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
> December 7, 2001 Report
> 
> This week, America pauses to remember the 60th anniversary of the Japanese
> attack on Pearl Harbor.  The attack on the United States on December 7,
> 1941 has new meaning this year following September 11.  For on these two
> dates, life in America changed forever.  As the bombing at Pearl Harbor
> taught us, the terrorist attack on September 11 reminded us that we are
> vulnerable to evil. 
> 
> On December 11 - the three-month anniversary of the September 11 attacks -
> President George W. Bush is asking countries around the world to hold
> remembrance events and to play their national anthems or other appropriate
> music at the exact moment the first airplane struck the World Trade Center
> in New York (7:46 CST).  These worldwide events are designed to help
> ensure that the world never forgets.  I would encourage everyone to
> participate wherever they will be at that moment.
> 
> Below are some of the outreach efforts by various state and local agencies
> in the past week.
> 
> Governor Ridge Advises Governors to Maintain Heightened Alert 
> During a conference call this week with other governors, Homeland Security
> Director Governor Tom Ridge reminded us that no community is immune from
> terrorism. We must remain vigilant during this holiday season and ask that
> all continue to work with this increased sensitivity in mind.  America is
> still at war and we need to maintain our heightened alert efforts.  As the
> Governor of Wisconsin, I am very appreciative of the additional work that
> all levels of state and local government have provided to help ensure our
> cities and towns are secure.
> 
> National Governor Association (NGA) Survey Released on Homeland Security:
> The Cost to States for Ensuring Public Health and Safety
> Since September 11, states have borne unprecedented costs to ensure that
> the nation's critical infrastructure and public are protected from a
> terrorist attack.  Some of these costs involve state and local law
> enforcement personnel who guard energy supplies, water resources, bridges,
> tunnels, inland waterways, ports, and many local and regional airports.
> These individuals represent the first lines of defense in homeland
> security.  Other costs involve upgrading the capacity of state health
> laboratories, emergency response personnel, and critical communication
> systems.  These upgrades are necessary to ensure our emergency response
> system remains second to none.
> 
> In the report, Governors said they believe that whatever is needed to
> protect lives and critical infrastructure must be done, even though the
> cost for this protection was not foreseen.  For this reason, states are
> spending additional money for homeland defense, despite demands to lower
> overall state spending because of revenue shortfalls.
> 
> The share of homeland security costs that is borne by states will be
> substantial.  NGA estimates that first year costs alone could reach $4
> billion nationwide, with $3 billion of this cost devoted to bioterrorism
> preparedness and emergency communications and $1 billion devoted to
> guarding critical infrastructure.  This figure is likely to grow as
> additional information is received and states complete their assessments
> of needs.
> 
> In Wisconsin, the Department of Administration is still compiling the
> unexpected costs to state agencies in response to the terrorism threat.
> 
> Military Support Team for Wisconsin
> Recognizing the importance of having a military support team ready to
> assist local governments in the event of a terrorist attack, I am asking
> Wisconsin's Congressional delegation to support legislation that would
> establish a full-time Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Civil Support Team
> in Wisconsin.  Currently, there are 32 full-time teams in the nation, with
> all of Wisconsin's neighboring states, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and
> Minnesota selected.  In Wisconsin, the 54th Civil Support Team of the
> Wisconsin National Guard is fully staffed and highly trained, but is not
> full-time or equipped. 
> 
> One of the early findings from the Task Force on Terrorism Preparedness
> was the need for a full-time active duty team in Wisconsin to augment the
> first responder capabilities that may vary around the state. Under the
> leadership of Wisconsin's Adjutant General James Blaney, the WMD Civil
> Support Team would be able to deploy rapidly, assist local first
> responders in determining the nature of an attack, provide medical and
> technical advice, and pave the way for the identification and arrival of
> follow-on state and federal military response assets.  
> 
> The value of a National Guard Civil Support Team was demonstrated on
> September 11.  A New York WMD Civil Support Team was called on to provide
> support for the initial assessment of chemical and biological agents
> following the attack on the World Trade Center and to provide air
> monitoring at ground zero. 
> 
> Monitoring the Transportation of Hazardous Materials on our Road and
> Highways
> Wisconsin State Patrol continues to monitor motor carriers that may
> transport hazardous materials on the state's highways.  Since September,
> State Patrol has identified and conducted site visits to nearly 650
> companies that haul hazardous materials on Wisconsin roads and highways.
> In addition, they have enhanced the state patrol's roadside inspection
> program by increasing their inspections and monitoring of carriers hauling
> these potentially dangerous agents.  On November 28 and 29, the State
> Patrol conducted "statewide hazardous materials emphasis days" in which
> inspectors focused their efforts on checking carriers that transport
> hazardous materials.  During those two days, inspectors completed 199
> hazmat inspections.
> 
> Impacts of Terrorism on Insurance Industry
> Wisconsin's Commissioner of Insurance testified to the State Assembly
> Insurance Committee on December 5 regarding the impact September 11 has
> had on the insurance industry. Insurance Commissioner Connie O'Connell
> told the panel that reinsurers are beginning to decline coverage for acts
> of terrorism while at the same time, banks will not write new loans unless
> such coverage is written on any construction projects.  This dilemma could
> impact any economic recovery.  Congress is considering legislation to have
> the federal government take a role in providing some sort of reinsurance
> coverage.  Insurance companies say nearly 70% of these policies will
> expire on December 31, 2001.
> 
> Also at the hearing, representatives from Northwestern Mutual, American
> Family and State Farm presented information about the impact terrorism has
> had on their companies.  Northwestern Mutual had the most losses stemming
> from September 11 in the form of the number of the lives lost that had
> Northwestern Mutual policies.  I applaud Northwestern Mutual for the role
> they took following the attack.  They did not invoke any exclusions,
> rather choosing to pay policies of the victims.
> 
> Medical Readiness for a Biological Threat
> Discussing ways to improve readiness of the medical industry for a
> biological threat will be the focus of the Summit on Bioterrorism to be
> held September 12, 2001 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.  The
> event, sponsored by Wisconsin Health and Hospital Association, is bringing
> state and local officials representing emergency management, hospitals,
> public health, and EMS together to provide insight on what measures have
> been taken and what needs to be done to answer this potential health
> threat in our state.  I am pleased that two members of the Governor's Task
> Force on Terrorism Preparedness, Wisconsin Emergency Management
> Administrator and Task Force Co-Chair Ed Gleason and Dr. Dennis Maki of
> the UW Hospital have been invited to speak at the summit.
> 
> Rural Response to Terrorism Threats
> During Moving State Government to Stevens Point in October, I had the
> opportunity to tour Saint Michael's Hospital and meet with local health
> official to discuss "Wisconsin's Rural Bioterrorism Preparedness Project.
> Dr. Michael Curtis of St. Michael's Hospital is spearheading the project
> that will serve as a template for other rural communities to plan for and
> respond to bioterrorism incidents and threats.  This week, officials with
> U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) and Wisconsin Department of Health
> and Family Services met with project members to review work to date.  HHS
> awarded the project to St. Michael's Hospital in October 2001.  Federal
> and state health officials will meet monthly with local agencies involved
> in the project.
> 
> Public Health Pharmaceutical Response
> Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implemented the
> National Pharmaceutical Stockpile Program (NPS). The intent of this
> program is to deliver medication and medical supplies to a city or
> community that has been a target of a large-scale bioterrorism attack. A
> package contains antibiotics, vaccines, analgesics and other medicines.
> The packages also contain equipment such as ventilators, bandages and
> other supplies. Each push package weighs 50 tons and is valued at
> $3,000,000 and can be deployed to any site in the continental U.S. within
> 12 hours. Trucks and forklifts are needed for unloading and
> transportation.  The contents of a push package will fill seven
> tractor-trailer trucks. 
> 
> Appropriate Training for First Responders
> Making sure local emergency responders terrorism training needs are met,
> officials with Wisconsin Emergency Management held discussions with
> training coordinators from Wisconsin Technical College System Districts in
> Stevens Point on December 6.  EMS and law enforcement training
> coordinators from 14 Wisconsin Technical College System Districts were at
> the meeting.
> 
> The technical college system will continue to provide Weapons of Mass
> Destruction training with special emphasis on awareness level and Incident
> Command System training.  In addition, training coordinators will work
> with county emergency management directors in helping to coordinate local
> terrorism training needs.
> 
> Update on the Department of Electronic Government (DEG)
> The State of Wisconsin invests about $400 million each year - more than $1
> million per day - in its technology assets.  The Department of
> E-Government manages assets that include the state's second-largest data
> center and the equivalent of the state's fourth-largest phone company. The
> Department also manages the state's portal to online services,
> www.wisconsin.gov.  These online services give citizens convenient access
> to information, reduced service times, and allow state agencies simpler
> and more cost effective management of customer data. 
> 
> One of their initiatives in support of domestic preparedness is to provide
> guidance for disaster recovery and business resumption plans. DEG will be
> sending agencies templates, which will make planning easier and more
> consistent across state agencies and levels of government.  The targeted
> date for distribution is December 17th.  
> 
> Security Awareness Day, sponsored by the Department of Electronic
> Government will be held January 10 at the Alliant Energy Center in
> Madison.  This will be open to all government entities. This conference is
> an introduction to information security and why it's important.
> Discussion topics include security risks, security vulnerabilities, and
> how to assess the value of your information assets.