Georgia will be base for WMD homeland security response force
DHS is setting up ten regional Homeland Response Forces tasked with handling weapons of mass destruction incidents; each will be assigned 570 personnel; the force will be trained to respond within six to twelve hours to regional disasters like chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high yield explosive incidents
Georgia will be a regional base for a fast-responding homeland security force aimed at handling weapons of mass destruction incidents — one of only ten nationwide, Governor Sonny Perdue announced Tuesday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Andria Simmons writes that a majority of these Homeland Response Forces are to be established in 2012. Each will be assigned 570 personnel. Georgia’s will comprise current Georgia Army National Guard members, plus 100 new full-time positions, and will be based at Dobbins Air Reserve Base. Their territory includes Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
The force will be trained to respond within six to twelve hours to regional disasters like chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high yield explosive incidents.
Personnel will be experienced in locating and extracting victims from a contaminated environment, performing mass patient decontamination, and stabilizing patients in need of medical care for evacuation.
