Emergency Management Services

HGS has trained, senior-level emergency managers to assist communities as they prepare for natural disaster and to help communities respond to the threat of WMD terrorist attacks.

• Emergency Preparedness
• Training First Receivers
• Corporate Counter-Terrorism
• National Security
• Shelter-In-Place Kits
• Emergency Response Plans
• Protecting Special Communities

Emergency Preparedness
HGS personnel support the Department of Homeland Security in the planning and execution of regional and metropolitan terrorism and counter-terrorism exercises nationwide. HGS participated in the Washington, DC TOPOFF exercise that stressed local, district, and federal response capabilities to a simulated biological/chemical terrorist attack.

Training for First Receivers
The Aum Shinrikyo sarin gas attack on the subways of Tokyo illustrated how critically important it is for hospitals to prepare for mass, gross decontamination outside of their emergency rooms. HGS presents OSHA approved classes in hospital decontamination that have application for a chemical release as well as for a WMD attack.

Corporate Counter-Terrorism
HGS provided comprehensive corporate counter-terrorism support to a Fortune 10 company and all of its facilities in Lower and Midtown Manhattan and Jersey City. The facilities were inspected by the Department of Homeland Security and set a new standard for measures taken to protect employees from an act of terrorism.

National Security
HGS has professionals trained in protocols developed by the Sandia National Laboratory to assess the vulnerability of water production and distribution systems to natural and terrorist threat. HGS applied these risk principles for the City of Savannah, Georgia interfacing with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local police jurisdictions to develop an understanding of potential threats.

Shelter-In-Place Kits
HGS personnel trained over 1,000 personnel from a Fortune 10 company in shelter-in-place issues including the roles and responsibilities of shelter wardens, shelter crews, and sheltered employees. HGS also provides customized and site-tailored shelter-in-place kits for the company's facilities worldwide.

Emergency Response Plans
Employing the all-hazards approach, HGS developed the Emergency Response Plan for the City of Savannah Water Works. HGS has also provided planning and material support to Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Plan (CSEPP) designated communities.

Protecting Special Communities
HGS worked with professionals at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to assess the effectiveness of commercial, off-the-shelf products to retard or stop airflow into a residential safe room. The target audience for this study was the special needs community. HGS conducted bench-scale and full-scale tests, presented the results to CSEPP impacted populations, and collaborated on the publication of the findings.