Following the September 11 attacks and subsequent Anthrax scare, the Emergency Life Support Programs (ELSP) Department at Phelps Memorial Hospital Center created the Center for Terrorism Education (CTE). In response to demand for education about these “new” threats, CTE was dedicated to provide both professionals and the public training about nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) events and other potential disasters. Both ELSP and CTE are based at Phelps in Westchester County, approximately 12 miles north of New York City.

Our training has been uniformly well-received by professionals and the public. We have held professional training for healthcare and emergency responders in hospitals, professional societies, Health Departments and military institutions. Healthcare providers regularly seek our assistance in updating their skills. Among CTE’s most popular public programs have been “Terrorism and Poisons – What are the Risks?” and “Radiation Poisoning – National Attention, Local Concerns ”, interactive Power Point presentations that help participants understand confusing medical jargon, learn about current government preparations and feel more reassured.

As concerns arise about potential NBC threats (e.g. “dirty bombs”, smallpox vaccination, etc.), we bring our training directly to an audience and respond to their questions face-to-face. We have consistently found that, through our training, participants are more educated and less anxious.

To date, we have provided these terrorism-related programs to thousands of Americans in dozens of audiences. Since CTE’s inception, we have educated and/or been appointed to eight county Bioterrorism Task Forces. We have shared our expertise in NBC threats with organizations on the local, state and national level and have been featured by media such as WCBS-FM radio (New York City), WTEN-TV (Albany), WXXA-TV (Albany), WIVB-TV (Buffalo) and News12 (Westchester) television, and Westchester County’s Patent Trader.

An outline of our “Terrorism and Poisons – What are the Risks?” program follows.

Emergency Preparedness Training Programs:

• WMD Overview – see below
• Nuclear/Radiological Agents – dirty bombs, radiation poisoning, potassium iodide
• Biological Agents – Anthrax, Smallpox and others
• Chemical Agents – Sarin, nerve gases, antidotes, decontamination
• “NBC” Comprehensive – nuclear, biological and chemical agents
• Smallpox – vaccination, planning and contraindications
• All-hazards Disaster Preparedness – the disasters more likely to you & how to prepare
• Hazardous Materials – awareness of and approach to common hazardous toxins
• Decontamination – warm weather/cold weather, radiation/chemical
• Roles and Responsibilities – EMS, Law Enforcement, Health Departments, Medical Professionals, Schools

Note: All programs are customized to the education level, time constraints and expectations of the audience.

The following is an outline of our WMD Overview – Awareness Level program:

o Introduction
o A brief history of NBC poison use
o Historical precedent
o Recent use – foreign
o Recent use – United States
o Bioterrorism defined – what it is, why it is so effective
o Selected agents – past use, potential dispersal mechanisms, symptoms, treatments
o Radiation (nuclear)
o Sarin gas (chemical)
o Smallpox virus (biological)
o Preparation
o Education, knowledge and vigilance
o Antibiotics and vaccines, Strategic National Stockpile (NPS, SNS)
o “Go about your normal lives…”