List some of the signs that a chemical attack may have taken place. How can officers protect themselves from such attacks?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

There may or may not be a warning before the attack; you must be on the alert for signs of danger when you patrol or are assigned to the scene of a possible chemical threat or to a chemical attack scene. Officers should watch for the following signs of chemical attacks:

1. Lack of insects
2. Birds falling from the sky, dying animals acting in an unusual manner
3. Discoloration and withering of some types of grass, plants, shrubs, and trees
4. Unexplained casualties, multiple victims, or victims with confused behavior, nausea, headaches
5. Unusual liquid droplets with an oily film
6. Unexplained odors such as the smell from bitter almonds, freshly mown grass or hay, onions, sulfur, geraniums, garlic, mothballs, fruit, or fish
7. Vapor, mist, thin fog, or low clouds unrelated to the weather
8. Unusual metal debris or unusual equipment such as abandoned sprayers and unexplained munitions

Examples of protection measures include:

1. The most important thing you can do is resist the urge to rush in and help. First protect yourself; put on the highest level-PPE you have, including respiratory protection, immediately.
2. In the absence of appropriate PPE, turn off your car's air conditioner and ventilation system, make sure windows are completely shut, and work from the inside of the car.
3. Inform other responders about the dangerous conditions, as well as the direction in which suspicious plumes and clouds are moving.
4. You will not be alone long; an integrated team will soon be there to help. Standing plans will immediately go into effect, and key federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Defense (DoD), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will handle tasks appropriate to their responsibilities regarding terrorist attacks.
5. Deny entry to the area to all but emergency responders.
6. Identify a staging area for responders.
7. Direct survivors to a single area; assure them that help is on its way.
8. Be alert to the possibility of secondary devices being present-for example, command-detonated car bombs to kill rescuers. Watch for suspicious people.