Governor Scott McCallum's Summary of Wisconsin Terrorism Preparedness Efforts for this Week

Responding to the September 11 Terrorist Attacks:
Wisconsin's Terrorism Preparedness Efforts
October 19, 2001 Report

As Governor, I am continually impressed with Wisconsin's efforts on many
different fronts since September 11. It is important that all levels of the
public safety community, along with the general public, are aware of actions
that are being undertaken to keep Wisconsin safe. The following terrorism
preparedness activities occurred:

Suspicious Letters and Anthrax Threats.  During the past week there have
been a number of suspicious letters and packages that have tested the
resources of Wisconsin's first responders.  Local law enforcement, fire and
hazardous materials responders and our public health network have responded
and handled 186 cases from 43 counties. Nearly one-third of these cases have
been from Milwaukee County. All cases have tested negative for anthrax.

Response Protocols Prepared: Early this past week, Department of Health and
Family Service (DHFS), State Lab of Hygiene and Wisconsin Emergency
Management (WEM) jointly prepared response protocols for our public safety
community (fire, law enforcement, EMS, and public health) on how to deal
with suspicious packages and suspected anthrax cases.

Later in the week, DHFS, under the direction of the State Epidemiologist,
Dr. Jeff Davis, expanded this guidance with additional information provided
to public health, EMS, and hospitals throughout the state.  The Wisconsin
Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) also
provided response guidance to the law enforcement community.  Our goal:
Ensure that the response community knows how to deal with suspicious
packages. We strongly urge people not to open the parcel if they feel it is
suspicious. This saves the most time and energy on all levels. 

Wisconsin Lab Facilities Lauded: Wisconsin is fortunate that we possess the
capability to conduct biological agent lab analysis within our state.  We
have four Level B labs that are capable of conducting lab analysis. They are
located in Milwaukee (2), Madison (1) and Marshfield (1).  We are currently
conducting the lab analysis of these suspicious substances at three of the
labs; Milwaukee Zablocki VA Hospital, Milwaukee-City of Milwaukee Health
Department and the State Lab of Hygiene in Madison.

Keeping in Touch with Sec. Thompson: On October 19, DHFS participated on a
conference call with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson
and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to address states' concerns about
the bioterrorism threat. 

Capitol Police has been providing mail room training to state agencies,
Supreme Court and the Legislature to ensure that state employees are aware
of what to look for and how to handle suspicious mail. U.S. Postal Service
guidance has also been forwarded to all state agencies and county emergency
management directors. 

Coordination with Law Enforcement:  On October 12, the FBI held an
informational meeting for law enforcement in Milwaukee.  Representatives
from state and local law enforcement attended to share information. The FBI
will strive to conduct these briefings each Friday.  Additionally, the FBI
briefs WEM several times a week to ensure the Governor remains abreast of
federal efforts.  To date, no credible threats have been directed toward
Wisconsin. 

Domestic Security Unit Created: DOJ-DCI has recently formed a domestic
security unit that will assist local and federal law enforcement in the
investigation of terrorist related events.  Seven DCI special agents have
been assigned to this unit.  One of the primary functions of the domestic
security unit is the creation of an intelligence center, which will serve as
a repository of information regarding terrorist activities.  In addition,
the intelligence center will act as a conduit for information sharing
between local law enforcement and other state and federal agencies.  WEM and
DCI are coordinating efforts to make sure information is shared throughout
state and local government. 

National Guard Activations: On October 17, additional members of the 128th
Air Refueling Wing were deployed to support ongoing operations.  They joined
about 100 members of the 128th and 115th Security Forces Squadrons in
federal service. Speaking to members of the 128th Refueling Wing and their
families, I thanked them for their service, for making this sacrifice and
for doing the things they do for all Americans.  No additional call-ups of
Wisconsin National Guard units have been announced.  

Aviation Security: National Guard airmen and soldiers are on duty at seven
Wisconsin airports. They have completed their Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) training and are now augmenting the security operations
at the following airports: Austin Straubel (Green Bay), Central Wisconsin
(Mosinee), Dane County Regional (Madison), General Mitchell International
(Milwaukee), La Crosse Municipal, Outagamie County (Appleton), and Wittman
Regional (Oshkosh). Our soldiers and airmen will be on duty at these
locations for the next four to six months.

Wisconsin's Department of Transportation has created an aviation security
unit that is working to address security issues with general aviation. 

Hazardous Material Inspections and Visits to Hazardous Material Shippers:
The State Patrol has heightened their awareness and inspection of hazardous
material shippers. During inspections, the State Patrol is paying close
attention to the Commercial Drivers License to ensure validity.
Additionally, since October 4, the State Patrol has completed 121 visits to
hazardous material carriers in Wisconsin. This is a new initiative and is a
top priority of the State Patrol. 

Protecting Our Drinking Water: The Department of Natural Resource (DNR) sent
a letter last week to all water system owners in Wisconsin requesting they
perform a security analysis of their facilities.  This letter reminded them
to have a standard emergency operations plan in place in the event of
mechanical failures, power outages, unsafe samples and threats or acts of
terrorism.  The letter suggested some basic security measures to perform. 

On October 18, the DNR, WEM and the Public Service Commission (PSC)
participated on a conference call with other state governors and with U.S.
EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman to discuss water supply protective
measures. 

The PSC is hosting a meeting of water utilities on November 14.  This
meeting, similar to the PSC's efforts with the telephone and energy
utilities held October 3, will provide water utilities an opportunity to
share security practices implemented and other efforts to date.  The DNR and
WEM have also been invited to participate. 

Governor's Terrorism Preparedness Task Force: On October 11, Task Force
members met and began discussion on ensuring that Wisconsin is better
prepared. The Task Force will review the work that has been done to date and
provide guidance and direction for work that remains.  The Task Force is
comprised of members from the public health, law enforcement, fire service,
emergency medical service, agriculture, information technology, emergency
management, and volunteer agencies.  Members of the Task Force will work
with other leaders in their response communities to ensure we are aware of
the strengths and gaps in our current preparedness efforts. The next meeting
of the Task Force is scheduled for November 9 in Madison.  

The Task Force developed frequently asked questions about terrorism, which
can be found at www.wisconsin.gov . 

Homeland Defense:  Governor Ridge's office has been in contact with my
office several times in the last week.  I have directed that WEM serve as
the point of contact with their office to facilitate information flow. 

Statewide Strategic Plan for Domestic Preparedness: Over the past several
years, WEM has led the effort of the Interagency Working Group on Terrorism
to complete a statewide strategic plan. This plan assesses the threats and
vulnerabilities as perceived by our counties and the state, addresses
current capabilities and identifies needs as both the state and local level.
The Strategic Plan will be completed and forwarded for federal review by the
end of October.  

Once completed and approved by the U.S. Office of Justice Programs, it will
free up $2.6 million for equipment grants for our first responders.  To
date, approximately $1 million has been distributed primarily to the eight
Regional Hazardous Materials Level A Teams, Milwaukee and Dane Counties,
State Patrol, bomb squads, DNR, DHFS, State Lab of Hygiene, Capitol Police
and UW Police. The funds are to be used for personal protective, detection
and monitoring, and communications equipment.  

Employee and State Building Security:   On October 8, I directed that all
state agencies follow the guidelines laid out in our State Employee and
Building Plan.  This plan outlines security measures to be implemented
throughout state government. All state agencies have been very aggressive in
meeting these new standards. 

On October 18, Capitol Police, Governor's Legal Counsel and WEM met with
representatives from the Senate, Assembly, and the Supreme Court to discuss
security measures to protect the Capitol. All agreed that the measures
currently in place (restricted access points, checking of bags, placing
concrete barriers to impede vehicle traffic, etc.) are reasonable and
prudent steps in light of current heightened security threat.  Longer-term
measures will be brought before the State Capitol and Executive Residence
Board (SCERB) in early November.  This Board is comprised of representatives
from all three branches of government. 

Legislative Briefing:  On October 16, DHFS and WEM held a terrorism
awareness and public health preparedness briefing for the state legislature.