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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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