Achieving Greater Success in Emergency Management by Preparing & Planning with Public Works

A very bad day

Public Works – What are their responsibilities?  Streets & highways  Water production & supply  Water reclamation  Storm water collection  Sanitary sewers/Collection system  Forestry  Public building maintenance  Electrical power  Gas supply  Communication systems  Solid waste collection  Engineering services  Building inspection & code enforcement  Transportation system operations (airports, port authorities, etc.)  Fleet maintenance

Typical local risks Floods Tornadoes Winter Storms (snow/ice) Earthquakes Hurricanes Wildfires Infrastructure collapse Explosions Terrorist Events

Sewer break example

The role of Public Works in disaster response:  Secure clear access for emergency responders  Restoration of lifeline services – water, sewer, electric  Debris collection, removal, and disposal  Demolition of unsafe structures  Provide assistance to fire/rescue in search, rescue, and recovery  Protect environment – streams, lakes, and wetlands  Flood control  Coordination of utility work (natural gas, telephone, etc.)

Challenges that Public Works Departments face:  Limited disaster operations training for staff  Radio communication inoperability  Lack of statewide mutual aid agreements  Lack of disaster related exercises

Business Continuity:  Task of identifying, developing, documenting, and testing procedures and resources that will ensure continuity of a firm’s key operations in the event of disaster, emergency or threat.

Two types of events:  Big Deal (Hurricane Katrina, Northridge earthquake)  Little Deal (community to community aid request)

Monitoring & Making Notifications In your community:  How & when is Public Works notified of approaching severe weather or other threats? Who specifically is contacted and how?  At what point would notifications be made to recall Public Works staff ? Who specifically is responsible for this task?  Has there been any effort to ensure that Public Works employees understand their importance and requirements for reporting?  Are there any written procedures to identify what notifications should be made? (internal communications or other agencies)  How does Public Works communicate with other agencies that would be active in an emergency (EOC, Fire, Police, etc.)  Does Public Works have access to radios or phones? Are they ready to be deployed? Is there back-up equipment?

Damage Assessment & Setting Priorities In your community:  After an incident occurs – what would be considered priorities? (water, sewer collections, waste water treatment, roads, utilities, debris collection, etc.)  Has Public Works been involved in your disaster planning and/or training?  In your community, how is damage from an incident assessed? Who would do it? Does Public Works have a role-are they part of the plan? Do they know what level of involvement is expected of them? What type of training do these individuals have?

Requesting Assistance & Receiving Aid In your community:  After an incident, when Public Works is overwhelmed, at what point is assistance requested?  Where do you seek assistance when your PW Department is overwhelmed? (private contractors, neighboring agencies, mutual aid contacts, etc.)  How would contact be made to request help? What is the procedure? How do you ensure that contact information is available to those that need to access it?  Once contacted, how would agencies know where to report? If multiple agencies are being called upon, how will the group that arrives to help be organized?  Once help arrives, what is the plan to deploy them to the scene and communicate with them?

Assigning Tasks & Getting Work Completed In your community:  Who determines where resources will report and stage?  How are assignments given out?  How do you ensure that the right equipment and qualified personnel are sent to complete a job?  How do responding crews get supplied/re-supplied? How would needed repairs be made?  What are the considerations for working with private contractors? How would purchases be handled in an emergency situation, is there established pricing and/or agreements before the disaster strikes?

Personnel Rehab and Recovery  What consideration do you give to responders personal needs? (food and beverage, rest periods, sleep/hotel, etc. )  Who would coordinate personal needs for responders?  Who would pay for responder’s expenses? How would it be handled?  What else would be needed if long-term support was required?  What would be needed in the way of equipment support? (vehicle maintenance, spare tires, parts, labor, refueling, towing, etc.) In your community:

Public Works Resource Staging and Deployment Drills

Help is on the way… Now what??

Deployment kit Radios Map books Forms Office Supplies Signage ID badges

Pre-designated staging areas schools and large park

Resource check-in and staging

Credentialing

Map books for Mutual Aid Resources Task Force Team Leaders

Task Forces Assembled

Dispatching resources Tracking ‘Task Forces’

Involving other agencies

Evaluation & Enhancement of Plan After-Action Reporting

Long Term Plan Considerations  Shelter – with restrooms, showers, meeting area, sleeping area, break area, phone service, parking area (personal cars)  Food Service – meals, water, snacks, drinks  Personal Needs – towels, bedding, personal care items  Fleet management – fuel, diesel fuel, spare parts, tires, mechanics

Questions? David Geary, CEM Director Village of Wauconda Public Works Department 302 Slocum Lake Road Wauconda, Illinois