MAHONING COUNTY Training to begin in dealing with terror attacks

Four training sessions are scheduled in January, February and March.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURT REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Training will begin next month for Mahoning County safety forces to deal with situations involving weapons of mass destruction.
Such weapons could include biological or chemical agents.
Four classes are planned for fire and law enforcement personnel and any other safety workers who want to attend, said Walter Duzzny, county emergency management agency director.
The first will be Jan. 21 in Sebring. Others are scheduled for February in Jackson Township and March in Poland and Canfield.
Duzzny said the recent focus on terrorism has intensified the need to train local officials.
"You can't send people out to deal with a situation if they don't know what they're doing," he said. "With this training, we have a chance to walk into these situations totally prepared."
Equipment on hand: The county recently received $15,000 worth of equipment specially designed for training in such situations, Duzzny said. It includes monitoring devices and training tools that are nontoxic but simulate various types of chemicals.
The materials were bought with a state grant.
Duzzny said EMA offices across the state have requested a total of $160 million from the U.S. Department of Justice for more training materials, but the DOJ allocated only $5.4 million. He expects the county will receive about $105,000 from that in 2002.
"That first $15,000 was just the seed money to get us started," he said.
The equipment and materials will be turned over to the county's hazardous materials response team, which, in turn, will provide local departments with technical assistance in the event of an emergency.
Disease outbreak: Duzzny said the need for improved training became apparent last year during an outbreak of meningococcal disease cases at area schools. Issues they faced then were essentially the same as during a biological or chemical attack.
Officials could have been exposed to the sickness because they didn't wear proper protective clothing.
"Nobody quite knew what they should be wearing because they didn't understand the threat," he said.
The training materials will teach safety workers how to deal with biological hazards such as anthrax.
bjackson@vindy.com