Some Md. Firefighters Question Readiness Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars' Worth of Protective Gear Could Be Useless in Attack, They Say By Jo Becker Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, October 9, 2001; Page A20

In the basement of a Chevy Chase fire station, boxes full of bright yellow protective suits are crammed onto shelves, where they have gathered dust for months. Stored without the necessary accessories and hard to get to in an emergency, the suits would be practically useless in a biological or chemical terrorist attack, some firefighters complain.

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service received at least $596,000 to purchase such protective gear for its "first responders," who would rush to the scene of an attack. Much of the money came from the federal government in grants awarded in 1998 and 1999.

But with Congress poised to dole out hundreds of millions of dollars more to prepare jurisdictions across the country, Montgomery County's experience shows that money alone won't buy preparedness and that properly equipping the nation's front-line defenders could take a while.

Domestic preparedness has been of paramount concern since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks -- and especially since U.S.-led military strikes in Afghanistan began Sunday. U.S. intelligence officials told members of Congress last week there is a high probability that terrorists associated with Osama bin Laden will try to launch another major attack in the near future, particularly if the United States unleashed its military might.

Although Montgomery County emergency officials have had several years to get ready, much of the equipment purchased has yet to be deployed, the result of internal debate and delays. Some equipment is unworkable, and officials are considering sending it back. Other items, such as hundreds of gas masks, were ordered only this month and have yet to arrive.

"In our job, there's so much else to be worried about," said District Chief Bob Stephan, commander of the department's 70-member hazardous materials team, who has taught fire personnel across the country. "A great many people never took this seriously, and as time went on, it was viewed locally and probably nationally as 'Yeah, we need to be ready for this, but it's probably not going to happen.' "

Unlike many smaller departments that could soon find themselves awash in money and lost in a world of gadgetry, Montgomery County's Fire and Rescue Service has long been training for a biological or chemical attack. So have personnel in the District, one of 120 cities to receive special training and funding under a 1996 domestic preparedness program passed by Congress.

But at a D.C. Council hearing last week, the chiefs of the D.C. police and fire departments acknowledged that they lack crucial emergency equipment. They have sought federal money to purchase, among other things, masks and suits to protect against an unconventional terrorist attack.

"We're going to be sent into a situation we can't handle because we don't have the proper equipment," said Ray Sneed, who heads the union that represents District firefighters.

Part of the problem, according to experts like Amy E. Smithson, director of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Project at the Henry L. Stimson Center, is that of the $8.7 billion Congress spent last year on terrorism defense, only $311 million went to enhancing the capacities of local emergency personnel.

But local jurisdictions must also learn how to spend the money wisely and, given the warnings of intelligence officials, with dispatch.

After the deadly release of the chemical nerve agent sarin in a Tokyo subway and the Oklahoma City bombing, both in 1995, Montgomery County officials set aside $126,000 in 1998 to prepare first responders for a biological or chemical attack. In 1998 and 1999, the county also received two federal grants totaling $470,000 for the same purpose.

The county's hazardous materials team is the best prepared, and its members are the only Montgomery firefighters with "Class A" vapor-tight suits that allow wearers to enter a hot zone -- the epicenter of an attack -- to determine the nature of the attack and try to contain it.

But the 70-member team has only 12 such suits, with eight more on the way, Stephan said. By contrast, Fairfax County's team has 29 suits and at least 20 more ready to go, according to Capt. Craig Buckley.

The hazardous material team's primary mission is not to rescue or treat people; that would be left to regular firefighters and medical workers who would operate mostly in the "warm zone" on the periphery of ground zero.

Montgomery County has done many things right. For instance, it has purchased and distributed condensable "escape" masks. If emergency workers enter a building without knowledge that a chemical release has occurred, they can quickly slip the masks over their heads and get out of harm's way.

The county also used federal money to buy chemical accessory kits, which include, among other things, duct tape to close gaps in firefighters' clothing. But officials announced the availability of those kits on Sept. 28 -- 17 days after the Sept. 11 attacks.

For longer-lasting protection, the county spent $40,000 for 1,200 "Level B" suits. The suits, designed to be worn in the warm zone, are less effective than those worn by the Class A hazardous materials unit but offer better mobility and more protection than firefighters' regular gear. To complete the ensemble, the county planned to purchase gas masks that would allow firefighters to work for hours, rather than the scubalike breathing apparatus that is standard issue but must be changed as air tanks are depleted.

The initial idea was to package the gear and put it on firetrucks. After an internal discussion, however, the county decided instead to distribute only a limited number of suits. The rest would be stored in "go-bags" that could be picked up at four fire stations strategically located across the county. It's a debatable tactic. Montgomery officials say it will prevent wear and tear; Fairfax put its protective gear on the trucks of 12 engine companies.

"The goal is to cut your reaction time down," Buckley said.

Regardless, the vast majority of Montgomery's suits are still nestled in shipping boxes like the ones in Chevy Chase, according to District Chief Ted Jarboe, who is in charge of the purchasing. He finished ordering the gas masks just days ago. To date, only 300 go-bags are actually ready to go, Jarboe said.

"The bottom line is, the equipment they have has not been put in place to protect firefighters," said volunteer firefighter Lewis German.

Meanwhile, some are complaining that the equipment is faulty. Peter Morris, assistant chief of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, said that the gas mask filters tend to fall out and that the Class B suits are unworkable because the version the county bought has an attached bootie.

"You can't slip them over your [fire] boots and the suited foot won't fit into your fire boots," he said.

Jarboe defended the masks as the best available at the time and said he is talking to the manufacturer about a possible exchange.

A firefighter's best weapon is education, and the county has excelled in that area, Jarboe said. Besides, based on tests conducted by the Army, Jarboe said he is convinced that firefighters could perform in a warm zone -- and even attempt a quick rescue in a hot zone -- wearing their regular clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus.

"Even if we didn't have this equipment, we could still function," he said. "It just has taken time."

© 2001 The Washington Post Company

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