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Trenton preps for bio if NYC attacked:

Area hospitals preparing for the worst August 23, 2004

By MATT STRINGER
The Intelligencer

Hospitals in Trenton are bracing for the possibility of a terrorist attack because of their proximity to the upcoming Republican National Convention in New York. Hospitals, EMTs and firefighters in some Bucks communities also are preparing for potential disaster - and have been since Sept. 11, 2001.

New Jersey hospitals recently increased security after state counter-terrorism officials warned that terrorists might attack medical centers as secondary targets to cause further mayhem after an initial attack elsewhere. The alert also warned ambulance drivers to be extra cautious because the vehicles might be stolen and used as car bombs.

"There are two parts of security. One part is visible; the majority is invisible," said Bob Ridge, head of security at Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township.

Cameras are constantly monitoring most areas of the hospital. In addition, security guards patrol the hospital to make sure everything is secure.

"If someone leaves a backpack somewhere, we know about it," Ridge said. "Our security people suspect everything. We feel we are significantly more secure than we were on Sept. 10, (2001)."

Unlike New Jersey, no hospitals in Bucks County have their own ambulance services, but Ridge said Lower Bucks Hospital is in contact with all incoming ambulances.

"If a suspicious ambulance came up, we certainly would question it and take steps to make sure it is legitimate," Ridge said.

Nearby New Jersey hospitals are taking a variety of steps to make sure they don't become targets for terrorists.

Lisa Breza, emergency-preparedness coordinator for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Trenton, said all hospitals in New Jersey conduct a weekly conference call with state Health Commissioner Clifton R. Lacy to discuss the alert.

"We're looking particularly at those patients coming in with a fever or rash," Breza said, which could be the first sign of a possible chemical or biological attack.

Robert Wood Johnson has security posted at entrances at peak times, increased surveillance around the hospital, and asked staff to wear identification badges at all times. All visitors must sign in. Also, the hospital has measures in place to make sure all ambulances are locked and secure.

St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown doesn't like to elaborate on security plans, but communications director Kathleen Smith said the hospital checks out all suspicious people and vehicles on the campus. St. Mary doesn't normally screen visitors, but it has an emergency-response plan for any event.

"Our staff are aware and alert," Smith said.

Katie Farrell, chief operating officer for Warminster Hospital, said the staff is trained to question suspicious people, but security hasn't been enhanced lately. The hospital requires a swipe card to enter all high-risk areas, and vendors aren't allowed into the hospital without a badge.

"We have an emergency-response plan," Farrell said, "whether it's bioterrorism or another type of emergency."

Capital Health System in New Jersey, which operates two hospitals in Trenton, screens all visitors and vendors and has asked its staff to challenge anyone in the halls who isn't wearing identification. Rick Butler, director of emergency medical services for the health system, said it has an extensive network of cameras that monitor the hospitals.

"Anything out of the ordinary, we tell our people to call it in," Butler said.

The hospitals operate their own ambulance system and are in the process of purchasing kill switches for the vehicles in case they are stolen. The remote-controlled kill switches will automatically shut down the engine. In the meantime, the hospitals have told their EMTs to keep a close eye on the vehicles.

Tom Topley, executive director for the Bensalem Rescue Squad, said all its ambulances have a keyless-entry system. The squad has had ambulances stolen in the past, but the thefts had no relation to terrorism.

All full-timers at the rescue squad are trained as hazardous-materials technicians.

"They receive a wide variety of training; that's not true for all the paramedics in Bucks County," Topley said. "We're trying to prepare our people to work in a variety of situations. A lot of it is geared to disaster training."

The Levittown-Fairless Hills Rescue Squad isn't faring as well. Mike Moretti, squad chief, said the biggest problem is funding.

"This is nationwide. There is no funding available for emergency medical services at the federal level," Moretti said.

Moretti said he's trying to make sure his squad is prepared for any type of possible disaster, but without federal funds, it's hard to participate in all the training that's out there. He said that's a problem for most independent emergency medical services.

His paramedics receive eight hours of training in hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction.

"Are my front-line responders trained to where they should be? No," Moretti said. "When you talk about hazmat and terrorist training, it's not inclusive."

Moretti hopes that by next year funding will be available for emergency medical services.

In the event of a terrorist attack, local fire departments would be called into action. They are gearing up for an emergency-preparedness drill in October.

According to Lower Southampton Fire Co. Chief Mark Kramer, firefighters would not have to handle a terrorist situation alone. The department's fire personnel receive hazardous-materials training, but police would handle any terrorist incident, with fire departments assisting them.

"We would work in conjunction with the police department and homeland security," Kramer said. "We (would) work to isolate and control the incident."

He added that if there were a bomb scare, the fire department most likely would call in the Philadelphia Bomb Squad, as it has done in the past.

The upcoming drill will incorporate area police, rescue squads and other emergency personnel. Kramer said the fire department won't know the nature of the drill until it happens.

"That's the beauty of it," Kramer said. "After it's over, we'll sit back and go over the whole thing and come up with what we did right and what we can do better."

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/n...004-353274.html