A pan-European plan to combat advances in terrorism
Safety and security constitute a hot current topic and will continue to do so, especially if terrorism attacks start edging towards the use of CBRN materials. The EU-funded PRACTICE (Preparedness and resilience against CBRN terrorism using integrated concepts and equipment PRACTICE) project sought to upgrade the preparedness and resilience of Europe from an attack by a terrorist group using weapons with CBRN materials. It developed a toolbox that documents scenarios of real incidents, identifies gaps in current response mechanisms, organises response capabilities and facilitates decision making for first responders. The toolbox was developed by a consortium of small and medium-sized enterprises, industry, academic institutions and research organisations representing in total 24 partners from 11 European countries. Importantly, the toolbox extends to all EU Member States and Associated Countries a flexible, integrated system that is universal in character. The system provides a coordinated response to CBRN-type aggression, and can be adapted to the different national systems and requirements. It is designed to support police, security experts, fire brigades, the medical community and the public in dealing with CBRN threats. In addition to supporting emergency responders and authorities, it addresses the needs of the media and the public, as well as the victims involved in any possible CBRN attack. Considerations include evacuation procedures, on-scene communication, decontamination, and managing the public's reaction and perception. Overall, the fully tested and validated toolbox offers 40 newly developed or improved tools, supporting crisis management in many ways, including threat assessment, prevention options, preparedness, and response and recovery. If adopted, it will be a valuable tool in mitigating the threat of terrorism.
Keywords
Terrorism, CBRN, security, weapons, emergency responders
