Madisonians,

September 11 and its aftermath have changed

Madison and the world. We will work through

these changes together as a community and

Madison will be the stronger for it. We are taking

many steps in Madison to ensure public health

and safety in light of the September 11 terrorist

attacks and subsequent anthrax incidents.

I recently attended a national summit of more

than 100 mayors from across the country in

Washington, D.C. We heard from top

administration officials on what the federal

government is doing to combat terrorism and

protect the public, and how federal and local

officials can work more closely together.

Two themes were repeated throughout the

two-day conference: local officials are the first

responders to any and every event. Regardless of

funding, equipment and medications available at

the state or federal level, it is the local police, fire

and public health departments that will be on the

scene. They must know how to respond, how to

deal with the situation and how to communicate

with one another and the public during and after

an event. The second theme is that of

communications: intra-agency, inter-agency, with

other levels of government, the county with which

we work closely in planning and training, the

state and the federal government. While systems

exist, the events of October 12, the anthrax scare

at American Family and a number of other

sites, make it clear that we need to do a better

job of communicating to the public and letting

folks know what to expect and the results of any

tests.

Madison is well prepared for the imaginable

disaster event: tornados, snowstorms, fires and

the like. With Dane County Emergency

Government Operations, we have developed plans

to respond to what was previously unimaginable:

attacks by weapons of mass destruction,

including biological and chemical warfare. On

October 11, first responders engaged in a

tabletop exercise on bioterrorism. On October 12,

the plan was executed. Fortunately, it turned out

to be no danger, but many lessons were learned

during the process. We are continuing to refine

our procedures and working to ensure better,

more timely and complete communications to the

public.

As these days unfold, I continue to ask people to

remain calm and deliberate in the face of

suspicious behaviors or substances. Take

necessary precautions and, if in doubt, call 911.

Trained dispatchers will assist in evaluating if

further action needs to be taken.

We are developing a new resource for the City

Home Page www.ci.madison.wi.us entitled

"Emergency Preparedness: What You Should

Know." Watch for notification that it is available,

and then click on it to find timely information and

advisories on the City's Emergency Operations

Plan and useful links to other websites.

Susan M. Bauman

Mayor