FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                   

Contact:    Capt. Dave Wheaton, Lee County Public Safety/EMS, (941) 335-1661 or
                Dr. Judith Hartner, Lee County Health Dept., 332-9510 

LEE PUBLIC SAFETY RECEIVING SUPPLIES FOR TERRORISM INCIDENTS

FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 10, 2002) – Lee County’s Division of Public Safety is set to receive a trailer and cache of specialized equipment and supplies to respond to a terrorism incident. 

The Board of Lee County Commissioners will formally accept the grant for the unit at its meeting Tuesday (May 14).  The money is coming from the Florida Department of Community Affairs and is part of Florida’s Terrorism Response Strategy. 

The cost of the trailer, supplies and equipment is $270,000.  Seven response teams around the state are being outfitted with similar equipment. 

The trailer will hook onto a Public Safety vehicle for transport and will include protective equipment (chemical suits, breathing apparatus), detection equipment, a small amount of medications and antidotes, and other equipment such as radios, gear bags, body bags and oxygen. 

The grant also provides for reimbursement for all goods and supplies expended for emergency response, training, or exercises conducted in accordance with the Florida Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. 

When requested, Lee County EMS will respond, as part of the Regional Domestic Security Task Force, to any and all incidents within its regional response area that would require the equipment and cache of supplies.  A portion of the cache also can be transported on the EMS helicopter for quicker response. 

The local Regional Domestic Security Task Force, one of seven throughout the state established by the Governor and overseen by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Department of Emergency Management, is set up to coordinate with local law enforcement, fire/rescue, and the health and medical community to ensure we are prepared to prevent or respond to future terrorism attacks. 

The task force’s three missions are training and equipment, attack response, and intelligence operations (prevention). 

Lee County’s Division of Public Safety oversees Emergency Medical Services (countywide ambulance service), Emergency Management (disaster preparedness/response), E-911, and the countywide emergency radio system.  It employs 304 and has an operating budget of $28.4 million.