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<br />San JDSC Emergency Plans Set Example
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<br />how a well-trained team responds quickly and thoroughly to threats to
<br />the puhlic health.
<br />
<br />"It was an example of the team in action," Dr, Edwards-Winslow said,
<br />
<br />As anxieties grow about terror attacks - be it anthrax or anything else
<br />- cities across the country are looking for the most efficient ways to
<br />handle potential crises, (In Turlock, Calif., for example, the Police
<br />Department has set up a bright orange box labeled "suspicious mail,"
<br />where anyone can dispose of suspicious envelopes or packages,) San
<br />Jose, which has developed an elaborate response plan to anthrax, sarin
<br />gas, smallpox or nuclear attacks, among other horrors, is considered
<br />ahead of the game, one of the cities the United States Department of
<br />Health and Human Services considers a model for the nation,
<br />
<br />"She runs a very good operation," Elizabeth Armstrong, president of the
<br />International Association of Emergency Managers, said, referring to Dr.
<br />Edwards-Winslow.
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<br />Just how San Jose has prepared for terrorism is a secret. Its emcrgency
<br />plans and techniques and even the location of its operations center are
<br />known only to its members - and to other emergency managers who
<br />can see its guides on a secure Department of Defense Web site, But Dr.
<br />Edwards-Winslow, who has a doctorate in pubhc admmistration and
<br />has worked in emergency preparedness for 18 years, did offer some
<br />hints as to what it takes to "have some level of comfort" in being
<br />prepared for catastrophe.
<br />
<br />Money is crucial. San Jose has spent a total of$1.4 million in recent
<br />years to eslablish its program, which includes a cache of antibiotics and
<br />antidotes and training on treating large numbers of casualties. The city
<br />has also bought equipment. For example, San Jose rescue crews have
<br />detectors that warn if a biohazard has been released, and the police have
<br />robots with special monitors and grips to perform tasks too dangerous
<br />for humans.
<br />
<br />The biggest cost is training, "because unless we have an adequately
<br />trained staff all the equipment in the world won't do us any good," Dr.
<br />Edwards- Winslow said,
<br />
<br />Her department, which has vigorously pursued federal grants and
<br />awards for equipment and training, costs the city about $300,000 a year
<br />in salaries,
<br />
<br />San Jose began its antiterrorism planning well before Sept. 11. Because
<br />the city, with a population of900,000, is one of the nation's 27 largest,
<br />it was eligible to participate in a federal antiterrorism program, The
<br />program, which began in 1998, helps cities form task forces to respond
<br />to emergencies involving weapons of mass destruction - chemical,
<br />biological Dr nuclear,
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<br />http://www.nytimes.com/200 I /1 0/29/nationalf29JOSE,html?todaysheadlines
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<br />10/29/2001
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