Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani testified today before the House Subcommittee
on Terrorism and Homeland Security during its hearing on "Domestic Preparedness
and Emergency Response to Terrorist Attacks" in the Public Hearing Chamber
at City Hall. Joining the Mayor were Police
Commissioner Bernard Kerik, the Director of the Office
of Emergency Management Richard Sheirer, Fire
Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, and Commissioner of the Department
of Health Dr. Neal Cohen.
In his testimony, the Mayor offered a series of recommendations to enhance
the preparedness of America's cities against acts of terrorism. Highlights
of the Mayor's testimony include:
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Establish an Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in cities
and states across the nation, as well as within private organizations that
may be subject to acts of terrorism.
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Create an Emergency Operations Center within each OEM to
coordinate response and communication during emergencies.
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Conduct field exercises and table-top drills on a regular
basis to prepare for biological, chemical and other terrorist attacks, as
well as natural disasters, to develop procedures and tactical responses.
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Commit formal response protocols to paper to maximize preparation
and identify weak links in planning.
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Establish a "Syndromic Surveillance" System to
monitor unusual increases in calls to 911 on a real-time basis, categorizing
these by specific symptoms and their corresponding illness, and allowing
for rapid response.
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Establish a Public Health Surveillance System to monitor
area hospitals for immediate follow up and investigation by physicians,
public health specialists, and law enforcement agents.
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Develop and implement Points of Dispensing [PODs] - local
facilities designed to provide preventive medications or antidotes to large
numbers of people as rapidly as possible in the event of a public health
emergency.
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Create a Metropolitan or Regional Committee on Counter-Terrorism
to coordinate regional efforts to fight terrorism and prevent terrorist
attacks.
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Establish a Regional Counter-Terrorism Database to coordinate
intelligence from local, state, and federal authorities and law enforcement
within a metropolitan region.
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Expand the Joint Terrorism Task Force throughout the country,
not just in America's largest cities; increase the number of security clearances
given to local law enforcement executives as part of this effort.
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Recommend that Congress pass legislation to permit and
encourage information sharing between federal, state and local law enforcement.
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Establish a new office within the F.B.I., directed by a
senior staff member, to coordinate information sharing with local law enforcement.
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Move forward with the creation of a missile defense system
to protect our nation from the launch of weapons of mass destruction.
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Accelerate the development of a strong national system
of preparedness, including state and local authorities, against chemical
and biological attacks.