August is Antiterrorism Awareness Month, and William Beaumont Army Medical Center reminded hospital staff to be alert and observant. Soldiers, civilian staff, and their families must be aware of potential dangers, and be able to recognize prospective terrorist operations, and report suspicious behavior.
The goal of Antiterrorism Awareness Month is to enlighten the service member and civilian populations about the dangers of violent extremism and how to avoid terrorist activities.
There are four essential components of antiterrorism awareness: identifying and reporting suspicious behavior, being current on yearly training, combating the insider threat, and being aware of the possible risks posed by social media. These elements constitute the iWATCH program ("if you see anything, say something") and the iSALUTE program for counterintelligence reporting.
As a result of terrorist threats, the effectiveness of an antiterrorism campaign is highly dependent on individual participation and the person's preparedness to recognize and report suspicious conduct that may be indicative of terrorist activity.
Over the years, the WBAMC Antiterrorism team and Physical Security along with the Provost Marshal Teams have set up force protection measures and emergency protocols to help keep our service members, civilians, and staff safe.
These coded messages are announced over the hospital's public address system to let staff know about different kinds of emergencies, should they occur. The purpose of using codes is to get vital information to staff quickly and with as little confusion as possible while keeping hospital staff and patients from being stressed out or panicking. These codes are sometimes written on posters around the hospital or on employee ID badges, making them easy to find.
“Code white and code black, which I hope WBAMC never has to deal with, are the codes that pertain most to antiterrorism. However, given the current state of violence in the United States, we must train our staff and guards to handle both situations in order to ensure the safety of our patients, veterans, and employees. As part of my weekly supervisor check, I certify that the bomb threat cards are displayed on all telephones. Whenever there is a threat, you should always try to stay calm,” said Cotis Shepherd, Supervisory Security Guard Chief of Guards at WBMAC.
Throughout the month, WBAMC Antiterrorism team will promote Antiterrorism Awareness by disseminating information to enhance awareness and identify opportunities to increase vigilance inside WBAMC, among service members and civilians, and in our communities.
Remember that everyone is responsible for security. By seeing something and saying something
To report suspicious activity, please call hospital’s security officers or WBAMC Security at (915) 742-0931/ 0932.
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