Massachusetts Health Officer’s Association 2015 Emergency Planning & Preparedness Nicholas Child Emergency Planning Officer.

Massachusetts Health Officer’s Association

2015

Emergency Planning & Preparedness

Nicholas Child

Emergency Planning Officer

23

4

Handouts

• FEMA Emergency Management Definition

• FEMA National Preparedness Goals

• Massachusetts Emergency Support Functions

• Incident Command Training Levels

• Massachusetts EO 469

MassDEP Incident Priorities

#1 – Life Safety(Responders & general public)

#2 – Critical Infrastructure(Public water, wastewater, access/debris)

#3 – Environment(Oil & Hazmat control, containment,

cleanup)

#4 – Property

Emphasis on “flexibility”

The “Big Picture”

Planning – “Its likely to come”– National best practices (Katrina, Sandy, etc.)

– Seminars, exercises, drills, etc.

– Event learning (After Action Reviews)• Merrimack River flooding• Blackstone / Mumford River flooding• Nashua River flooding• Connecticut River flooding• Deerfield/ Green River flooding• Taunton dam • Tornado in Western & Central Massachusetts• Ice Storm• Snowstorm Juno+ 2015

– Connecting to our local, state, federal and private sector partners

The “100 year storm”

• Scientists from MIT and Princeton University utilized hurricane simulators to determine with what frequency powerful storms could lead to flooding under a variety of climate model projections, and what they found makes all previous usage of the term 'storm of the century' mere hyperbole.

• According to researchers, climate change's effects on weather systems might mean storms like Hurricane Irene, once considered rare, occur every 3 to 20 years.

Emerging Physical Issues

• Mass Weather Experts– The hundred year storms are coming more frequently

– The Jet Stream has shifted due to polar ice melt.

– Storms are warmer, wetter, and slower to clear out.

– Traditional wet March now wet January to June.

– No time for soil (the sponge) to dry out.

– Current storm water designed on 1961 NOAA model and under-designed for today’s weather.

– Landslides are possible with wet soils an back-to-back-to-back rain events.

Emerging Physical Issues

“Other” cumulative sources• Heating oil tanks

• Vehicles / vessels

• Household items

• Unregistered storage

Emerging Chemical Issues• Ethanol

– Transport through state by rail, road, and barge.– 2007 MassDEP Large Volume Ethanol– MassDFS training to responders– Fire fighting foam statewide resources– 2015 MEMA statewide response strategy

• Crude Oil– Transport through state by rail.– 2015 MassDEP Crude Oil Planning, Preparedness,

Response, & Recovery

• Nano Technology– Limited transport through state by road.– Still assessing the risk

Preparedness – “Its coming”– Pre-staging areas

– Prolonged operation staffing

– Communication plan checks

– Municipal check-ins

– Key business check-ins

– Contractor readiness checks

– Responder logistics / needs

Massachusetts State Emergency Operations Center

Emergency Support Functions

ESF 1 - Transportation

ESF 2 - Communications

ESF 3 - Public Works

ESF 4 - Fire Fighting

ESF 5 - Emergency Management

ESF 6 - Mass Care

ESF 7 - Resource Support

ESF 8 - Health & Medical

ESF 9 - Search & Rescue

ESF 10 - Hazardous Material & Environment

ESF 11 - Food & Water

ESF 12 - Energy

ESF 13 - Military Support

ESF 14 - Public Information

ESF 15 - Volunteers & Donations

ESF 16 - Law Enforcement

ESF 17 - Animal Protection

ESF 18 - Business Recovery

Response – “Its here”– Maintaining regular operations

– EOC representative(s)

– Common Operating Picture

– Damage assessment / triage

– Forward Operations base(s)

– OHM response teams

– Municipal support teams

– Debris / waste staging

– Rogue container recovery

Situational Awareness

1-888-304-1133• Local direct notifications (FD, BOH, EM, citizens, etc.)

• MEMA notifications

• Monitoring emergency information services – HHAN, HSIN, HOC, etc.

• News outlets

• Outreach to municipal drinking water systems

• Outreach to municipal waste water systems

• Area preliminary damage assessment teams

Concept of Operation

Local Emergency

Operations Center

Unified Command

Local Incident

Command

State Emergency

Operations Center

Federal Emergency

Operations Center

Local Assets

State Assets

Federal Assets

Initial Damage Assessments– Operate within Incident Command Structure

– All-Hazard view to any critical issues

– Does the OHM threaten life safety or response actions?

– Assessment Team – Mixed skill sets• Locate, landmark, identify, and relay.

– Response Team – Mixed skill sets• Control vs. Contain - Quick grab and done?

– Obvious ownership?

– “Unexpected discoveries”

– Documentation

Response Staging Area(s)• Accountability, coordination & documentation

• Secure storage– Equipment, PPE, drums, over packs– booms, pads, support stuff, etc.

• Refueling area– Tanker gasoline & diesel (containment)

• Rehab– First aid, porta-potties, wash stations– Food, drink, shade, warmth, & rest

• Frac tank & waste staging area• Security

Post Storm Waste Streams• Vegetative debris / waste

• Municipal waste

• Construction & Demo waste

• Food waste / white goods waste

• Oil / Hazmat contaminated MSW and C&D waste

• Remedial waste– Booms, pads, etc.– Water (treat and discharge?)– Sediment / soils

• Oil / Hazmat “orphan” containers

Recovery – Getting back to normal

Back to Planning

• Municipal assistance teams

• Hazards removed

• Clean drinking water restored

• Working sewers

• Electricity and Heat back on (gas, electric, oil)

• Citizens back in their homes

• Debris is gone

• Responders repacked for the next one

Challenges• Maintaining the regular mission

• Rotating staff

• Field refueling & idling

• Water treat and discharge

• Solid waste facility daily capacity expansion

• Open burning

• Fiscal coordination / fiscal staff support

• Union contract issues

• Qualified staff reserve corp.

• Staff support issues

MassDEP • Ebola concerns 2014

– Value in all players meeting face to face– Extent of concerns (EMS, FF, PD, DPW, WWTP,…)– Supply inventory – Disposal options

• Snow issues 2015– Multiple transportation accidents– Snow open water disposal requests

• 29 Muni, 8 Public entities, 7 state/feds, 14 private property

– Drinking and wastewater issues– Need to preplan out snow disposal areas

Where do we go from here?• Assess your hazards

• Identify your strengths & weaknesses– Policy, Operations, Equipment, Training, Exercise

• Develop the plans– Pre Disaster Mitigation Plans (PDMP)– Continuity Of Operations Plans (COOP)– Comprehensive Emergency Management Plans (CEMP)

• Test the plans– Annual exercises (Discussion to Full Scale)– Exercise After Action Reviews / Improvement Plans

• Learn from actual events– Incident After Action Reviews / Improvement Plans

Thank You

Nicholas Child

1 Winter Street,

Boston MA 02108

(617) 574-6847

[email protected]