Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Firefighters asked to keep eyes open for terror

A program is being tested in New York to teach firefighters how to spot the danger signs.

WASHINGTON - Firefighters in major cities are being trained to take on a new role as lookouts for terrorism, raising concerns of eroding their standing as American icons and infringing on people's privacy.

Unlike police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel don't need warrants to access hundreds of thousands of homes and buildings each year, putting them in a position to spot behavior that could indicate terrorist activity or planning.

But there are fears that they could lose the faith of a skeptical public by becoming the eyes of the government, looking for suspicious items such as building blueprints or bombmaking manuals or materials.

Mike German, a former FBI agent who is now national security policy counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union, said the concept is dangerously close to the Bush administration's 2002 proposal to have workers with access to private homes - such as postal carriers and telephone repairmen - report suspicious behavior to the FBI.

"Americans universally abhorred that idea," German said.

The Homeland Security Department is testing a program with the New York City Fire Department to share intelligence information so firefighters are better prepared when they respond to emergency calls. Homeland Security also trains the New York City fire service in how to identify material or behavior that may indicate terrorist activities. If the test is successful, the government intends to expand the program to other major metropolitan areas.

As part of the program, which started last December, Homeland Security gave secret clearances to nine New York fire chiefs.

"They're really doing technical inspections, and if perchance they find something like, you know, a bunch of RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) rounds in somebody's basement, I think it's a no-brainer," said Jack Tomarchio, a senior official in Homeland Security's intelligence division.

Even before the federal program began, New York firefighters and inspectors had been training to recognize materials and behavior the government identifies as "signs of planning and support for terrorism."

"We're there to help people, and by discovering these type of events, we're helping people," said New York City fire Chief Salvatore Cassano. He said some terrorism-related information has been passed on to law enforcement since firefighters and officers began the training three years ago.

Separately, the fire services in Washington, D.C., Phoenix and Atlanta have also been receiving terrorism-related intelligence training. Los Angeles County provides intelligence training so firefighters and inspectors can spot dangerous chemicals or other materials that could be used in bombs. And the fire service is also represented in at least 13 state and regional intelligence centers across the country where local, state and federal agencies share information about terrorism and other crimes.

On the lookout

When going to private residences, New York firefighters are told to be alert for:

-A person who is hostile, uncooperative or expressing hate or discontent with the United States.

-Unusual chemicals or other materials that seem out of place.

-Ammunition, firearms or weapons boxes.

-Surveillance equipment.

-Still and video cameras; night-vision goggles; maps, photos, blueprints; police manuals, training manuals, flight manuals.

-Little or no furniture other than a bed or mattress.

[Last modified November 24, 2007, 01:02:30]