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Preparing
for 'The Big One'
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Saturday practice
will prepare Logan County first responders
[SEPT. 27, 2003]
When Logan County first responders, supporting
private sector and government agencies, and community leaders meet
today in the Crisis Management Center they will be doing several
things. They will be preparing for any of a number of different
possible disasters. They will be learning to work and communicate
together. They will be preparing for “The Big One” that will come
to Logan County on May 8, 2004.
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“The big
one,” in emergency management terms, is when a disaster of such
proportion hits that every type of responding agency -- law
enforcement, fire, paramedic, health, utilities, public works and
multiple jurisdiction assistance -- is needed. State and federal
agencies will also be a part of next May's mock practice. The effort
will be much like the recent Top Off II state exercise in the Chicago area in May of this year.
Illinois Emergency Management Agency will be receiving
state and federal funding as part of U.S. Homeland Security. A
request was issued at the annual IEMA conference earlier this month
for a county to volunteer to be the first to host a large-scale
terrorism exercise. No one responded.
Logan County Emergency Disaster Service Agency
and Local Emergency Planning Committee director Dan Fulscher
said he received a letter from Gov. Rod. Blagojevich a
week later requesting Logan County to accept the challenge of being
the first county to do this exercise.
Fulscher announced his decision at last week's quarterly LEPC meeting, saying, “Because all of you have done such a great job,
if you are willing, we will be the first Illinois county to do this
exercise.” As he looked around the room he remarked that for the
first time since 1993, when LEPC began, every agency was represented.
He said that this is the kind of commitment that shows the
dedication of Logan County officials.
Fulscher
went on to say that Logan County has been asked to do this because
we are the most prepared county in Illinois. The Emergency Operation
Plan has been updated with the necessary terrorism annex, weapons of
mass destruction section, as well as having a hazardous materials
annex, hazardous material analysis with industrial chemicals
identified and businesses placarded throughout the county. And we
have a trained Terrorism Task Force. ESDA and a number of other
agencies also have mutual aid agreements and have practiced with
other counties.
[to top of second column
in this article]
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Supporting agencies such as the Lincoln City and Rural
Fire departments have plans to handle and have practiced for hazardous
material procedures.
The city police have a trained and equipped Emergency
Response Team that acts like a SWAT team prepared for hostage
situations.
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital has a hazmat plan
and decontamination unit.
The Health Department has plans including a
pharmaceutical stockpile and mass immunization locations in place.
There are a number of trained volunteer support teams
in place, such as Logan County REACT, Logan County Mounted
Search and Rescue, a radio communications team with updated equipment and
a Disaster Intelligence Team.
The Sheriff's Department has an auxiliary mounted posse.
And with today's practice Logan County will have had a
terrorism practice.
Illinois Emergency Management Agency Region 7
Coordinator Dan Smith and other state representatives will be in the
Crisis Management Center monitoring and critiquing today's practice.
Local departments and leaders will take identified weaknesses and work on
fixing them in preparation for the May exercise when the big boys will be
in town too.
A practice of this magnitude is costly and will
take lots of time and effort to prepare for. Preparations between now and
May will be intense. However, there is no better way to test emergency
plans, technology and communications, and prepare responders and leaders to
work together.
[Jan
Youngquist]
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