Preparedness:
Local Readiness
With Steve Holl
Arlington County Police Deputy Chief
Wednesday, July 18, 2002; 11 a.m. EDT

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, the ensuing anthrax attacks and other terrorist activities have brought the United States to a heightened level of awareness. In the event of an emergency, national, state and local police and fire and rescue departments have reviewed and revised plans for responding to a terrorist event.

Arlington County Police Deputy Chief Steve Holl was online Thursday, July 18, at 11 a.m. EDT to discuss terrorism preparedness since Sept. 11 and the role of local government in this process.

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Steve Holl: Welcome, I am joined by Captain Mark Penn of the Arlington County Fire Department. Mark is the Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Services, charged with the day-to-day operational planning for the Arlington County government.

Arlington, Va.: How much does Arlington County rely on federal funds and federal agency information to ready itself for possible terrorist activities? Is there a regular briefing from the FBI or similar agencies?

Steve Holl: Federal funds have been provided to Arlington to assist with enhancing our preparedness for future incidents. We have been in regular discussions with federal and regional law enforcement agencies. We have a detective serving full-time with the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Arlington, Va.: What lessons were learned by Arlington government after the response to the Pentagon attacks to improve future response efforts? Did you create after action reports, and, if yes, will they be made public?

Steve Holl: Arlington County hired a contractor to produce a comprehensive, independent after action report that will be released on July 23rd. This report will be available on-line. Periodic reports will be released by the County describing our response to the recommendations made in the report.

Arlington, Va.: On 9/11 I was at work in downtown Washington; my son was at Wakefield High School. We live on S. 1st St., not far from the Pentagon. It took me hours to walk home and when I got there my son was not at home. He went to the Pentagon. Is there a central location in Arlington where people can check in to locate each other?

Steve Holl: Each family should have a family emergency plan on how to contact each other in the event of a critical incident. Each family should have a local meeting place as well as local and out-of-state telephone contacts. The Arlington chapter of the American Red Cross can provide training on family disaster response. They publish an excellent pamphlet describing what supplies you should maintain at home.

Washington, D.C.: Could you elaborate on how local government intends to relay vital information to the public, both directly and through the media, during a bioterrorism incident?

Steve Holl: The after action report recommends improvements in our ability to communicate with the public during a diaster. The County manager has recently formed the Public Preparedness Planning Group, that includes residents, businesses, publis safety, and others, to recommend how we might do this better.

New York, N.Y.: What are the biggest obstacles that you are facing in your new position?

Steve Holl: Do you have my postion in NYC? The biggest challenges I am facing are the coordination with the various state, local and federal agencies, as well as the numerous groups within the County. Communicating with the public about pre-plans and advising them what to do after an event has occured are also bi issues.

Harrisburg, Pa.: In Pennsylvania, there is much coordination to be done through Health and Human Services, Emergency Management, various police, fire, and health care agencies, etc. This is an overwhelming but critical job. I believe there is a strong spirit of cooperation. Are you finding the same, or are some agencies developing tendancies to protect their turf?

Steve Holl: In my 29 years in law enforcement, I can say that I have never seen better cooperation among all of the response agencies at the Pentagon. This was due to our understanding of the Incident Command System and our work together on many special events and training exercises before 9/11. Some of these exercises involve chem/bio events and we have included our public health and health care providers. Human services played a large part in providing counseling services to both the first responders and the community after the Pentagon attack. I think that everyone realizes that they cannot do it alone.

Arlington, Va.: Should we be watching our community? What do we look for?

Steve Holl: Law enforcement has always asked residents to watch out for their communities. Neighborhood Watch was started with this end in mind. Residents know best what is suspicious in their block and should then report it to their local police or sheriff's office.

Arlington, Va.: With the Pentagon located in Arlington, do the Arlington Police and Fire departments have any special relationships/agreements with the Pentagon?

Steve Holl: The ACFD has always been the primary fire suppression and emergency medical service provider to the Pentagon. They work very closely witht the Pentagon Force Protection Agency. The ACFD has a full-time Captain assigned to the Pentagon.

The ACPD recently completed a memorandum of understanding with the Pentagon so that we may undertake law enforcement functions on the Pentagon site.

Washington, D.C.: How well are you coordinated with Washington, D.C.?

Steve Holl: We regularly attend Council of Government meetings to discuss a variety of topics. We now have a communications system that may be used during a disaster to coordinate regional responses

Falls Church, Va. -- follow up on communication: Exactly how will the info be relayed to the public? Do we have to wait for the report to be issued? What if something happens between now and then? Thanks

Steve Holl: Arlington County has several communication paths to provide information with the public. These include our County website, our local access cable channel, and the Emergency Alert System, which provides access to local broadcast outlets.

The consultant's report discusses steps we have taken and will take in the future. However, we already have the above plans in place.

Vienna, Va.: Has there been any consideration of dedicating a hotline for people to call to report suspicious behavior?

Steve Holl: Not that I am aware of. Calling the local police is probably the best step to take. If they develop information they deem important, they know how to get to the correct people in the FBI.

Virginia: Are we a country of reactive rather than proactive?

Steve Holl: I do not think so. We have planned for both natural and man-made disasters for decades. We now have a new focus but the "all hazards planning" we have engaged in for years has basically served us well.

Arlington, Vi.a: With the multiple law enforcement and other 'first response' agencies in the Washington D.C., Metropolitan area, what level of cooperation between agencies exists, and what is Arlington doing to address such jurisdictional issues while maximizing the use of available resources?

Steve Holl: There has been an increasing level of cooperation over the years. Many departments have assisted the Metropolitan Police Department during the last Inaugural and during the World Trade Organization and Internationa Monetary Fund events. The Metropolitan Police, as well as a dozen other law enforcement agencies, provided mutual aid assistance to the ACPD at the Pentagon. The ACFD recieved assistance from a number of other fire departments.

This is nothing new. Each year, both law enforcement and fire services work together on the many special events that occur here, like the Marine Corps Marathon.

Rockville, Md.: I am beginning to give serious thought to the idea of purchasing gas masks for myself and family. Am I over reacting?

Steve Holl: Emergency planning always involves a great degree of personal choice. Without knowing what type of agent is involved, the correct personal protective equipment is difficult, if not impossible, to select.

Arlington, Va.: Have you found it difficult to walk the line between preplanning and overreacting? How would you rate the progress so far?

Steve Holl: It is difficult to draw the line appropriately. Before 9/11 we would have said that our preplanning was adequate. We had looked at accidental plane crashes, tornadoes, and ice storms. Planning is based on experiences and assumptions and so, after the Pentagon attack, our planning considers scenarios we would have not previously anticipated.

Saint Leonard, Md.: I live three miles north of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant. I am nervous about the threat of an attack. My husband is a nuclear engineer and works at the plant. How likely is it that we will be attacked?

Steve Holl: I am not in a position to know how likely it is that the facility would be attacked.

Somewhere, USA: How do the preventative efforts around the Pentagon work? On my drive home I now pass strategically placed Humvees and heavily armed army personnel along with checkpoints seemingly manned with local police. How do such a hodgepodge of agencies -- local and federal -- work together? I can only imagine that this would become a logistic nightmare in case of attack. Who would be in charge of such a situation?

Steve Holl: There are a number of posts that are staffed by local and federal personnel. In the event of an incident, command would fall to the agency with the primary responsibility at the site of attack. On 9/11, the ACFD took command and this was clearly understood by the other responding agencies.

Ellicott city, Md.: What can be done on a daily basis to better prepare for any terrosist actions.

Steve Holl: Check with your local chapter of the American Red Cross, or their website. They have training and, to plug it again, a great pamphlet, "Your Family Disaster Supplies Kit."

Washington, D.C.: How will the media be included in response plans? Especially being such an important means of relaying information to the public. Also, do you think that reporters should be better educated on bio-terror issues?

Steve Holl: They are included as part of the Emergency Alert System. The media will be essential in advising the public of the event and what steps should be taken to protect themselves. Some of these protective measures might be evacuation, protect in place, or areas to avoid.

Bioterrorism is relatively new to all of us. Information is available on the Centers of Disesase Control website.

Arlington, Va.: As a result of the Pentagon attacks have you altered your emergency operations plan? On coordination, have you coordinated your plan with surrounding jurisdictions? Thanks.

Steve Holl: Our plans, which were first written in 1956, have been continually updated and are again being updated in consideration of the after action report. All of our plans are coordinated with other jurisdictions. We have also presented our response to the Pentagon to numerous groups across the country, where we discuss the provisions of our plan.

Steve Holl: Thanks for this opportunity. Should you have further questions, please contact me at sholl@co.arlington.va.us or Captain Mark Penn, Arlington County Fire Department at mpenn@co.arlington.va.us.

washingtonpost.com:

That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.

Stay tuned to Live Online:

John Walker Lindh Defense Attorney at Noon EDT
Marc Fisher: Potomac Confidential at Noon EDT
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Preparedness: D.C. Emergency Management at 2 p.m. EDT
Preparedness: Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) at 2 p.m. EDT
Preparedness: Public Health at 3 p.m. EDT
Preparedness: Hospital Readiness at 4:30 p.m. EDT

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