http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/kouri/2005/08/are-there-enough-first-responders.html
Jim Kouri is Vice President of the
National Association of Chiefs of Police
Friday, August 12, 2005
"Are There Enough First Responders?"
by Jim Kouri, CPP
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "America's first line of defense in any terrorist attack is the "first responder" community -- local police, firefighters, and emergency medical professionals. Properly trained and equipped first responders have the greatest potential to save lives and limit casualties after a terrorist attack. Currently, capabilities for responding to a terrorist attack vary widely across the country. Many areas have little or no capability to respond to terrorist attack using weapons of mass destruction. Even the best prepared states and localities do not possess adequate resources to respond to the full range of terrorist threats we face.
There are over 1 million firefighters in the United States, of which approximately 750,000 are volunteers. Local police departments have an estimated 556,000 full-time employees including about 436,000 sworn enforcement personnel. Sheriffs' offices reported about 291,000 full-time employees, including about 186,000 sworn personnel. There are over 155,000 nationally registered emergency medical technicians(EMT).
Terrorists can strike anytime, anywhere. Crop dusters, power generating plants, dams and reservoirs, crops, livestock, trains and highways are among the resources that could be targets. Homeland security in the heartland is just as important as homeland security in America's largest cities."
While I am no longer in the wrecker business, I still get professional publications, and wrecker operators have been bumped up into that category, with all the attendant hassles- traffic direction devices ( gnome hats & light bars ), training in containing spills, etc.
Although it was not mandated back when I was in the trade, I always had extra tools and equipment for first aid, firefighting, and forcing open wrecks.
There is probably a bigger group of "irregulars" like I belonged to, than you would suspect at first glance.
Checking in. I'll be in and out today, but never far.