The FALCON decision support system: Preparing communities for weapons of opportunity

Since September 11, 2001, awareness of potential terrorist targets has increased greatly. Industrial chemicals, either in storage or transport, are now considered dangerously accessible materials that could be used to cause substantial harm. In response to this new threat, emergency organizations are beginning to plan for such possible chemical releases. Currently there is no tool that allows a community to track, analyze, query, and display data about these chemical ‘‘weapons of opportunity’’ and the readiness of the communities around them. Decision support systems are computer environments designed to assist decision makers within a particular problem-solving context. A particular type of DSS, environmental decision support systems (EDSS), assists environmental scientists and planners in making environmental management decisions. A hazardous materials decision support system called ‘‘FALCON’’ will assist emergency organizations by integrating information describing chemical inventories, security, health readiness, geography, and population into one information system. Emergency organizations will be able to assess response readiness of a community for chemical releases and prioritize antidote stockpiling, training, and security. Emergency organizations and first responders will use the FALCON DSS to simulate and prepare for real-time events, assess possible casualties, and receive emergency contact information. And with the help of FALCON, law enforcement and security personnel will be able to evaluate and augment protection of the most dangerous facilities.