Instructions
Oxidizers and explosives have been used as weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). For this assignment, you are the lead incident commander for Star City Fire Department, which is responding to an explosion at the Regional Federal Building in downtown Star City. In preparing to respond to this incident, you noted that it appears to be eerily similar to the 1995 terrorist incident at the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Information relevant to this case study incident is provided below.
Star City is a metropolitan city with a population of 750,000 people.
The ambient temperature today at 3 pm was 75° F, with winds blowing at 10 mph from the northwest to the southeast.
The Regional Federal Building in Star City is located in a congested downtown area with an interstate freeway passing within 200 yards southwest of the Regional Federal Building.
Approximately 1,550 people work at or visit the Regional Federal Building on any given weekday.
The explosion incident at the Regional Federal Building occurred today (Wednesday) at 3:17 pm. There are 43 fatalities and 132 injuries resulting from this incident.
The building alarm to evacuate workers and visitors from the building was sounded immediately.
The Regional Federal Building, which does not have an onsite Emergency Response Team (ERT), has a Security Department of 10 professionals who handle routine security concerns and emergencies.
The fire department’s first responders arrived on location at 3:28 pm, and you assumed your lead incident command duties.
Assuming that the explosive blasting agent used for this Star City incident is ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO), address the questions below in your case study.
Describe the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) classification (e.g., DOT hazard class, UN number, shipping description, type of blasting agent) and the properties/hazards of the hazardous materials comprising ANFO.
Explain how you, as the lead incident commander, should respond to this Star City explosion incident. Although this is not a transportation incident, determine the appropriate Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) guide number for ANFO, and discuss what ERG information will help determine how to respond to this incident.
Discuss how your emergency response actions would differ if this incident involved a dirty bomb comprised of dynamite and cesium-137 instead of ANFO. What are the acute radiation effects of a single whole-body dose of 4.2 Gy of cesium-137? List two reasons why terrorists have not yet used dirty bombs as WMDs.
Your response must be at least two pages in length, not counting the title page and references page. Also, make certain your assignment is formatted in essay form, as it should not contain extensive bulleted lists of information or data. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced. Paraphrased and quoted materials must have accompanying in-text and reference citations in APA format. A minimum of two sources, one of which must come from the CSU Online Library, should be used to help answer the question about why terrorists have not yet used a dirty bomb. Please adhere to APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment.
