Emergency teams shift focus to terrorism at Nevada conference

RENO -- Emergency workers who before Sept. 11 focused on floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters now find themselves on the front line against terrorism.

More than 2,000 firefighters, health care workers, military personnel and others attending a national conference that began Monday are learning how to prepare for the worst.

"We are here at a pivotal moment" when the country faces the threat of war and terrorism, said Dr. Robert Claypool, director of readiness and emergency response for the Veteran Affairs Department.

"Yet we have every confidence they (emergency responders) will rise to the challenge. This group of people represents the best of America," he said.

The emergency workers are attending the annual meeting of the National Disaster Medical System, a federally coordinated program for responding to medical emergencies.

Under Secretary Michael Brown of the Homeland Security Department urged attendees at Monday's opening session to use federal funds more wisely and avoid turf battles.

"Folks, there are limited resources. ... We have to rethink how we do business and do it better," Brown said. "If we do that, we'll win the war against terrorism and your job will be easier the next disaster."

In recent months, some governors have criticized federal officials for not allocating enough money to states and cities that have spent millions of dollars on equipment, personnel and infrastructure improvements since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Joe Davis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said his agency next plans to establish a program for members of the public who insist on a smallpox vaccination.

The fledgling smallpox vaccination campaign now is directed at health care workers, police, firefighters and other emergency workers.

Davis said 276,500 doses of the smallpox vaccine have been sent to states and 12,690 people have been vaccinated against a possible germ attack.

"Our biggest challenge is to tell about the risk of a smallpox outbreak," Davis said. "Programs are under way to find out why people do and do not participate in the vaccination program."

The conference's theme is "Catastrophic Care for the Nation." It runs through Wednesday at the Reno Hilton and offers more than 100 sessions on topics such as counterterrorism, disaster response and clinical medicine.

Items displayed at dozens of exhibits are a sign of the times. They include gas masks, gurneys, decontamination equipment, chemical warfare antidotes and other emergency medications.

The conference also has featured demonstrations of a portable mortuary and a field trauma unit.

Among conference sponsors are the CDC, Defense Department, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Department of Health and Human Services.