FLORIDA’S MOSQUITO CONTROL SECURITY ISSUES

 

Douglas B. Carlson

Indian River Mosquito Control District

P.O. Box 670

Vero Beach, FL 32961-0670

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

 September 11 certainly changed our lives and the way that we do business forever.  Prior to that date we were probably all a bit naive about the seriousness of terrorism on U.S. soils and now we know that virtually nothing is impossible.  Some  possibilities of terrorist activities using mosquito control equipment remain highly unlikely - but certainly are still a possibility.

 

Shortly after September 11, 2002 I heard on television one expert on terrorism explain how a biological agent might be dispersed to the general population.  He mentioned that spraying an aerosol into populated areas would probably be the means to accomplish it. The droplet size would need to be very small so as to easily penetrate a person’s respiratory system.  His explanation sounded tailor-made for ULV mosquito control spraying, hence it is easy to understand the public’s concern about mosquito control operations.

 

BIOTERRORISM UNIT

 

In Indian River County, Florida, a Bioterrorism Unit of the local Sheriff’s Department was immediately formed after the attacks.   The detective in charge met with our District’s administration within several days to review our procedures and make some suggestions as to how we might improve the security of our operations.  Also a month or so later, the FBI announcement to mosquito control offices nationwide concerning increasing security of our operations circulated around Florida.

 

Some of the major safety/biosafety concerns as they pertain to Florida mosquito control offices include:

 

1.  COMPOUND SAFETY

After Sept. 11, primarily common sense items were put in place or improved.  Safety of the mosquito control compound itself were the primary changes. Changes were made to prevent theft, tampering of equipment or of the chemicals themselves, in particularly adulticides, which are applied around the public.

 

      Fencing of the compound.  Most Florida mosquito control offices have had at least some security in place at their compound over the years.  However after Sept. 11, a few offices fenced their entire compound for the first time - others simply improved their existing fencing.  In one instance, it has been reported that razor wire has been installed to further secure the grounds.

 

      Chemical bays.  Special measures were frequently taken around chemical bays themselves, again usually in the form of improving fencing that was already in place.  Also, “double-locking” has been encouraged to make certain that extra security for the chemicals that we use is in place.  In one instance, an alarm system was installed specifically for a chemical bay.

      Locks.  Additional locks were installed in some office and storage areas. Some districts reported that they changed their entire locking systems and re-evaluated who should have access to sensitive areas.

 

      Video surveillance.  In some instances, video cameras have been installed to improve surveillance,  both during the daytime and at night.

 

      Improved lighting.  Improved lighting was also installed around some compounds to discourage theft and tampering at mosquito control offices.

 

2.      PERSONNEL ISSUES

Many offices have now issued picture ID badges to their full-time and part-time employees.  They are typically required to wear these at all times, or have them in their wallets or nearby in their trucks should they be away from their vehicles.  At least one office now does a criminal check of applicants and has also run a check of existing employees.

 

3.   GROUND ADULTICIDING SECURITY ISSUES

Making certain that ground ULV equipment is reasonably secure is important since this equipment is at least theoretically capable of disbursing a biological agent to the public.

 

ULV trucks.  A number of offices have “closed systems” in place for filling truck insecticide tanks which reduces the likelihood of introducing some biological agent to the system.  This seems to be a positive change which can be made to a ULV program.  Some district’s report that whenever the trucks are being stored,  the insecticide tanks are kept full to make it more difficult to add something to the tank.

 

Trucks at night.  At the Indian River Mosquito Control District, for the past 20+ years, the spray truck drivers have been allowed to take the spray truck home with them after work, spray with it that night and then return it to work the next morning.  This procedure has been changed to allow the employee to keep the truck overnight only if the truck is kept in a locked garage.  Otherwise, the employee is required to return it to the District compound immediately after finishing their spray assignment.

 

4.  AIRCRAFT SECURITY ISSUES  

In some Florida districts, crop-dusters are used to disperse granular or liquid larvicides.  Crop-dusters have received considerable press as having been inquired about by terrorists that acted on Sept. 11.  Hence there is added importance in making certain that all aerial equipment is not vulnerable to misuse.

 

Prior to aerial treatments. Now before each flight, information in regard to what area will be sprayed is provided via FAX to the Florida Dept. of Agriculture’s “Bureau of Compliance Monitoring”.  Additionally in some counties, calls are also required to be made prior to the day’s flights to the local FAA office and the Sheriff’s Dept. so they are aware where mosquito control spraying is occurring.  This is in case they receive questions from the public and they frequently receive such calls.

 

Aircraft storage.  Numerous mosquito control offices in Florida own their aircraft and those that are capable of doing so are now housing their equipment in locked hangars. Others that have aircraft that must stay outdoors, report that they are mechanically disabling it to make it more difficult to steal.

 

 

5.  ONGOING CONCERNS

Chain of Custody.  One item that raised concerns with mosquito control directors is the “chain of custody” issue for transport and handling of insecticides.  In particular when insecticide tanks are in transport for delivery, there may not be adequate security during their movement to ensure that the containers are not disturbed.  This is especially pertinent for any bulk tank shipments where the driver may need to leave his truck periodically.  It was suggested that this concern be raised to your insecticide distributor and that having containers with tamper-resistant seals is one further way to protect against this threat.

 

SUMMARY

 

 Overall, mosquito control offices have been aware of security issues for some time, but not in the context of a bioterrorism threat.  The increased security measures being implemented now seem fully justified given the threat regardless of how small it may be.  As an industry, we need to be in a position where we can reassure the public that our operations are monitored and that they are safe and very importantly that we are following the instructions and advise, provided to us by law enforcement professionals.

 

[Much of the information used in this paper was gleaned from a “Directors’ Caucus” session at the January 2002 Florida Mosquito Control Association’s Dodd Short Courses; this paper was presented at the 2002 AMCA Annual Meeting in Denver and at the 2002 Utah Mosquito Control Association Annual Meeting in Park City.]