Controling the Scene of a Terrorist Attack and Potential Secondary Essay

Controling the Scene of a Terrorist Attack and Potential Secondary Hazards - Essay Example The first people to respond are police officers, paramedics, firefighters and concerned citizens. They are the quickest ones to reach the scene, and this can be dangerous because terrorists do not just blow things up without a plan. It takes time and preparation to pull of a terror plot. Establishing and maintaining control of a terrorist scene and the surrounding area is most important. Relevant authorities should designate their duties and work simultaneously with the rescue workers. For example, the police should work on crowd control while the paramedics and the fire fighters tend to the wounded and the trapped. Terrorists usually wish to inflict as much pain and suffering as possible, so they plan their attacks with a clear objective. To achieve this, they set up dummies and traps, and if they are ruthless they may set off other devices in different locations simultaneously. Some of the traps set could include trip wires, landmines, booby traps and explosives attached to pressur e plates. The bombing of Oklahoma City was the most devastating terrorist attack in the United States. That was until the September 11 attacks. The figures from this attack were appalling. The number of fatalities was 168, casualties 680, destroyed buildings 324 and 86 burned cars. The total damage was estimated at 652 million dollars (Clinton, 2010). During the course of the rescue operation, the rescue operators found another device buried in the debris that was marked â€Å"live†. They called the relevant authorities and refused to leave until all the people in the adjacent buildings and the crowds that had gathered were evacuated. When it was done, the bomb was found to be inert and was not armed. It was later determined that it was intentionally left there to create a diversion. This diversion caused the rescue workers to get distracted for a while since the rescue operation had been halted to allow for the disposal of the secondary