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Testimony of Fire Chief Gary B. Marrs
Oklahoma City Fire Department
International Association of Fire Chiefs

The fire and emergency services community must face the stark reality that our security and intelligence efforts will not always be successful in preventing terrorist attacks. It is equally clear that local fire and emergency service agencies are neither trained nor equipped to deal with a chemical, biological or nuclear terrorist incident. 

A new generation of science and the increased use and accessibility of chemical and biological agents as tools for mass destruction by terrorists pose significant problems to the fire and emergency service community as first responders and America's first line of defense.

Of the overall government efforts to prevent and respond to terrorist incidents, these local fire, law enforcement and emergency medical services agencies are still the least prepared to respond to a chemical, biological, incendiary, nuclear or explosive terrorist incident, even after I came to testify before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on March 27, 1996.

As demonstrated in Northern Ireland, Tokyo, London and Tel Aviv-Jerusalem,  and especially in the United States, the public has very high expectations for the government's response after a terrorist incident. Once a security failure or penetration has occurred and civilian casualties have resulted, the public demands an extraordinary effort be put into the initial emergency response.

In the first three critical hours after a terrorist incident, the public perception of the overall government anti-terrorist response depends entirely on the organization and effectiveness of the local emergency service providers and their actions during the incident. During these first few hours it will be the local government that will have to manage the incident.

Even with the inception of the United States Chemical/Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF), a highly trained and exceptionally equipped group of Marines who could manage a chemical or biological release, it would take between four-to-eight hours before they will be ready even to mobilize.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has asked that appropriate institutions of the federal government take immediate and decisive actions to proactively train and equip local fire and emergency service agencies to deal with nuclear, chemical, and biological terrorist incidents.

Since I was here last, the government has passed the Antiterrorism and Death Penalty Act, which authorized training for the fire and emergency services through the Department of Justice. The Department of Defense Authorization Bill passed Nunn Lugar II, which provides for training and equipment for first responders to deal with weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The Federal Emergency Management Agency received additional funding to assist with first responder training. And the U.S. Public Health Service received funds to form the first Metro Medical Strike Team.

That is a brief summary of the actions taken to date by the federal government to help local fire and emergency responders deal with incidents caused by terrorists. The IAFC has been working with the federal agencies involved to ensure appropriate training is developed and sent to the field as rapidly as possible - however, as of this date, the first training has not been delivered yet.  What needs to be done now is the relevant question. Let me briefly outline the five areas Congress needs to consider.

1) Continue federal funding for programs authorized and appropriated in the last session of Congress:

 a. Awareness training for first responders is being developed by the Bureau of  Justice Assistance and FEMA with assistance from the National Fire  Academy. Funding is through the Antiterrorism And Effective Death Penalty  Act and FEMA Planning, Preparedness and Exercises programs. The  respective amounts of funding are $5 million and $2.5 million.

 b. Funding for defense against weapons of mass destruction was appropriated  through the provisions of Nunn Lugar II in the National Defense  Authorization Act of 1997. This training is currently being developed by the  Edgewood Arsenal and will be available later this year for 20 of the largest  metropolitan fire departments.

 c. The Public Health Service of the Department of Health and Human  Services received $10.5 million to develop and implement a Metro Medical  Strike Team. This is being done now in Washington, D. C., metropolitan area.  Obviously, additional funding is needed to increase the number of these  medical strike teams in key jurisdictions across the country.

2)  It is now up to Congress to ensure the continuation of this coordinating role by FEMA through statute language. It is equally important to fund this key administrative function. We recommend legislation in this session of Congress to accomplish that objective.

First responder training is being conducted across several departments and agencies. FEMA, without expressed authority or funding, took a leadership role and created an interagency group to ensure that current and past laws dealing with the response to domestic terrorism would be implemented in an effective and cost efficient manner. We applaud this effort by FEMA.


3) It is imperative that the federal government use the ICS so that when any disaster occurs, natural or manmade, federal agencies and representatives will know where they will fit into the local emergency response plan. 

The Incident Command System (ICS) has been used by fire and emergency departments for years. This system outlines where each agency fits into the whole command structure and how each one will be used. Local agencies will use such a plan, and it is up to the federal government to work within this system.


4) Establish a national training site for first responders.

The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 directs the President to establish an interagency task force on testing, training and evaluation. The task force is to determine the feasibility and advisability of establishing a facility that recreates urban and suburban environments to permit effective testing, training and evaluation of personnel responsible for responding to chemical and biological weapons incidents. In our view, training for nuclear (radiological) attacks should be included.

The initial federal efforts to assist first responders will be for awareness training. A higher level of training - operational level - will also be required. There is an urgent need for this interagency task force to complete its work by identifying such a training site in the U.S. and funding assistance for local fire departments to attend such training.

5) Immediate action is needed.

The need for all the items I have listed above is now. It is with the utmost urgency that I stress to you that all the funding in the world will not do any person in this country any good if training is not delivered to those people who need it. I of course speak of the local fire and emergency personnel of the United States.

Please realize that since the government funding was approved, nothing has reached the fire and emergency first responders. Since that time we have seen our fire and emergency personnel thrust into dangerous situations, in part due to the lack of available training. In Fulton County, Georgia, for example, where two bombs were used against an abortion clinic last month, there are firefighters who certainly would have benefited from the training we are recommending to you today.

Thank you for allowing us to submit our views on this critical issue. We will be pleased to respond to any questions you may have.