Operation Breathe Safe in Process at Navajo Nation Administration Building

Native News Network Staff in Native Currents. Discussion »

Operation Breathe Safe

WINDOW ROCK, ARIZONA - The Navajo Nation Incident Management team addressed the protocol for decontamination of Navajo Nation Administration Building One, also known as Operation Breathe Safe.

“We need to protect the health and safety of all employees and the general public,”

said Wilfred Keeto, Incident Commander. "We need to maintain continuity of essential services to the Navajo Nation government and partners."

Phase one of Operation Breathe Safe began on Friday.

This phase is reserved for retraction of critical and sensitive documents and essential small items like laptops. The next step will be to address the servers, and large equipment.

This team of 50 will be spend three days retrieving documents. Finance, insurance services, personnel, design & engineering, office of auditor general, office of management & budget, and division of general services each have a list of important items to be retrieved by the team. Documents were to be scanned and then destroyed.

Mark Grant, Controller for the Office of the Controller, presented updates to the Navajo Nation Budget and Finance Committee and verbalized the need for funding to assist with the costs of Operation Breathe Safe. The results of funding request will be determined at a later date.

A contractor will be hired to assess and resolve any potential structural issues. According to Julius Elwood, Safety Officer, this remediation process will take two weeks or longer.

Employees of Administration Building One were encouraged to see a physician if they feel they may have been exposed to the contamination and are advised not to enter closed perimeters due to possible exposure.

Government and public services were not interrupted during the Operation Breathe Safe.

posted September 17, 2011 6:00 am edt