Using the National Response Framework as your guide, how would you prepare your
community for a potential terrorist attack?
Planning is essential when being properly prepared for an attack, as well as being able to
properly respond to these incidents (McEntire, 2019). Using the NRF as a guide, developing an
adequate plan with a central goal of stabilizing community lifelines is an imperative step that
must be taken to prepare for a potential terrorist attack. Some of these community lifelines
include safety, security, food, water, shelter, communication, transportation, and hazardous
material (National Response Framework, 2020). These community lifelines support continuous
operations surrounding critical government and organizational functions. Additionally, these
plans need to be addressed and communicated with all levels of the government (McEntire,
2019). Clear communication and partnerships are an essential element in ensuring that plans are
carried out correctly. Overall, plans need to prioritize factors surrounding safety and security
which will allow for governments and communities to properly plan and respond to terrorist
attacks.
What safety and security concerns would you have during and after a terrorist attack on
your community?
The safety and security concerns that would be a focus during and after a terrorist attack
would depend on the type of attack. But, in general, securing and protecting infrastructures and
addressing vulnerabilities would be a main concern. There are chances that there could be a
second wave of attacks, so it’s important to secure facilities and evacuate victims from the
location (McEntire, 2019). It is important that plans are addressing vulnerabilities and
infrastructure practices in order to properly prepare evacuation plans. In order to be able to
properly respond to disasters, it is extremely important that the evacuation plans are being shared
and communicated among agencies.
Put another way, what would be your priorities?
The main priority would be to assess the situation the determine the extent to what
occurred and how to safely respond. This process of assessing the nature of an attack is
commonly known as a size up (McEntire, 2019). This size up is essential because it allows for a
quick decision to be made regarding the dangerousness of the location of the attack. For
example, fires and glass could be a result of an attack and cause harm to victims and first
responders (McEntire, 2019). In order to ensure safety and properly respond, it is important to
understand what type of conditions are left from the attack.
Christian Worldview
Proper planning is essential to ensure successful preparation and response. Proverbs 21:5
states “the plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as hastes leads to poverty” (New
International Version, 2011). Without going through steps to properly plan for an attack, it would
be difficult to know how to handle different types of attacks. Therefore, it is important that
research and time is being put into planning for terrorist attacks to be successful in bringing the
community back to its original conditions.
References:
McEntire, D. A. (2019). Introduction to homeland security: Understanding terrorism with an
emergency management perspective (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
National Response Framework (2020). FEMA. https://www.fema.gov/media-
library/assets/documents/117791
