Emergency responders always on alert since 9/11

Before 9/11, arriving at an airport 30 minutes before a flight was normal. Anyone could go through security without a boarding pass, but not today.

Football stadiums are no longer just entertainment; for law enforcement, they are possible target for anyone wanting to harm the United States.

“Those things are things as a community we have seen as the new norm,” said Josh Creamer, deputy director for the Office of Emergency Management in Boone County.

Protecting mid-Missouri is different now than from 12 years ago, before 9/11. The biggest change being new federal guidelines on how independent agencies work together.

“We now have all the people that are essentially commanders of an event based on their disciples together in one unified command post, so there is a sharing of information,” said Boone County Fire Protection District Chief Scott Olsen.

“The way that we do evacuations in terrorism is the same that we do it in floods, tornadoes, and bomb threats, so instead of having all these little plans we are going to switch to an all-hazard planning,” said Creamer.

A plan in which each agency knows and understands their individual roles. These responsibilities are the same with any form of disaster.

“Everybody finally figured it out, it doesn’t make any difference what the event is, there are certain themes for every disaster,” said Olsen.