ANNEX B

THE STATE OF FLORIDA

 

TERRORIST INCIDENT RESPONSE PLAN

 

 (To The State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan)

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                                                                                              

List of Exhibits                                                                                                                   

Executive Summary                                                                                                                    

Authorities                                                                                                                       

Definitions                                                                                                                 

           

CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION                                                                                             

CHAPTER 2 - THE RESPONSE ORGANIZATION                                                                              

CHAPTER 3 - CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS                                                                       

CHAPTER 4 - ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES                                                                    

CHAPTER 5 - TRAINING AND EXERCISES                                                                               

         

         

LIST OF EXHIBITS

               

 

Figure One            Local Response      

 

Figure Two            State and Regional Response Organization  

 

Figure Three            State and Regional Response Organization  

 

Figure Four            State and Regional Response Organization  

 

Figure Five            Regional Domestic Security Task Forces

 

 

 


 

Executive Summary

 

This document defines a statewide program for the State of Florida to prepare for, respond to and recover from a terrorist or cyber terrorist attack.  It is a hazard specific annex to the Florida Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP).  This Annex governs the plans, operational concepts, and policies used to prepare for and respond to any type of, technological and/or criminal/hostile terrorist event in the State of Florida. The procedures and actions defined in this Annex are normally executed following the issuance of an executive order by the Governor

 

 

State government, as well as all communities in the State, are vulnerable to attacks involving “weapons of mass destruction” (WMD) and/or cyber terrorism.  A terrorist attack involving a “weapon of mass destruction” could threaten lives, property, and environmental resources through physical destruction of explosions and resulting fires, and/or by contamination with chemical, biological, and/or radiological materials.  A cyber terrorist attack could destroy or significantly disrupt vital computer networks, communication systems, and/or Internet services, interfering with provision of critical community services and thereby causing substantial human and economic impacts.

 

The State of Florida, in cooperation with county/municipal representatives, is establishing and maintaining a comprehensive program to prepare for and manage the impacts of terrorist and cyber terrorist events.  The program will provide for continuing assessment of the State's vulnerabilities, planning, and training to prepare for and respond to such events, pre-deployment of specialized response capabilities throughout the State, and definition of the operational concepts to be utilized to manage an actual or suspected event.

 

Response to an actual or suspected event has two phases: 1) Actions intended to prevent or end the terrorist action (known as “crisis management”), and; 2) Actions to deal with the impacts of the event (known as “consequence management”).  In most cases, the first responder to a terrorist event will be county or municipal emergency personnel.  Leaders of these emergency response units will implement command and control of both the crisis and consequence management operations through a unified command structure established at or near the scene.  If needed, State and/or Federal assistance will be mobilized to support the local command structure.  This process is fully described in this Annex. 

 

In addition, this Annex describes the training and exercise programs to be established in support of this program and sets forth the State requirements for related county and municipal plan and program development.

  


Authorities

 

The authority for the development, implementation, and maintenance of this Annex and all county/municipal terrorist response annexes is derived from Chapter 252.35(2)(a) and 943.0312 of the Florida Statutes.

 

This Annex further serves as the fundamental governing policy for the Regional Domestic Security Task Forces (RDSTF) activated at the outset of a terrorist incident by Executive Order of the Governor of Florida.  The RDSTF is fully integrated into the emergency management system in place at the State and local level pursuant to the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, Regional Response Plans and Chapters 252 and 943 of the Florida Statutes, and various planning requirements issued by the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

 

 


 

Definitions

 

Biological Weapon - Microorganisms or toxins from living organisms that have infectious or noninfectious properties that produce lethal or serious effects in plants and animals.

 

Comprehensive Emergency Management Plans (CEMP) - The documentation of a planning process required by Chapter 252, Florida Statutes, at the state and county level to establish policies and procedures needed to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the impacts of all types of natural, technological, and criminal/hostile disasters.

 

Chemical Weapon - Solids, liquids, or gases that have chemical properties that produce lethal or serious effects in plants and animals.

 

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) - Groups of individuals from the general public organized on the neighborhood level and provided training to conduct initial search, rescue and emergency medical operations during a disaster until relieved by local emergency response organizations. 

 

CONPLAN - United State Government Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of Operations Plan – Designed to provide overall guidance to Federal, State, and local agencies concerning how the Federal government would respond to a potential or actual terrorist threat or incident that occurs in the United States, particularly one involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).  The CONPLAN outlines an organized and unified capability for a timely, coordinated response by Federal agencies to a terrorist threat or act.

 

Consequence Management - The Department of Community Affairs, Division of Emergency Management, (DEM) is the lead agency for Consequence Management and is normally designated as the State Coordinating Officer.  DEM is responsible for coordinating statewide assets in support to the impacted RDSTF(s) and recovery operations.  Consequence management supports crisis management efforts from the time of attack until such time as State Command passes to the SCO.

 

Crisis Management - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is the lead state agency for crisis management.  As the State Incident Command, under Florida State Statute 943, FDLE shall be responsible to direct and coordinate the initial state and regional response.  The State incident Commander exercises this authority through the RDSTF(s) to provide immediate regional response to support the local incident commander.  Crisis management begins once an attack has occurred.  DEM is responsible for coordinating statewide assets in support to the impacted RDSTF(s) and recovery operations.

 

Cyber Terrorist Attack - An intentional effort to electronically or physically destroy or disrupt computer network, telecommunication, or Internet services that could threaten critically needed community services or result in widespread economic consequences.

 

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Environmental Response Team (ERT) – A special team consisting of Department of Environmental Protection environmental investigators, emergency responders and uniformed officers along with representation from the departments of Health, Transportation, and Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Investigative Division.  The team is available to support incident commanders with hazardous material issues but is not limited to hazardous material and industrial chemicals.  The Environmental Response Team personnel can be on scene within three hours and the full team deployed within twelve hours of notification.

 

Emergency Operations Center (EOC) - A centralized facility housing representatives of emergency support functions for purposes of the identification, mobilization, coordination, and allocation of personnel, equipment, and materials to support the unified command at the incident scene.  Local Emergency Operations Center refers to either a county and/or a municipal Emergency Operations center.  State Emergency Operations Center refers to the facility located in the Rudd Building in Tallahassee.

 

Emergency Support Function (ESF) - That portion of a comprehensive emergency management plan that describes a grouping of similar or interrelated support activities necessary for managing the impacts of a disaster.

 

Florida Infrastructure Protection Center (FIPC) - 24-hour/7 days-a-week alert center for tracking acts of cyber terrorism, including cyber crime and computer hacking, aimed at Florida's government, financial services, utility, and other critical infrastructures.  Functions in coordination with the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC).

 

Forward Coordinating Team - A group of representatives of the Federal organizations mobilized to a terrorist incident scene to advise the local unified command.

 

Incident Command System (ICS) - A standardized management system designed for control and coordination of field emergency response operations under the direction of an Incident Commander through the allocation and utilization of resources within pre-defined functional and/or geographic areas.

 

Joint Coordinating Element (JCE) – A terrorism/WMD incident will involve the response of Federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Presidential Decision Directive/NSC-39 (PDD-39) outlines federal response and places the FBI as the federal lead for crisis management during a terrorism/WMD incident.  Other agencies of the Federal Government provide assistance to state and local agencies as outlined in the US Government’s Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of Operations Plan (CONPLAN) and the Federal Response Plan, Terrorism Incident Response Annex.  Federal agencies will co-locate in a Joint Coordinating Element and liaison with the local authority.  Florida responders should be familiar with this operational plan in order to accommodate federal agencies in to the Unified Command structure.

 

Joint Information Center (JIC) - A location and/or operational unit staffed by the public information officers of all key responding agencies, impacted jurisdictions, or other groups closely involved in the incident in order to provide for coordination and consistency in media management operations.

 

Joint Operations Center (JOC) - The location at or near the scene of a terrorist incident from where Federal response operations in crisis management are coordinated.

 

National Pharmaceutical Stockpile (NPS) - A national repository of antibiotics, chemical antidotes, life-support medications, IV administration and airway maintenance supplies, and medical/surgical items that is designed to re-supply state and local public health agencies in the event of a biological and/or chemical terrorism incident anywhere, at anytime within the United States.

 

Potential Threat Elements (PTE) - Any group or individual regarding which there are allegations or information indicating a possibility of the unlawful use of force or violence, specifically the utilization of a weapon of mass destruction, against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of a specific motivation or goal, possibly political or social in nature.

 

Public Information Officer (PIO) - An individual from an organization or jurisdiction participating in the event who is designated to prepare and release public information regarding the situation and the response.

 

Regional Domestic Security Response Resources - Pre-designated emergency responders from local agencies and organizations that are specifically trained and equipped to support the local incident commander at the scene of a terrorist incident involving a weapon of mass destruction at any location in the state.

 

Regional Domestic Security Task Force (RDSTF) - Pursuant to FS 943.0312, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has established a Regional Domestic Security Task Force (RDSTF) in each of its seven operations regions.  The RDSTFs are the means through which the Commissioner of FDLE executes the crisis management responsibility.

 

Regional Operations Center (ROC) - An emergency operations center established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that is used for coordination of Federal resource requests.

 

State Regional Operations Center (SROC) – A major Florida Department of Law Enforcement regional office that is capable of establishing limited operational coordination. There is a Center located within each of seven regions through out the State. 

 

Terrorism – Terrorism, as defined in Chapter 775.30, Florida Statutes, is an activity that involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life which is a violation the criminal laws of this state or of the United States or involves a violations of s.815.06, Offenses against Computer Users and is intended to intimidate, injure, or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion or affect the conduct of government through destruction of property, assassination, murder, kidnapping, or aircraft piracy.

 

Unified Command - The adaptation of the Incident Management System in which all key local, state, and/or Federal agencies cooperatively participate in planning, decision-making and resource coordination in support of the designated Incident Commander.

 

Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) - (1) Any explosive, incendiary, bomb, grenade, rocket having a propellant charge of more than four ounces, missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than one-quarter ounce, mine, or device similar to the above; (2) poison gas; (3) any weapon involving a disease organism; or (4) any weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life.

 

Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (WMD-CST) - A designated team of National Guard personnel available on a seven day, 24-hour basis with specialized training, equipment, and materials, that can be mobilized by Executive Order of the Governor to the scene of a terrorist attack to support the local Incident Commander.