, despite the possible harm to civilians. The official website of the Federal Bureau of Investigation defines WMDs as any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas weapon that is designed with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury. While some may claim that weapons of mass destruction do not pose as much of a threat today as they did in the early 2000s, I disagree. While it may be true that weapons of mass destruction do not receive the amount of media coverage they used to, that does not decrease the threat they pose at all. The threat of nuclear and chemical and biological and radiothermal warfare is still alive and

Bioterrorism is “the deliberate use of a biological organism- such as a virus or bacterium as a weapon to debilitate or kill one’s enemies in an act of war” (Langwith). Bioterrorism is not a modern emergent concern public health concern. It has been a potential threat to us throughout the years with progressive health and technology advances. With these advances, even normal everyday can initiate a devastating bioterrorism attack. Today, the question is whether we are prepared to face such a bioterrorism attack and survive with a very low mortality rate with minimal casualties. We need to take a look at emergency preparedness and responses in case of a bioterrorism attack and assess the results.

Weapons of mass destruction and their ability to challenge security and create large-scale obliteration have become the most significant threat in international politics, causing vast concern of the consequences that may arise if they were to emerge in the hands of dangerous non-state actors. Chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons not only possess the ability to end the life of many but also pose negative effects on the environment and global economy. While their ability to wipe out a mass of civilians causes terror throughout the world, the major concern in regards to WMD is the possibility of their landing in the hands of treacherous terrorist groups. This fear expanded in 2001 after the terrorist use of anthrax in the United Sate’s postal services (Reed). Although all nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons acquire the ability to terrorize a civilization, nuclear weapons pose the deadliest threat. Chemical weapons seize the ability to wipe out thousands of lives with effective “gas” attacks while biological threats influence the spread of deadly diseases. What makes these two forms of WMD less severe than nuclear weapons is that protective clothing and gear can be worn to avert lethal gas and it is difficult for a pandemic disease to become large scale in today’s era (Macfarlane). The United States should focus its concern on nuclear weapons and the fatal threat they pose not only on human life but also on infrastructure. Arming an

Weapons of mass destruction, as classified by the FBI, are any destructive devices, chemical or biological agents used with the intention of causing death or injury on a large scale. These weapons have been used in history, but most are banned to due to the extent of destruction caused. The atom bomb, probably the most well-known of these weapons were used sparingly but caused massive damage in the few areas affected. Chemical weapons, agents that can be traced in Syria today, have the potential to spread quickly while causing death and severe injury to those affected. Like chemical weapons, biological weapons which have been used since the early 1900’s, possess the trait of quick contamination and severe damage to those affected. In