State and Local Domestic Preparedness Support Helpline
1-800-368-6498
Background
The Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP), Office of
Justice Programs (OJP) is the program office within the
Department of Justice (DOJ) responsible for enhancing the
capacity and preparedness of state and local jurisdictions to
respond to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) incidents
of domestic terrorism. ODP's State and Local Domestic
Preparedness Program accomplishes this through its training,
exercises, equipment grants and technical assistance
programs. Assistance provided by ODP is directed at a broad
spectrum of state and local emergency responders, including
firefighters, emergency medical services, emergency
management agencies, law enforcement, and public officials.
In 1997, the Department of Defense (DoD) initiated the
Nunn-Lugar-Domenici (NLD) Domestic Preparedness
Program in response to Congressional direction, which
included the creation of a chemical biological Helpline for
first responders nationwide. The DOJ, through ODP, is
continuing the Helpline and has added additional capabilities
in response to lessons learned and feedback from local, state,
and federal emergency response and support agencies.
Helpline Overview
The Helpline is a non-emergency resource available for
use by emergency responders across the United States.
The Helpline provides general information on all of the
ODP's programs and information on the characteristics
and control of WMD materials, defensive equipment,
mitigation techniques, and available federal assets. The
Helpline provides "customer intelligence" that will aid
state and local jurisdictions in building capacity in their
communities to respond to a WMD terrorism incident.
ODP Programs
The Helpline provides the unique service that with only one
800 number the state and local response community and
support agencies can reach all of the ODP available services
such as:
WMD Training: Provides general information on ODP
training available to state and local jurisdictions.
Centralized Scheduling Capability: A comprehensive
domestic preparedness point of contact database for
scheduling NLD Domestic Preparedness Program
training.
WMD Exercises: Provides general information on the
State and Local Exercise Program and the exercise
support to the cities under the NLD Domestic
Preparedness Program.
Equipment Grants: Provides general information on the
State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program and
funding availability.
NLD Domestic Preparedness Program: Provides
general information on services available to the NLD
designated cities for equipment, training, exercises, and
technical assistance.
Technical Assistance: Provides general information on
services available for assistance in enhancing the ability
of state and local jurisdictions to develop, plan, and
implement a program for WMD preparedness. The three
specific areas are:
Domestic Preparedness Equipment Technical
Support Program: Provides technical support to
jurisdictions in the utilization, sustainment, and
calibration of detection equipment. Scheduling of
mobile, on-site training teams, is available.
Domestic Preparedness Support Information
Clearinghouse: A clearinghouse of information on
domestic preparedness, counter terrorism, and WMD
information available to state and local jurisdictions,
which includes the ability to order publications and
videos.
WMD Expertise
The Helpline offers technical assistance in non-emergency cases to state and local emergency responders
and public officials. Dedicated operators are trained to
listen and respond to questions from the field pertaining to
domestic preparedness issues, quickly retrieving the most
current information relevant to the specific question.
Skilled research staff and available subject matter experts
in WMD materials and equipment provide detailed
information on even the most esoteric questions. The
Helpline provides information on the following subjects:
· Detection Equipment
· Personal Protective Equipment
· Decontamination Systems and Methods
· Physical Properties of WMD materials
· Signs and Symptoms of WMD Exposure
· Treatment of Exposure to WMD Materials
· Toxicology Information
· Federal Response Assets
· Applicable Laws and Regulations
Helpline Number and Hours of
Operations
The Helpline number is 1-800-368-6498. The Helpline is
staffed weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern
standard time. On weekends, holidays and after business
hours, callers can leave a voice mail message.