Thursday, July 15, 1999
More city workers learn to fight terror attacks
Secondary responders can be useful, too
BY LUCY MAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati continued its training sessions Wednesday for a possible terrorist attack, this time for employees who could be called on to help on the periphery of a disaster.
More than 500 employees signed up for the sessions that continu todayat Raymond Walters College in Blue Ash.
“We are told by the feds that the better prepared you are, the less likely this will happen,” said Michael Gunn, the city's employee safety manager. “We hope we do all this and never have to use it.”
Cincinnati is one of 120 cities around the country to hold the training .
In January, local officials received training from the Department of Defense. The Domestic Preparedness Program was designed to teach local public officials and disaster response teams how to deal with weapons of mass destruction, including chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
In May, more than 380 Tristate firefighters, emergency medical staff and other first responders attended a week-long session to learn how to manage a disaster.
The latest round of training was for city workers who would establish emergency shelters, shuttle victims and transport supplies .
Employees were told how to recognize signs of such an attack. Trainers instructed them to call 911, to clear crowds and to direct people away from the disaster.
“We're trying to explain to these people what to do and what not to do,” said Mr. Gunn.
The bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City taught cities they will never have enough firefighters and police to deal with such an emergency, Mr. Gunn said.
Other city employees would be called upon to help, he said, and city officials thought they should have at least minimal training.
Some employees said after the session they felt better equipped to deal with a disaster.
“With all this stuff going on all around, it's definitely something you need to be prepared for,” said Marvin Johnson, a maintenance worker with the Metropolitan Sewer District.
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