Training, communication and awareness have made Northumberland County a safer place to live since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Such is the verdict of local law enforcement officials, the county's acting public safety director and the community relations manager at PPL's Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant near Berwick.
Local police chiefs said the federally mandated National Incident Management System (NIMS) that was implemented as a result of 9/11 has created a uniformed emergency response system and enhanced training procedures.
Steve Reiner, acting public safety director for Northumberland County, said NIMS, a homeland security directive issued by President George W. Bush in 2003, provides a nationwide standard geared to all levels of government.
Reiner said his department follows NIMS guidelines and makes people in the private sector aware of enhanced training to prepare them in the event of a natural or man-made incident. In addition to first responders, there also is training for elected officials.
Although he definitely believes Northumberland County and other counties throughout the state are safer today than they were prior to 9/11, Reiner said most people take safety for granted and don't think about security until a major incident occurs.
The public safety director offered the following advice to residents: "We must remember to be vigilant and aware of our surroundings," he said. "If something doesn't feel right or makes you feel uncomfortable, leave or move from the area. Always know where the emergency exits are when you are in a building, and if it is a building in which you frequent, have an escape plan in the event of an emergency. Always have the basic necessities such as flashlights and batteries, and be prepared to go without basic services such as electricity or telephone. Always have some extra cash on hand in the event ATMs do not work and make sure your vehicles always have fuel in them. These are the things most people don't think about, but in the event there is a loss of power for an extended period of time, these are some of the basics that you would need."
Reiner said the biggest concern is fear of the unknown. "There are so many forms of terrorism and on so many levels that it is hard to predict what the next event might be," he noted.
Some of the services provided by Reiner's office include preparing and maintaining a county Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) in addition to managing the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Some other functions of the department include conducting emergency exercises with all levels of government and providing emergency planning in areas such as special needs. The department also provides resources to local agencies.
Coal Township Police Chief William Carpenter believes the entire United States is safer as a result of lessons learned through 9/11. Threats are taken more seriously at every level, he said.
"Along with mandatory compliance to NIMS standards, emergency responders have a multitude of training opportunities provided through state and federal programs," he said. "In addition to training and standards, we now have better cooperation and communication between emergency responders at every level."
Carpenter said most of the training that resulted from 9/11 emphasizes coordination between all responders. He said agencies share a "team approach" to incidents rather than having their own objectives.
He said police are most concerned about groups or individuals who are involved in domestic terrorism that occurs in America for political, religious or ideological purposes. He said, "Unfortunately, there are individuals or groups who for various reasons choose to express their anger, pain or frustration through extreme acts of violence to intimidate or coerce a government or civilian population. Terrorist acts can occur anywhere at any time."
Carpenter advised citizens to not keep potential threatening information to themselves, thinking it is not important. "Everyone must take an active role in trying to prevent acts of extreme violence by reporting threatening, alarming or suspicious behavior," he said.
Carpenter believes people will never revert back to pre-9/11 thinking.
"There is a vast difference between a bomb threat made in 1990 and a bomb threat today," he said.
Joseph Scopelliti, community relations manager at the Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant, said $18 million in plant security enhancements have been made to the facility since 9/11.
Scopelliti, who pointed out the power plant was a very secure facility prior to 9/11, stated, "We also have enhanced our training for security type events. There have been physical changes to security that are confidential, and we have changed or modified policies and procedures to address events like those that took place. We also have security drills where mock intruders attack the plant to test our security force. We visit other plants throughout the country to learn what actions they take in different situations."
Shamokin Chief of Police Edward Griffiths believes the county is safer now because of additional training available to law enforcement personnel and media exposure that makes residents more aware of their surroundings.
"People are taught now not to open strange packages and report suspicious activity as soon as they witness it," Griffiths said. "Our homeland security department has provided a lot of free training to police since 9/11, and I also get daily terror alerts."
He said the biggest policy changes as a result of 9/11 have occurred in the airline and mass transit industries.
Mount Carmel Police Chief Brian Shurock added, "Since 9/11, I feel public safety professionals in the county are more aware of potential issues and potential targets of a terrorist attack within the county. Communication between county officials and agency leaders has increased as well as training about potential areas susceptible to terrorism.
Shurock said his officers have undergone new training that teaches them what to look for and how to deal with terrorist attacks.
He said, "Since 9/11, the amount of training, both mandated and elective, has increased. Because of 9/11, federal officials mandated the NIMS to aide all areas of emergency response in responding to and carrying out incident management with uniformity."
Shurock believes smaller communities like Mount Carmel are less likely to be targets for terrorists, who tend to seek larger metropolitan areas when concocting their attacks.
"I don't think international terrorism is as much of a worry for our area as domestic terrorism," he said.
The police chief said all Americans must remember the deadly acts that occurred on 9/11 and always be alert of their surroundings. "People must not take for granted that we live in small town America and think that this type of activity or persons involved in this type of activity are not around us," he said. "The coal region is only a few hours away from the big cities that seem to be the targets for this type of activity."
Shurock believes people are more aware of the issues and possibilities that exist with terrorism and are more guarded against them than they were prior to 9/11.
Griffiths said his biggest fear is retaliation against the United States once the last American soldier leaves the Middle East.
"Life will never be the same for us as it was prior to 9/11," he said.
Scopelliti said power plant employees must continue to be vigilant and maintain a "questioning" attitude. "Our goal is to continue to improve upon the solid performance that we have," he said.
The PPL official said residents should know that proper procedures and policies are in place at the power plant. "Public safety for our employees and the residents of the communities around the plant remains our number one priority," he said.
In the unlikely event that something would occur, Scopelliti said plant officials will take the necessary action to keep the public safe.
Scopelliti said, "Life at the Susquehanna nuclear plant will never be the same after 9/11. We are constantly looking for ways to improve our response to events. We benchmark other utilities to see what practices they are doing and what we can learn from them. We work with local emergency responders to get their input. The training, awareness, and preparedness at the nuclear plant have improved and we will continue to look for new ways to get even better. We are a facility that embraces continuous learning."
Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Rosini said the events on Sept. 1, 2001, involved a breech of national security and have, for the most part, been dealt with on a national level.
"Most of us are aware of the increased security at airports where all passengers and their baggage are thoroughly screened prior to boarding a flight," he said. "We also have seen an increase in intelligence activity by the federal government and the formation of the Department of Homeland Security."
He said Northumberland County does not have the high-profile type targets that an international terrorist group would target. "But we do have many places that someone acting out of their own individual motives could attack to cause damage to our infrastructure or injury to our citizens."
On a county level, Rosini said the commissioners have implemented security programs at county buildings and metal detectors are located at their entrances along with security guards. The county has also installed surveillance cameras throughout the courthouse, which are monitored by guards. Buttons in numerous locations at the courthouse also have been installed to alert the sheriff of any serious situations that develop inside the courthouse.
"I believe that since Sept. 11, 2001, people are much more alert to suspicious behavior and report that to law enforcement," he said. "We all have had our sensitivity heightened and are generally more aware of our surroundings. People today are more likely to call and report suspicious activity than they were prior to 9/11, as happened in New York City when a street vendor notified police of a suspicious vehicle and they discovered a crude car bomb in it."
Rosini believes the greatest threat faced locally comes from domestic terrorism or the acts of a single person.
In today'sworld, Rosini said everyone needs to be on guard� and report anything unusual or suspicious to the local or state police.
"I encourage all citizens to not let themselves become victims, to be aware of their surroundings and take normal precautions such as locking doors," he said.