With the war on Iraq underway, Loudoun County agencies have plans in place to tighten security and respond to a terrorism incident.
The Sheriff’s Office plans to continue providing extra patrols in areas considered to be at high-risk, an action that was taken following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack.
"I can’t get into specifics, but [the facilities] do include government facilities and commercial and residential areas that are highly populated," said Kraig Troxell, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, adding that the war and the area’s increase to a code orange alert call for extra vigilance at and in the facilities. The Department of Homeland Security asked law enforcement personnel and the American citizenry to be on a heightened sense of awareness looking for and reporting any suspicious activities.
"We don’t have extra deputies on the field. We are continuing to move along our current personnel," Troxell said.
AT THE COUNTY Department of Health, the agency is developing a mass medication and vaccination distribution plan in case of a radiological, chemical or biological attack or an epidemic, initiating the work after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. The plan outlines the distribution of medications and vaccinations to a few people up to the entire county population at one or more dispensing clinics. The worse case scenario, as outlined in the plan, will call for seven to eight clinics to serve the entire population that will be in operation for up to four days.
The clinics will be staffed by public health personnel and volunteers, including those who are medically trained and those who are not who would provide support roles, such as registration and data entry.
An emergency planner hired in February is working on the plan. His position along with that of the staff epidemiologist are funded through a federal bioterrorism grant.
"THE PLAN is continually being revised and updated," said David Goodfriend, district health director for the Department of Health. "Having these plans in place prior to an emergency will allow us to respond quicker."
The plan was initiated on a small scale in October 2001 when the Sterling Mail Facility was contaminated by anthrax and an employee became sick. The health department set up an antibiotic distribution site for other employees and contract employees working at the facility, which has remained closed since the terrorist-related incident.