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. Local Government Preparation for Bioterrorist Acts (A resource prepared by the Public Entity Risk Institute. September 27,2001.) The events of September 11,2001 brought home to many of us the reality that massive terrorist attacks can occur on American soil. The attacks and subsequent media speculation about the future have caused many citizens to seriously contemplate Ihe possibility of biological or chemical terrorism in Ihis country, This possibility was already under consideration and analysis by various governmental and nongovernmental organizations, which have been working to assess the threat, our state of readiness, and what we can do to improve our ability to respond to such incidents, Consequently, there is substantial information available on the Inlernet aboul the risks of biological or chemical terrorism, and the potential actions Ihat local governmenls can take to address this issue. The purpose of this article is to identify some basic actions local governments can take to address the risk of biological terrorism, and to provide links to resources that provide additional information, Allhough the discussion focuses on biological terrorism, many ofthe resources identified also provide information on chemical terrorism, . It is tempting to assume that the federal government will protecl our communities from biological terrorist acts through intelligence and other defensive activilies, This is not practical, however, given the size and open characteristics of American society, Local governments need to participate in keeping their communities as safe as possible, The difficulties of disseminating biological agents to the entire populalion of a city via its water supply or contamination of Ihe open air are discussed in some of the resources below, While such mass attacks should be considered, the release of biological agents in a smaller area, such as large building ventilation or water systems, or areas where the public is gathered inside, such as schools, shopping centers, or sporting, cultural and other public events, may be more feasible. Chemical and Biological Terrorism: The Threat According to the Open Literature, Ron Purver, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, 1995. Local governments can encourage the managers of potentially vulnerable sites to secure and limit access to ventilation and water systems, and provide public event security personnel who have been lrained to recognize Ihe signs of a possible biological terrorist attack. They can take similar actions in public buildings, The local governmenl can also educate citizens to be alert, and to report to the proper aUlhorities potential problem behaviors that they observe, such as attempts to gain unauthorized access to secured areas, These are just examples of actions local governments can take 10 manage Ihe risk of a biological terrorist attack in Iheir community, Each community's risks will be different, To identify and manage these risks, a local government should follow the basic risk management process of identifying the cornmunity's most likely vulnerabilities, evaluating its options for addressing those exposures within the bounds of the law, choosing the best options, and implementing those options. . The response to a biological terrorist attack is in many ways very similar to the response to a naturally occurring epidemic. The initial damage caused by a successful biological