Costa Mesa readies itself for disaster

Deirdre Newman

In a state of emergency, seconds are crucial as employees from

various city agencies join forces to establish a chain of command and

deal effectively and expediently with the crisis at hand.

On Thursday, Costa Mesa officials staged an emergency drill as

part of their continual efforts to prepare city employees to deal

with the chaos that ensues after a crisis.

The scenario: a hazardous materials spill caused when a tanker

with an unknown liquid collided with a school bus at Harbor Boulevard

and the San Diego Freeway.

The simulation enabled the participants to immerse themselves in

the heated atmosphere of a crisis situation so they will feel

confident responding when disaster strikes.

“We’re doing this to keep our heads sharp and to be able to

protect [residents],” Fire Chief Jim Ellis said.

The hazardous spill scenario diverged from the typical earthquake

drill and instead included the potential of a terrorist attack, as

the tanker was reported stolen.

Soon after the notification went out, public safety employees

converged on the city’s Emergency Operation Center and clustered

around tables representing logistics, operations, and planning and

intelligence.

One of their first priorities was deciding to lock down the

students at Costa Mesa High School and use the gym as a first-stop

evacuation center. Eventually, they had to find another evacuation

center to deal with victims who had been decontaminated. Multiple

shelters also had to be opened, providing a challenge for the city’s

recreation staff, which works with the Red Cross during emergencies.

“We have to move our shelters because of a fume cloud,” said

Stacia Mancini, recreation manager. “It teaches my staff to be

flexible.”

Every so often, the buzz of activity was silenced by someone

making an announcement about operations or logistics. A television

monitor in the room also relayed information from the field to keep

the emergency response team wired to the cleanup efforts.

The simulation maximized participation by having different

employees rotate in and out of key positions.

As the scenario unfolded, evaluators kept tabs on the emergency

response team and, after it played itself out, everyone got together

to provide feedback on how they thought it went and what could be

improved next time.