Supporting Emergency Operations RECENT LESSONS TO SHARE Robert S. McCord, County Attorney Harford County

One Scenario to Rule Them All Major Weather Event (Hurricane/Snowstorm) Pre-notification of Event Establish Shelters Staff Shelters Provide for pet care options Provide for safety of visitors Notify the public that shelters are available Information phone lines answered by volunteers Consider transportation for special needs populations 2

Citizen Needs Assistance One Phone Call that covered all the bases Disabled Wheelchair of non-standard size Medications needing refrigeration Nebulizer needing electricity Service animals Lost Power Cell Phone battery dying Weapons

The Questions Who is answering the phone? Who is calling? Regular EOC employee Volunteer Who is calling? Citizen with medical emergency Citizen seeking information Citizen seeking evacuation assistance Who will be responding? County employee/volunteer Resources needed/weather permitting Who will be monitoring effectiveness of response? Will call be recorded as cleared/action completed Lessons learned/shared in real time 4

“This is the County Information Line, how can I help you?” Who is taking the call? Are you using volunteers? Are they volunteering for work that they would normally be paid to do? How are they being compensated? Do they have the correct information to relay? How often are they updated? What is the protocol for transferring true emergency calls? Are they giving specific advice/recommendations? 5

Public Sector Volunteers General Rule: Public sector employees may volunteer to do different work in the jurisdiction in which they are employed or similar work in another jurisdiction. They will most likely be earning compensatory time for their service if it is similar work. There are special rules for law enforcement and firefighters. Check with HR and with the DOL guidelines. 6

Welcome one and all The people who come to shelters may not be the same people you would invite to your home. The safety of all who seek the Shelter must be a priority. Check weapons at the door. Post the policy concerning mandatory search prior to entering the facility. No weapons, alcohol or illegal drugs. Check animals in with Humane Society volunteers. They may be cared for at a separate location The people who come to shelters may not be able to make their way around your home. ADA requires that people with disabilities have equal access to shelters and the benefits they provide. Consider providing for service animals. 7

It is not the Hyatt Remind citizens to bring their toiletries, medications, important information. Consider ways to occupy children. For people with special needs: Consider less public places, Something more than standard cots, Dietary considerations.

Getting to the Shelter Develop an Alternate Transportation Plan for those people who are mobility impaired. Will there be a qualified driver available to operate a bus with a wheelchair lift? Will the citizen’s wheel chair fit on the lift? Are there alternate wheelchairs available? Will there be a way to deliver the alternate wheelchair? Will there be someone available for transferring the citizen to the wheelchair and to the bus as well as from the bus to the shelter? Will there be some one to assist with service animals? Is there a shelter location that will provide the assistance with the least disruption to the other shelter guests? Is there a plan for returning the citizen when the shelter is no longer needed? 9

Other Considerations Declaration of Emergency Mutual Aid Issued and other branches informed. Copies to Emergency Manager and diary extensions. Mutual Aid Requests made through Compact or Agreement. Track requests and responses and location of assets. Continuity of Operations Remind Departments of COOP Plans. Mission Critical items include Payroll. Track Expenses FEMA reimbursement rules are detailed. Record keeping for expenses should also be detailed. 10

Resources FLSA Volunteer Rules http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/pub licvol.asp ADA Emergency Shelter Guidelines http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/toolkitmain.h tm http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/chap7shelter prog.htm http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/chap7emerge ncymgmtadd1.htm 11

DOL Regulations Public Sector Volunteers Public sector employees may volunteer to do different kinds of work in the jurisdiction in which they are employed, or volunteer to do similar work in different jurisdictions. For example, police officers can volunteer different work (non-law enforcement related) in city parks and schools, or can volunteer to perform law enforcement for a different jurisdiction than where they are employed The Department of Labor's Regulations 29 C.F.R. §553.103, define "same type of services" to mean similar or identical services. In general, DOL would consider the duties and other factors contained in the definitions of occupations in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles in determining whether the volunteer activities constitute the "same type of services" as the employment activities. Equally important is whether the volunteer service is closely related to the actual duties performed by or responsibilities assigned to the employee who "volunteers." 12