Design of a Multi-Agency (National Fire Agency, Ministry of Environment, National Police Agency) Protocol for Chemical Terrorism Response Training

This study aimed to design a multi-agency integrated training protocol to enhance the coordinated response capabilities of the National Fire Agency, Ministry of Environment, and Korean National Police Agency in the event of a hazardous chemical terrorism incident. The proposed protocol was developed in accordance with the standard operating procedures (SOP) of the National Fire Agency, the Act on Counter-Terrorism for the Protection of Citizens and Public Security, and the Ministry of Environment's Chemical Accident Emergency Response Guidelines. Common training elements across the agencies were identified and incorporated into the protocol. The sequence of the protocol aligns with the Fire Department SOPs and the Counter-Terrorism Act, and is structured into the following stages: Situation Occurrence and Propagation, First Response, Incident Response, and After-Action Response. The protocol was designed to enable trainees from each agency to perform assigned tasks in a coordinated manner. In a detailed step-by-step protocol, a branch point was set for factors that could expand damage or increase risk. Tasks were assigned to prevent the spread of damage in the early stages of terrorism and enable efficient responses, and risk factors that could occur if not implemented were inserted. Through this approach, this study seeks to develop a standardized chemical terrorism training protocol that is not restricted to location- or hazardous-material-specific conditions. By moving beyond the isolated response capabilities of individual agencies, this study aims to enable interconnected and practical multi-agency training. It is anticipated that this protocol will facilitate flexible management of incidents from initial reporting to post-incident recovery while enhancing the proficiency of response capabilities through effective communication and collaboration.