Upstate makes preparations for terrorism

Greenville city firefighter and emergency responce entry crew supervisor Charlie King unfolds one of the Level A chemical protective suits Friday at the downtown fire station. The suit would be used by firefighters responding to a chemical emergency. e-mail this story

Pickens County Sheriff's officials want a tactical response team with gas masks, chemical suits, bullet-proof shields and advanced weaponry.

Greer police hope to upgrade their communication systems.

Only time will tell whether these counterterrorism measures will be needed, but local law enforcement and emergency personnel are taking advantage of federal dollars to beef up their agencies against possible threats.

Congress allocated $3.5 billion to help prevent terrorism across the country, and roughly $9 million was allocated for South Carolina on March 11 to pay for new equipment, training and planning, according to state Homeland Security Director Robert Stewart.

Stewart, who also is director of the State Law Enforcement Division, said the effort incorporates state agencies from small town fire departments to the FBI.

"This is going to be a continuing process," Stewart said. "There is money out there, but they are expected to gear it towards counterterrorism."

The coordinated effort between police, fire and other emergency personnel is tailored to potential threats, such as the nuclear plants in the Upstate and the port in Charleston.

Many Upstate agencies have either purchased equipment, using federal grants approved after Sept. 11, or are in the process of figuring out what they need and how to get funding for it.

A trailer in the garage at the city's fire headquarters is loaded with everything a first-response team would need in a chemical or biological attack including top-of-the-line protective suits, a huge decontamination tent for victims and various gadgetry for detecting what hazardous particles are in the air and where the wind might blow them.

There are three such trailers dispersed across the county loaded with roughly $400,000 worth of equipment purchased the past several months with federal dollars designated for outfitting the county's Chemical Ordnance Biological Radiological team, said Warren Edwards, assistant coordinator for the county's Office of Emergency Preparedness.

More than 60 members of the Greenville team recently took part in training drills using the equipment, he said.

"We are being told constantly that the state of South Carolina is better prepared than other states," he said.

The Greenville County Sheriff's Office has a bomb-sniffing dog named Mike. The office also has a special team equipped to handle hazardous materials and will use $37,125 in federal and county funds to purchase gas masks for every deputy, said spokesman Sgt. James McAnn.

The Greenville Police Department is also seeking federal dollars to outfit its 180 officers with gas masks, said spokesman Lt. Mike Gambrell.

In Greer, police officials are discussing how they can upgrade their communication systems with federal money, said spokeswoman Capt. Jolene Vancil.

Pickens County Sheriff officials hope to use federal grants to set up a tactical response team that would be equipped with gas masks, chemical suits, bullet-proof shields and advanced weaponry, said assistant sheriff Tim Morgan.

"I think there's a need but also a responsibility," said Morgan. He added that his office would support the nearby Oconee County Sheriff's Office should terrorists attack the Oconee Nuclear Station.

While that is considered unlikely, emergency personnel are glad to have the tools to do the job, said Charlie King, a Greenville city firefighter who supervises a team that would be the first responders to a chemical or biological threat.

"Hopefully it's never needed," said King.