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"You can't be too careful,
and there's no such thing as being over-prepared," said Gov. Rod R.
Blagojevich. "That's why we've built a new Statewide Terrorism
Intelligence Center and a new Emergency Operations Center. It's why
our Weapons of Mass Destruction Teams won Harvard's award for
Innovations in Homeland Security. It's why we received the highest
rating for preparedness for bioterrorism from the Centers for
Disease Control. It's why we developed the strongest mutual aid
system in the nation. We've come a long way. But we can never let
our guard down."
Illinois was ahead of most states on Sept. 11, 2001, having
created the Illinois Terrorism Task Force in 1999. While funding for
new initiatives was limited prior to 9/11, the task force had
developed a statewide strategy and begun implementing a few
initiatives. This enabled the state to move forward quickly after
the attacks, particularly in light of new federal funding made
available post-9/11. Today, Illinois has a nationally recognized
homeland security program with many outstanding assets, including:
First national winner of prestigious award for homeland security:
In 2004, Illinois received the first-ever Mitretek Award for
Innovations in Homeland Security from the Kennedy School of
Government at Harvard University and the Mitretek Corporation. The
award recognized the Illinois' State Weapons of Mass Destruction
Teams: specially trained and equipped forces that can respond during
crisis incidents brought on by acts of terrorism, weapons of mass
destruction and related criminal activities. Three teams cover the
northern, central and southern sections of the state.
Special response teams trained and equipped: In addition to
the State Weapons of Mass Destruction Teams, Illinois has many other
special response teams positioned throughout the state. Each special
team within the following types has been identically trained and
equipped so that they can coordinate seamlessly if called to respond
together to a large-scale disaster.
Illinois has developed this fire service team,
which is trained and equipped to locate, rescue and provide
initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in confined
spaces. Located in the Chicago metropolitan area, this team can
respond to incidents anywhere in Illinois.
Technical Rescue
Teams: These 39 fire service teams are trained and equipped
to perform various levels of operations and extrications
involving confined spaces and structural collapse.
Level-A Hazmat
Teams: These 42 fire services teams throughout the state are
trained and equipped to work in "hot zones" to perform offensive
actions in response to incidents with hazardous materials or
weapons of mass destruction.
Illinois Medical
Emergency Response Team: Eight volunteer medical teams are
trained and equipped to respond to and assist with emergency
medical treatment at mass casualty incidents. More than 900
doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians volunteer for
the teams.
Regional Weapons of
Mass Destruction Teams: Ten local law enforcement teams are
trained and equipped to operate as a tactical response teams in
contaminated environments.
Volunteer
Management Support Team: Two teams of trained and
experienced volunteer managers can be deployed to assist with an
influx of volunteers during large-scale events.
Illinois Veterinary
Emergency Response Team: There are 250 team members trained
to support local veterinarians during response to actual or
potential animal health emergencies and incidents.
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Community Emergency
Response Teams: Currently there are about 65 Community
Emergency Response Teams throughout the state, trained and
equipped to help take care of people in their area during a
disaster until first responders can arrive. The teams are
created by Citizen Corps councils, of which there are presently
81 in Illinois
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CBRNE Enhanced
Response Force Package: The Illinois National Guard CBRNE
Enhanced Response Force Package responds to chemical,
biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive
incidents and supports local, state and federal agencies
managing the consequences of the event by providing capabilities
to conduct casualty and patient decontamination, medical
support, and casualty search and extraction.
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5th Civil Support
Team: The Illinois National Guard's 5th Civil Support Team
can be activated to help assess chemical and biological hazards
and assist with decontamination.
One of only eight states to receive full accreditation from the
Emergency Management Accreditation Program: The EMAP Commission
approved Illinois' certification in February 2006, following an
in-depth assessment of the state's emergency response capabilities
to coordinate personnel, resources and communications from a variety
of agencies and disciplines in preparation for and in response to a
major disaster. The state had to meet 54 national standards to
receive accreditation.
Strongest mutual aid system in the country: Illinois is
recognized as having the most robust mutual aid organization in the
nation, with systems established for fire, law enforcement,
emergency management and public health. While mutual aid in the fire
services existed for many years, Blagojevich encouraged the
formation of similar organizations for law enforcement, emergency
management and public health. Illinois' strong mutual aid system was
evident last year during the state's response to Hurricane Katrina,
when more than 900 firefighters, 300 law enforcement officers,
nearly 20 emergency management professionals and more than 50
medical personnel were sent by the state to assist in the Gulf Coast
states.
[to top of second column] |
 One of the first states to open a terrorism intelligence fusion
center: Soon after taking office, Blagojevich directed the
Illinois Terrorism Task Force to develop the Statewide Terrorism
Intelligence Center, a move that expanded the state's homeland
security efforts from focusing on only response capabilities to
include terrorism prevention. Analysts at the center receive,
analyze and distribute intelligence received from the local, state
and federal levels. The center is manned 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. Analysts from the FBI recently joined state analysts at the
center, further improving the flow of information between state and
federal sources.
First state to complete new State Emergency Operations Center
under Department of Homeland Security grant program: In 2004,
Illinois received $9.3 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security under a competitive grant program for states to develop new
State Emergency Operations Centers. The grant, the second-largest
awarded in the nation, enabled the state to enhance its response
capabilities and foster closer cooperation between the State of
Illinois Response Center, the Statewide Terrorism Intelligence
Center, the Radiological Emergency Assessment Center and the
Illinois Emergency Management Agency's operations staff by bringing
them under one roof.
A national leader in interoperable communications:
Blagojevich directed the Illinois Terrorism Task Force to make
interoperable communications for first responders a top priority,
and in 2006 the task force began placing nine Illinois Transportable
Emergency Communications Systems around the state, with a 10th
system headquartered at the Illinois Emergency Management Agency in
Springfield. The systems can be taken to a disaster scene anywhere
in the state and used to patch together the different radio
frequencies used by various response agencies. Nine teams are
trained to support the deployment and operation of the systems at
disaster sites. Other interoperable advances include distribution of
the following:
This equipment has been
provided to all response agencies in Illinois to aid in
responder communications.
EMnet: The
Illinois Terrorism Task Force provided each county emergency
management agency and other public safety agencies with this
satellite-based warning and alerting system.
Medical Emergency
Radio System of Illinois: The Illinois Terrorism Task Force
provided these radios to all hospitals in each county.
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Illinois Radio
Emergency Assistance Channel: The Illinois Terrorism Task
Force provided transmitters and equipment to the approximately
20 counties that did not have this interoperable system, which
allows response agencies within that county to talk to each
other during disasters.
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Mobile command
vehicles: In 2006, the Illinois Terrorism Task Force
completed delivery of 13 mobile command vehicles around the
state. The vehicle provides space for decision-makers from
various response agencies at an incident scene, as well as a
suite of interoperable communications equipment.
First state to conduct a large-scale pandemic flu exercise:
In May 2006, Illinois conducted a three-day exercise to test
preparedness for a simultaneous pandemic flu outbreak and terrorist
attack. This large-scale exercise involved more than 2,000 local,
state and federal responders in a test of preparedness for a
simultaneous pandemic flu outbreak and terrorist attack. In August,
the state conducted a five-day exercise that involved more than
1,000 local, state and federal responders in a test of preparedness
for a terrorist scenario, including a mass evacuation and sheltering
situation. Each year, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency
assists with or participates in about 50 exercises each year,
ranging from tabletop exercises to large-scale exercises to improve
state and local response to natural disasters, hazardous materials
incidents, terrorism events, nuclear power plant incidents and more.
One of six states to participate in federal TOPOFF exercises:
In May 2003, Illinois participated in the federal government's
second Top Officials exercise, designed to train top officials and
first responders from the federal, state and local levels. The
TOPOFF exercises, the most comprehensive terrorism response
exercises conducted in the nation, aim at developing a coordinated
national and international response to terrorist attacks involving
weapons of mass destruction.
Other state assets and advances in homeland security:
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Vehicle and cargo
inspection systems: In 2005, the state purchased two vehicle
and cargo inspection systems. The two units, operated by the
Illinois Department of Transportation, can scan contents of
trucks, containers, cargo and passenger vehicles to determine
the presence of many types of contraband.
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Bridge
surveillance: Implementation of bridge surveillance in
critical areas with cameras and monitoring equipment ensures
these spots are monitored during elevated threat levels.
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Expanded membership
in the Illinois Terrorism Task Force: Blagojevich expanded
the membership of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force to include
all cities with populations of 100,000 or greater. The governor
also urged the task force to develop relationships with
businesses in the private sector.
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Personal protective
equipment: More than 70,000 first responders in Illinois,
including fire, police, emergency management and public health,
received personal protective equipment masks to protect them
from hazardous, biological and radiological hazards during
emergency response.
[News release from the governor's
office] |
