Attending
Glen Berkowitz, Christopher Brayton, Michael Kozu, Joan Geisbert (Associate Director, NEIDL), Ara Tahmassaian (Associate Vice President, Research Compliance-BU), Thomas Robbins (Chief of Police-BU) Kevin Tuohey (Executive Director, Research Compliance-BU), Carla Richards (Director, Community Relations-BUMC)
Regulatory Affairs
Tahmassian gave an update on the Blue Ribbon Panel and noted that the NIH has signed a contract with Tetra Tech to do the additional risk assessment of the NEIDL. Tetra Tech has both BSL-3 and BSL-4 experience in this area. It is anticipated that Tetra Tech will flesh out details for the assessment over the next thirty days. If that is the case, a draft of the risk assessment could be available by late summer. Further discussion took place on the timeline for the completion of the risk assessment including the anticipated dates for public comment. Tahmassian noted that a more concrete date for completion of the work is likely after Tetra Tech further details plans for the work over the next thirty days. Tetra Tech’s risk analysis team will be in Boston next week to meeting with first responders and BU’s emergency response team.
Discussion was held on additional regulatory processes that need to be completed. Tahmassian noted that adjustments will be made to incorporate findings from the risk assessment and that report would then be resubmitted to the MEPA office. Here again, an absolute date by which this will occur is not set; at the earliest, this may take place by this time next year.
Operations
Tuohey gave an update on the Certificate of Occupancy and noted that the Certificate of Occupancy has not been received as yet. This may likely impact the proposed timeline for training of simulation exercises which were scheduled to begin in February 2009. Berkowitz asked for more information on how much time was needed to complete the training exercises and Tahmassian stated that it would likely take 4-5 months for researchers to conduct the experiments and then retest the experiments. Additional time is then needed to conduct the simulations with the BU emergency response team and the City’s first responders. Geisbert added that as layers of people are added, Standard Operating Procedures may need to be adjusted.
In the area of public safety, Robbins noted that he has recruited someone whose sole job is to determine an individual’s suitability for employment at the NEIDL, including criminal background, drug usage and psychological and financial profiles. Kozu asked about background checks for police officers and communications systems across first responders and the BU Team. Robbins stated that the NEIDL will have special and dedicated state police officers whose sole job will be to guard the facility. In addition, the BU emergency response team is able to communicate with the City’s first responders through WebEOC.
Berkowitz asked for more information on the total number of researchers and security personnel that will need background checks and wondered how the background checks would prevent a situation similar to Dr. Ivins who the FBI reports was behind the Anthrax attacks. Tahmassian noted that 25 dedicated security officers and about 600 full time employees will be screened. Tahmassian added that while nothing is guaranteed, systems built into the design of the NEIDL, including the 2-person rule, iris scanners, close inventory of materials that flag things like an increase in the amount of contaminated waste and ongoing checks and attention to changes in individual behavior, guard against a similar situation occurring at the NEIDL.
Kozu asked how potential recruits have reacted to the layers involved in the background check and Tahmassian stated that it has sometimes been challenging because the level of scrutiny can sometimes feel like a violation of privacy to some. To date, at least one candidate has chosen to withdraw from the recruitment process.
11:00 a.m. Meeting adjourned
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