Nolan pushing disaster readiness

Erin Neff

Monday, Dec. 31, 2001 | 9:42 a.m.

As thousands of revelers ring in the new year tonight, one politician will have a nervous eye on the activities.

State Assemblyman Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, said recent terrorist findings lead him to fear that nuclear materials could be the next type of matter that terrorists use to hurt Americans.

After returning from a briefing to which he was invited at the White House, Nolan said he immediately sought to ready Nevada for radioactive materials by making potassium iodine available as a radiation remedy.

"I met with the local emergency planning committee on Dec. 4 and I asked them if they had given any consideration to radiological events," Nolan said. "I learned that we hadn't."

Law enforcement and emergency preparedness officials stress there is no evidence to suggest terrorists are targeting Southern Nevada in any way.

Still, Dan O'Brien, a plans and operations officer for Clark County Emergency Management, said all hazards are covered in emergency planning.

"We can speculate about all sorts of things," O'Brien said. "But we've sustained a Y2K level of preparedness over the past three New Year's and we believe we are prepared."

Nolan has asked the Legislative Counsel Bureau to draft a bill for the 2003 Legislature that would appropriate $100,000 in state funds to pay for potassium iodine supplies.

The bill would also match federal funds for counter terrorism training, he said.

As a medic, Nolan responded to the 1980 MGM Grand fire and to the 1988 explosion at the Pacific Engineering and Production Co. plant in Henderson.

"First responders just act to save lives and they might not realize an explosion they are responding to is the result of a dirty bomb," Nolan said.

At the White House briefing he attended with President Bush and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, Nolan said one message emerged.

"We have to start being prepared for anything," Nolan said.

Capt. Dan Barry, who oversees the Metro Police special operations and intelligence units, said officers have been training since last New Year's to prepare for tonight's celebration.

"Obviously 9-11 has changed some of that training," Barry said. "We are now focusing on suspicious behavior."

An abandoned backpack found on the Strip tonight, for example, could trigger a response from a hazardous materials unit.

Nolan, who is running for state Senate against Republican businessman Bill Brady, said he hopes his bill helps the state become more prepared for potential emergencies.

He said he would like to see all first-responder crews equipped with Geiger counters, for example.

O'Brien said all hazardous materials teams and bomb squads have that type of survey equipment already.