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.
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