Peoria, Ariz. (June 19, 2007) – A power outage
across four square miles during record summer heat forces thousands to seek
shelter. Wildfires destroy half-a-dozen homes and threaten hundreds more. A
serious auto accident on Loop 101 results in an explosion and release of
hazardous chemicals. A public health emergency – including four deaths – takes
place at a Peoria assisted living facility.
Each of those crises alone would be a challenge to
handle – combine them all and that is what Peoria’s emergency response team
faced during an exercise conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA). The exercise was part of the Integrated Emergency Management Course, a
combination of classroom discussion with leaders in the field of disaster
response, and a crisis response and recovery exercise that took place over three
days. Peoria was selected from hundreds of communities who applied to
participate.
52 members of the city’s emergency response team and
19 representatives from other agencies who would respond to a crisis in Peoria
attended the weeklong course, held at the Emergency Management Institute in
Emmitsburg, Maryland. The travel, meals, lodging and training costs were all
paid for by FEMA.
The integrated nature of the exercise required the
participation of a diverse mix of professions and agencies. Representatives from
the Maricopa County Public Health Department, local hospitals (Arrowhead, Banner
Thunderbird and Boswell), Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project, American
Red Cross, Peoria Unified School District and Luke Air Force Base worked side by
side with city staff to respond to the crisis and move the city toward recovery.
“Like any successful emergency response, this
exercise was a community effort,” said City Manager Terry Ellis. “The fact that
so many organizations committed the staff for this course is unusual, and it was
highly effective. We forged some new working relationships and Peoria’s
emergency preparedness is better for it.”
The increasingly complex scenario, along with
ringing telephones, crackling radios and regular television “news updates,”
brought the pressure and pace of crisis response to life for the course
participants.
“This was a very realistic exercise that tested and
stretched our emergency operations plans and procedures,” said Susan Thorpe,
Peoria’s deputy city manager for public safety and administrative services.
Deputy Fire Chief Larry Rooney
is the city’s emergency manager who, with the support of Fire Chief Bob
McKibben, pushed for the city to participate in this course. They felt that it
was time to get an impartial look at the city’s emergency response system.
“We have put a lot of time and resources into making
sure our emergency response team is well prepared,” said Rooney. “This course
was an important outside critique that let us know we are continuing in the
right direction.”
“Overall, we learned that we have very good plans in
place and ready to go in any emergency,” added Thorpe. “More importantly, we
also identified several ways we can improve.”
According to Phil Moore, who developed and oversaw
the exercise for FEMA, Peoria’s emergency response teams excelled in a very
challenging environment.
“Peoria is certainly in the top handful of cities
that I have ever taught,” said Moore. “Their response was nearly flawless.”
Peoria Mayor Bob Barrett, who participated along
with Vice Mayor Vicki Hunt, was impressed with the knowledge and cooperation
demonstrated by the team.
“We have true professionals working for us who know
and understand their jobs and roles in emergency situations," he said. "I was
very proud of the fine performance of our employees and folks from other
agencies in the face of the series of emergencies FEMA threw at us. In each case
we met the test and, in many cases, exceeded expectations.”
About a dozen communities each year go through the
Integrated Emergency Management Course. More information is available at
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IEMC/.
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