States work to improve local security

Jace Radke

Friday, Dec. 6, 2002 | 10:07 a.m.

While the federal Homeland Security Department is moving toward linking more than 20 government agencies with state governments, public agencies and businesses are also working to better protect critical infrastructure from terrorist attacks.

Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns, who presided over a special session of the Western Governors' Association winter meetings at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said that working to protect transportation, telecommunications and financial and industrial resources is a daily battle.

"We have to break down the silo mentality that tends to cause isolation in the public and private sectors and within the government," Johanns said at the session co-sponsored by the U.S. Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office. "I don't know if there is a new revelation here about protecting ourselves, but I can say that I feel a lot more comfortable after hearing about what is being done."

The ideas and models discussed at the symposium focused on improving communications and the transfer of more than 20 federal agencies under the umbrella of homeland security.

Attending the meeting representing Nevada were Jerry Bussell, state director of homeland security, and Yvonne Sylva, state health administrator.

Among the changes that Nevada has made to combat terrorist attacks on key targets are improved communication between the state and local officials and contingency plans at the state and local levels. In addition, the state's Joint Terrorism Task Force provides a place for law enforcement to pool information.

In July a state laboratory is scheduled to open in Las Vegas, and the state's other laboratory in Reno has been upgraded, Sylva said.

"Now we won't have to send a sample out of state to determine if it is anthrax," Sylva said. "We also have a plan in place for possible outbreaks of smallpox. A draft of the plan has been sent to the government."

States have until Monday to submit plans to the Bush administration that show the state's ability to vaccinate hospital workers and emergency responders within 30 days of an outbreak. Sylva would not comment on the specifics of the plan, but did say that there is "absolutely a plan in place for Las Vegas."

Another area the state has emphasized is providing training to doctors so that they can identify infectious diseases that they may have never diagnosed before, such as smallpox or the West Nile Virus.

Among the speakers at Thursday's session was Bill Frick, vice president of the American Petroleum Institute, who said he hopes the new Homeland Security Department smooths some of the concerns he has.

"I think that it will streamline our communications with the government, but it is still a work in progress," Frick said. "I recently had the Department of Transportation call me wanting to talk about pipeline security, even though we've already been working with a subgroup within the Department of Transportation on that issue.

"Everyone means well, but that's the kind of thing that wastes time."

The critical infrastructure sessions will conclude today along with the regularly scheduled winter meetings of the WGA. Governors of eight Western states, including Gov. Kenny Guinn, are attending the meetings.