| Maintain partner communication | MAINTAIN regular communication with partner professionals in other agencies involved in emergency response (includes maintaining a current directory of partners and identifying appropriate methods for contact in emergencies, contributing to effective community wide response through leadership, team building, negotiation and conflict resolution). |
| Identify agents | IDENTIFY nuclear, biological or chemical agents from signs and clinical history, autopsy and other evidence. |
| Generate bioterrorism response plan | GENERATE a public health bioterrorism (BT) response plan for epidemiology and surveillance (OR Environmental Health OR Public Health Laboratory OR Medical Examiner’s Office OR Public Health Information Office) that is integrated with the emergency response plan for the agency by applying the following competencies: |
| Establish communications roles | ESTABLISH emergency communications roles and responsibilities for bioterrorism response. |
| Maintain resource directory | MAINTAIN a directory of materials and resources on bioterrorism. |
| Prepare for crime scenes | PREPARE public health personnel responding to a bioterrorism event regarding procedures of crime scene preservation, proper handling, transportation and storage of criminal evidence. |
| Identify response resources | IDENTIFY specific resources needed for response to critical biologic agents (Category A, B, C). |
| Specify safety measures | SPECIFY safety measures to be taken by public health responders in a bioterrorism event, including use of personal protective equipment. |
| Ensure lab bioterrorism plans | ENSURE that laboratories within the jurisdiction or agency have bioterrorism response plans. |
| Delineate environmental protocols | DELINEATE protocols for patient decontamination, and environmental remediation, including populations with special needs. |
| Establish surge capacity protocols | ESTABLISH protocols to address public health surge capacity, including the use of volunteers. |
| Appropriate plan component development | ENSURE that all bioterrorism plan components are developed by appropriate and knowledgeable staff by applying the following the competencies: |
| Ensure gaps are filled | ENSURE that knowledge/skill gaps are identified through emergency response planning, drills and evaluation are filled. |
| Ensure response practice | ENSURE that the agency regularly practices all parts of emergency response. |
| Ensure updated plan | ENSURE the agency (or agency unit) has a written, updated plan for major categories of emergencies that respects the culture of the community and provides for continuity of agency operations. |
| Establish communication infrastructure | ESTABLISH a public health communication infrastructure that receives and transmits data and information for decision support during a bioterrorism event. |
| Establish redundant communications | ESTABLISH redundant communication mechanisms for immediate and reliable voice and secure data communication during a public health emergency. |
| Establish secure communications | ESTABLISH secure communication pathways for use in a bioterrorism event, including computer security policies and safeguards against data loss. |
| Evaluate drills | EVALAUTE every emergency response drill to identify needed internal/external improvements. |
| Identify health professional resources | IDENTIFY pharmaceutical, veterinary, or other resources required for consultation by the agency or jurisdiction during bioterrorism response. |
| Define further investigation needs | DEFINE algorithms that trigger further epidemiological investigation. |
| Manage psychological impact | RECOGNIZE and TREAT the psychological impact of bioterrorism event on victims and health care professionals. |
| Ensure psychological support | ENSURE ongoing support for the psychological impact of a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) event on the families of victims. |
| Handle human remains | HANDLE human remains appropriately, addressing safety, psycho-social, and forensic needs. |
| Address training gaps | ENSURE that knowledge/skill gaps identified through emergency response evaluation are filled. |
| Evaluate event response | EVALUATE every emergency response to identify needed internal/external improvements. |
| Apply recovery measures | APPLY appropriate science-based public health measures to ensure continued population protection appropriate to the biological threat involved, including follow up of those exposed, vaccinated, or quarantined. |