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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/06/1999 Adjourned Meeting 14 CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON JULY 6, 1999 ADJOURNED MEETING The City Council met in session on this date at 7:30 a.m., in the 2nd Floor Training Room, at the Police Station /Legal Center, 200 South 3rd Street, Yakima, Washington. Mayor John Puccinelli, presiding, Council. Members Clarence Barnett, Henry Beauchamp, Lynn Buchanan, John Klingele, Mary Place, and Bernard Sims present. City Manager Zais, Al Gillespie, Fire Chief; Don Blesio, Chief of Police; Rick Pettyjohn, Information Systems Manager; Marketa George Oliver, Administrative Assistant to the City Manager; and Deputy City Clerk Skovald were also present. PRESENTATION FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT REGARDING THE INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM Mayor Puccinelli opened the meeting and invited staff to begin the presentation. Al Gillespie, Fire Chief, provided some background information about the Incident Command System (ICS) and how it applies to the of Yakima. The Incident Command System is used on most incidents beyond the normal fire and police response, i.e., earthquake, HAZMAT, etc. City Manager Zais explained the emergency briefing held approximately nine months before the Mount St. Helen's eruption occurred, is an example of what procedure the ICS would replace. Chief Gillespie introduced Richard Andring, Battalion Chief, who passed out copies of additional information. Council Member Beauchamp referred to the incident at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, as an example of Incident Command System procedures in use. Chief Gillespie noted that a combined unified command team was used. Council Member Barnett asked why not establish the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and then enhance it as required by the gravity of the situation instead of establishing an interim policy. Chief Gillespie explained that resolutions necessary to operate during crisis situations or a disaster should be considered prior to an incident so a policy does not have to,be established during the incident. They are currently working on those resolutions. For smaller incidents, functions can be expanded to encompass the whole county. EOC will be activated when the incident grows to a certain level of emergency. Organized elements include the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), and titles and position names for interaction continuity within and between the City and other agencies. Also included is a written incident action plan for situations requiring the involvement of executive members. 15 JULY 6, 1999 ADJOURNED MEETING Council Member Buchanan asked what is an executive. Chief Gillespie explained that would include members of the City Council and City Administration personnel such as Dick Zais and Glenn Rice. The EOP also includes instructions and control procedures for certain incidents and explains how to interface with the whole organization. Development Policies The process of developing the Emergency Operations Plan, such as the Y2K oversight situation, is timely. The existing plan needs to be updated to eliminate a lot of minutia and streamlined to take out the tactical issues. The updated plan will be more user - friendly by including guidelines and informational listings. One important task of the executive members during a major incident is to make sure that the incident commanders are doing their job. Mayor Puccinelli asked who is in charge if it is a County problem, i.e., Y2K where there is a power outage. How will Mutual Aid issues be handled, and who is in charge within the County to oversee operations that supercede the authority of the Mayor. Chief Gillespie noted that each individual community would have their command group from the local Emergency Operations Center. We would have an opportunity to decline and not send our resources out. He provided an example of a fire incident in'the local area to illustrate when a problem exists or when the potential for a problem is so great that the City cannot send any resources. The City of Yakima has a representative who sits on the Unified Command. If the incident were inside the city, then the Council would have authority; if the incident were within the County, then the Commissioners would have authority. Council Member Beauchamp directed attention to policies and issues in the event of a critical emergency that is beyond the scope of City authority and asked if there would be some pre - guidance in such an emergency situation. Chief Gillespie noted that joint training sessions would begin shortly and continue throughout this year. There will be a plan in place and training exercises to address emergency situations before a real - incident occurs. Considerable discussion followed concerning emergency response policies and issues and the ability to quickly analyze an emergency situation and the ability to delegate the power to implement an emergency plan of action. I/ Using the blackboard, Chief Gillespie clarified who would be part of the City's team. Establishing an Emergency Operations Center is the next step . in the process. He also pointed out that the City's Emergency Operation Center's procedures would be used during an'extreme situation that could expand to other areas of the county. The County's Emergency Operation Center is in the process of being improved and updated. Council Member Beauchamp noted that a Communications Systems Expert should be identified who has emergency incident abilities to monitor 2 16 JULY 6, 1999 ADJOURNED MEETING critical communication systems as part of the City's emergency preparedness effort. Chief Gillespie emphasized that it needs to be someone who will be responsible to make sure that communications flow and work well. This is one reason why a joint training session is necessary and a plan is needed. Chief Blesio pointed out that individuals who have been trained for these situations are leaving, and a guideline and a training program is needed for new employees. Chief Gillespie said we need to be able to fall back on our system if the infrastructure is overwhelmed and the response capability is limited. Council Member Klingele noted that the people in Yakima have never had an evacuation practice plan. Council Member Sims asked what primary source of communications would be utilized, such as cell phones or telephone lines. Chief Gillespie noted that those technical procedures already exist and are separate from the Emergency Operations Plan. Chief Blesio said it is a necessity for the different departments within the City to know the operations of other departments. That will be attempted so the operation of each department is understood to effectively work as a There was continued discussion about the necessity of the Emergency Operations Plan to include policies that are flexible for situations where someone with the ability, authority, and common sense could adjust existing procedure if need be. It has to be trained into the individuals so they can react quickly and effectively. The operation plan has to be able to act. Chief Gillespie listed the five major management activities within the structure of the Incident Command System (ICS) and explained the relevance of each section. Those organizational elements include Incident Command (IC), Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Financial Administration. To avoid confusion and misunderstandings during an emergency incident, the Incident Commander has responsibility for overall management of an incident and must be fully qualified to do that. An Incident Action Plan (IAP) is required for all incidents; it can be oral or written. Large incidents, multi - agency incidents, or long duration incidents require a written IAP. Chief Gillespie then differentiated the Command Staff and the General Staff. The Command staff is under the Incident Commander and includes the Information Officer, the Safety Officer, and the Liaison Officer. The Command Staff coordinates activities, communications, fiscal responsibilities, and operational needs for the incident. The General Staff includes the Section Chiefs from Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance /Administration. The most important priority is safety of citizens and recovery of the community, with fiscal activities being less of a priority during the emergency incident, and is dealt with after the incident is over. 3 17 JULY 6, 1999 ADJOURNED MEETING Unified Command, Area Command, and Unified Area Command During a multi - agency incident, the Unified Command process is used to establish a common set of objectives and strategies without losing agency authority, responsibility, or accountability. Agencies work together through their designated Incident Commander. Chief Gillespie reported that a location needs to be identified for both a primary and secondary Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Those facilities should have several phone lines, computer terminals, mapping capacities, GIS access, equipment lists, etc. As future permanent locations are explored for the primary and secondary EOC, a temporary location needs to be established. Area Command is established to provide command authority and coordination when two or more incidents in close proximity occur. Area Command works with the Incident Commanders. Area Command becomes Unified Area Command when incidents are multi - jurisdictional. An Emergency Operations Center is a facility to coordinate the overall response and support to an emergency. Chief Gillespie noted that training is essential for a much smoother operation. The City already has the capability to respond to emergency incidents, but the Incident Command System will improve the current plan. • There will be training in the Emergency Operations Plan and Emergency Operations Center training sessions will be scheduled for the Mayor and Assistant Mayor with other Council members welcome to attend if they so desire. Y2K STATUS REPORT City Manager Zais requested a Y2K status report, and Rick Pettyjohn, Information Systems Manager, brought the Council up to date on the plan to take care of city facilities in case severe weather and a Y2K shutdown occurs. A report will be presented at the Public Safety Committee meeting for the Third Quarter. The Wastewater Treatment Plant is updating its system. We were on schedule until last week when it was discovered that the operations utility license to facilitate the Job Control system in the PRIME expires January 1, 2000. The license for the software will have to be replaced but the company is out of business. Council Member Barnett requested that the booklet outlining all the operations of the city should be provided a few months before the end of the year. Mr. Pettyjohn noted that they would provide one at the end of the Third Quarter. 4