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We Are Prepared
Posted 11-4-2001
After September 11th, I doubt that anyone can claim they feel completely
secure in public places or their place of employment. However, in light of
all that happened, we in Westmoreland County should feel confident that
we're reasonably prepared to deal with security challenges. Our Department
of Public Safety, along with other emergency responders in the county, has
already been training and making preparations for disasters for some time
now.
This past June, a major drill
was held at Greengate Mall to deal with the consequences of weapons of mass
destruction. The Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety, under the
direction of Rich Matason, took a leadership role in staging the event.
Ironically, at that time, few people thought there would be events that
would make such an exercise so relevant. Also this summer, the county,
Westmoreland Hospital, and Mutual Aid worked to acquire two decontamination
trailers that could be used in case of an environmental incident. Together,
the exercise and the acquisition are steps in allowing us to be better
prepared.
The recent anthrax scares
have put people on such edge even in our county that our HazMat personnel
have been traveling to investigate several incidents every day. I can
certainly appreciate people's uneasiness. But short of some unstable person
doing something crazy, I don't think our county has any primary targets for
international terrorists. The jet that crashed in Somerset County could have
crashed here, but neither place was a real target. Perhaps, it is just good
fortune, but I think we are somewhat out of the international limelight.
Even Pittsburgh probably doesn't have too many attractive targets for
international terrorists. Domestic terrorism and copycats are another story,
but we can only work in the manner we have to prepare and equip
professionals for as many scenarios as possible.
At the courthouse, we have
had security in place for a number of years. We are ahead of many public
buildings in the region. While no system is perfect, we've done many common
sense things to ensure that weapons don't enter the building. It may be an
inconvenience to courthouse visitors, but in light of recent events, I think
people appreciate our policies more than they may have before September
11th. We continue to maintain a dialogue with the City of Greensburg's
police, fire, and emergency management personnel, our park police, the
sheriff's department, and county detectives to ensure we are as prepared as
possible.
The southwestern Pennsylvania
region has also come together as a group, called Region 13, to work on
issues of public safety. The group was organized several years ago with the
help of some federal grant money. It came together as a way of counties
preparing to assist each other in the event of a major disaster, terrorist,
or environmental incident. The group meets regularly and has continued to
refine plans to support each other in a time of need.
I cannot tell you that
nothing will ever happen here in Westmoreland County. But, I'm confident we
are reasonably prepared to respond in the event something does happen.
Unfortunately, in the unpredictable world we now live in, preventing every
potential security challenge is just about impossible. If we use common
sense, train our people, and make practical investments in public safety, we
can be reasonably safe. In comparison to other metropolitan areas in the
United States of America, we are probably safer. So let's be diligent and
sensible and look out for one another. |
