AUSTINTOWN Families encouraged to prepare for attack

Place in a bag what you need for up to 72 hours in a public shelter, the EMA director advised.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- A family should prepare for an attack by chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in much the same way they would prepare for any other disaster, including a flood, tornado or blizzard, Mahoning County's emergency management agency director says.
Walter M. Duzzny, EMA director, said family members should have a family preparedness plan, which includes a method of finding and contacting each other and a prearranged point of assembly. They should also be prepared with an evacuation bag, otherwise known as a "go-bag," with items that would be needed for up to 72 hours in a public shelter, such as a school gymnasium.
The "go-bag" would consist of prescription medicines, clothing, personal hygiene articles, soap, towels, a flashlight with batteries, a portable radio, compact energy food items that don't perish quickly, some bottled water, and small games for children. After 72 hours, authorities would be able to make arrangements for long-term sheltering, if necessary, Duzzny said.
Planning ahead
"If people would plan one-fourth as much for emergencies as they do for a vacation, then they're going to be able to survive," Duzzny said. Duzzny made his comments at an Ohio National Guard training session attended by about 65 police, fire, ambulance and emergency management officials from Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties.
Tuesday's session at ONG's Christy Armory, 475 Victoria Road, was one of a series being conducted around the state by ONG's 52nd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, concerning preparedness for an attack by terrorists or a hostile nation with weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological and radiological weapons).
That unit specializes in assisting local authorities with any such attacks or major accidents involving such agents. "Something like this is so critical that we know and let everybody know what [the unit's] capabilities are because we're at war" against terrorism, Duzzny said. "We're going to be at war for a long time, and we need to know what type of skills are out there if something does happen," he added.
The 52nd is a 22-member unit based at Rickenbacker Air Force Base in Columbus, which trains local emergency management officials in preparing for such attacks, maintains specialized equipment and is capable of flying to the scene of any such attack when needed by local authorities. Members of the 52nd demonstrated testing and decontamination equipment during Tuesday's workshop.
Smallpox vaccine
Duzzny advised that those with questions about their ability to handle the effects of the smallpox vaccine should consult their doctors now. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are now producing enough of the vaccine for all Americans should the government determine that the threat level is sufficient to warrant a mass immunization campaign, he said.
As for the prevention of terrorist attacks, "Try to be aware of your surroundings and notice things that are out of the ordinary," advised Maj. David Seitz, deputy commander of the 52nd.