Introduction
All over the world the terrorist threat is actually real as the world is day to day exposed to the threats involving terrorism. The occurrence of these threats serves to remind the people that there is a need to struggle for the purpose of the achievement of security since it cannot just be obtained for free. There is a requirement for the joint efforts with every member of the community in the fight against terrorism and therefore some efforts towards the education of the members of the community is a positively contributing factor towards the success of the project. The people in this community have an upper hand in the process of defeating crime with the support of the government (Green, 2004, p. 21).
People have in the past encountered incidents of suspicious packages and for the reasons of security calmness as well as caution is a requirement in such a situation. Of specific importance is a great care on addresses that are misspelled, devoid of a return address and with a mark of “ confidential” as well as “ personal”. A stain on this package as well as on any part of the letter or a sign of an opening on the package requires equal calmness. The package should be placed down calmly with no dust being let out into the air followed by the isolation of the area and the notification of other people about the situation of that place for the purpose of the avoidance of the specific area. It is of special important to prevent people from accessing the package or even passing near it. They should neither be brought to view it or attempt to transfer it to a different location (McLaughlin, 2001, p. 57).
The package being a suspicious substance should be left to the scrutiny of the law enforcement officers but not the individual person as well as neighbors and co workers. The individual is required to enter into a bathroom whereby the hands as well as the face are washed thoroughly preferably with a soap as well as warm water, which is later preceded by calling 911 for the purpose of delivering the information pertaining to the suspicious package (Ricketts & Joel, 2005, p. 95).
In a diverse of situation incidences of gas poisoning as well as chemical poisoning may take place which also requires personal protection. Most of these chemical agents are invisible as well as a lack for an odour meaning that their detection is difficult. If on the ground there is a single individual observed as choking as well as seizing, the initial assumption is that the individual is suffering from a heart attack, but if this condition is affecting several people at the same time, accompanied by persistent coughing as well as vomiting, the most logical conclusion is that the individuals are under the effect of a particular kind of toxic substance. At this point there is a requirement for the evacuation of the area with immediate effect followed by dialing 911 to report the presence of a hazardous gas. If the individual is inside the building at the time of the incident there is a requirement for a quick exit and remove the cloths if the person believes that the toxic substance got into contact with his body. Plenty of water is required by the victim for the purpose of the removal of the toxic substance (McLaughlin, 2001, p. 175).
The outside signs of the presence of toxic substances in the surrounding are exhibited by falling birds as well as other small animals since they are more vulnerable to the poison gases. They therefore serve as a very good warning of a danger therefore requiring that a person take the relevant safety measures. This involves the creation of a barrier between the individual and the poisonous gas by quickly getting inside a building or a car, shutting the doors as well as the windows and putting on the air conditioner. The air draft that may be trapped under the doors is plugged to allow for the wind to transport the toxic gas rather quickly. As these processes are in progress, the authorities are notified by dialing 911. Continue staying indoors if the cover was taken in the house and turn on the radio or the TV in anticipation that the local broadcasters will most likely air the development of whatever is happening around you. Through the news in the broadcast the most appropriate time to leave the premises will be announced after a proper consultation with the experts. If you were lucky to take the cover at home, a shower will be necessary for the purpose of the removal of any contamination that could have occurred prior to taking a cover (Hildebrand, 2000, p. 318).
A biological attack is also a possibility as has been repeatedly announced through the media that the agents of biological destruction may come from the commercial sprayers, crop dusters being examples. The reports, however lacks the clarification of the fact that there is a need for the modification of the equipments for the purpose of the achievement of success. The crop dusters have already been restricted from the city by the FBI. The site of one of them or of a similar activity requires that a person takes a cover inside a house, shut the window as well as the doors and turn on the air conditioner. However it is a common occurrence for the local authorities to make use of helicopters for the purposes of the application of some approved pesticides for the purposes of the control of pests such as the mosquito.
Their activities are usually made public at an earlier date and repeated severally for the purposes of the awareness of the general public. Incase of a doubt a call may be made to the local authorities for the purpose of the confirmation of the real situation The dispersal of a biological agent does not exhibit distinct as well as apparent signs until individual people get ill much later. The majority of the agents in this category are responsible for the initial symptoms resemble flu malaise. The potential ability of the individuals to detect the problems of public health concern is at the fore front of the federal authorities, with major emphasis at the ability of differentiating between the flu and the possibility of an attack of the biological agents (Ricketts, & Joel, 2005, p. 92).
The method of the dissemination of the biological agent that is the cause of the greatest concern as well as worry is the aerosol dispersal. The biological biowarfare agents would only cause harmful effects to the individual when the microscopic particles of the agent enter the lungs of the individual. Therefore, for the purpose of the individual protection a barrier erected between the individual person and the cloud of the aerosol is a positive step towards self protection. The use of a gas mask is of immense importance in the efforts of the protection against respiratory attack. Surgical masks as well as the masks that are meant for the purposes of the respiratory protection are even more advantageous as they usually filters out the particulate matter inherent in air (Hildebrand, 2000, p. 371).
The water supply is another sensitive area that requires personal protection although it is a common understanding that the process of poisoning of the water in the city would rarely occur. However it is recommended that the water meant for domestic consumption is better boiled to get rid of any microorganisms that survived the filtration system of the municipality or use a personal system for the filtration of the water (Hawley, 2001, p. 297).
In the event of a chemical as well as a biological disaster the electronic as well as the print media plays a very special role in the dissemination of the information especially in a situation whereby the pace of the progress is relatively high. In some situations, however the information of the media may be misleading. This is a period when the individual is supposed to rely on the information from the health sector, the sector of the public safety as well as the officials from the sector of the emergency management (Hildebrand, 2000, p. 46).
The issue of the gas mask is also worth some consideration. Most of the terrorist are unlikely to apply the poisonous substances as the preference for the conventional bombs are very high. The use of the gas mask for the purpose of personal protection is faced with a variety of factors. In the first place, the efficient application of the mask requires that the individual carry the mask all along for the purpose of its utilization at the fastest instance that an attack has been suspected. For more efficiency of the mask with regard to a biological agent attack, the individual is supposed to wear the mask all the time since the onslaught of this kind of the attack cannot be predetermined as well as the absence of advanced sensors. It therefore implies that this device poses major limitations and inefficiencies as far as the purpose for its application are concerned
References
Green, P. (2004). Personal security . 4th ed. McGraw-Hill.
Hawley, M. (2001). Condensed Chemical Application . 5th ed. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Hildebrand, S. (2000). Disaster Planning . CA: Mt. View Press.
McLaughlin, R. (2001). Agenda For Security. Mississippi: University, MS.
Ricketts, E. & Joel. W, (2005). Protection Agenda . Stanford: Stanford Univ. Press.
