Al Terrell, Director of Safety, Emergency Response and Physical Security, positions a large poster board of the Utilities Status that would be used in any emergency event in relation to the underground utilities known as "cousins." Chief Gerald Simons, Manager of Special Projects for the California Water Service Group looks on. The co-presenters conducted Emergency Service Training last week at the Dixon Fire Department.

DIXON, CA (MPG) - This past week, and at the invitation of California Water service Group, about 25 people from Dixon and Travis Air Force Base gathered for Emergency Operations Center training at the Dixon Fire Department. The goal for the company is to “create a pool of highly trained, qualified, and capable employees who are equipped, ready, and able to respond to operational emergencies throughout the company.” They are investing for life, they say.

The Need Shockingly Apparent

After the Sept. 11 attacks, it became tragically clear that the United States wasn’t ready for such a national emergency. In response, President George W. Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5. The HSPD–5 directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer a National Incident Management System

Instructors reported other cases showing the great need to teach preparedness across the nation. They cited the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas where 386 law enforcement responded but it took 77 minutes to go in and “kill the bad guy.” Nineteen children and two teachers died.

Another example was Maui. The person in charge had never learned emergency operations.

“There were systematic failures on all levels and a command post was never set up,” said one of the instructors about Uvalde and who happened to be in Maui for a vacation when the fires ravaged the island.

 These volunteers are watching their phones for updates on the "catastrophe" and are poised as one of nine positions in the (mock) Emergency Operation Center at the Dixon Fire Department training last week.

The Oroville Spillway, The Mendocino Complex Fire, floods and Hurricane Katrina were also cited.

A Central Operations Center can be set up and used anywhere in our state or country and is essential to saving lives.

Instructors

Using an array of PowerPoint presentations, real-life stories and examples of equipment, the two educators for the training came from a wealth of background in emergency training.

Al Terrell, Director of Safety, Emergency Response, and Physical security and retired Fire Chief from for the City of West Sacramento has nearly 32 years of combined service as a professional firefighter and over 36 years as a safety professional.

Chief Gerald Simon also served in fire service for 33 years with 16 of those as Fire Chief for Oakland, Santa Clara and Union City. They tag-team to teach elements of the preparedness cycle: plan, organize, train, exercise, evaluate and improve. The cycle is one element of a broader system to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.

Teaching Preparedness

Simon explained to the group about “Cousins” –the five utilities that are grouped together underground: Electricity, natural gas, water, sewer, and communications.

“Just like in your family, there are cousins that don’t get along,” said Terrell.

“Water and electricity, for example, gas and electrical, or water and sewer. When you have vulnerable equipment in the field, you need to replace it. You have to make sure where they are and take care of them,” he added.

“A controlled environment is the best time to train,” added Dixon Fire Chief Todd McNeal.

“It’s not a good strategic or sustainable plan to learn in the middle of an emergency or significant event.”

After lunch, tables were shifted into a giant square at the Dixon Fire Department to create an Emergency Operations Center with each table being a “command post.”

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) guides all levels of government and provides for interoperability and compatibility among all responders. Students were asked which area they felt best able to work in.

Using the National Incident Management System, which guides all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work together to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to and recover from incidents, leaders rolled out the black file cabinet kept for emergencies at most city fire, police departments, and government offices.

“It is good to see how the water company can support our group contacts and in the next emergency, how we can work together,” said Jennifer Novelli of the Solano County Office of Emergency Services.

Mock Operations

Attendees donned orange vests and were given instructions to “wear the hat that fits you” and “stay in your own lane.” The first one on the scene begins by taking a minute to assess the situation and consider “all sides of the box.” That person then calls the Supervisor and tells “what they got and what they need right now.”

In Emergency Mitigation, at first, one wears all the hats but will start giving the hats away to others.

The room began to buzz from the first ‘cue,” a wildfire in Vacaville heading toward Dixon, then a large tanker truck that seemed to be leaking a dangerous chemical. The driver was feeling sick and there was concern about the spillage going into the storm drains. Several other emergencies were eventually added.

The newly trained team went to work, and quickly demonstrated the need to “choose your hat and stay in your lane” as multi-tasking could cause confusion or duplication in other areas.

Surprisingly, each area was able to prioritize, thus making greater speed for additional assistance from specialized workers, emergency vehicles to block off the area, alerts to hospitals to a Public Information Officer disseminating “Don’t drink the water” emergency notices to physical needs like generators, bottled water, radios, etc. Each emergency required its own set of responses and supplies.

“When I put on one of those nine hats, it was nice to know what other hats do,” said Rasna Suri, who had travelled from Bakersfield to attend.

“These classes helped me think outside the box and will help me get my team more ready [for emergencies.] We’ve been doing a lot of drills, and I would love my charge nurses to take these classes. They need to know this,” said Leslee Fowler, Trauma Coordinator from North Bay Hospital.

Last year, the 2024 Operations Rapid Response Teams (ORRT) conducted 23 boot camps across California and more volunteers are needed. If you are interested, contact McGovern, Community and Government Affairs Specialist, at (209) 715- 0252 or email [email protected].

 Chief Gerald Simons, Manager of Special Projects for the California Water Service Group explains the procedures for setting up a Command Center to one of the participants. Professionals and staff from the City of Dixon, hospitals, public utilities, the media and general public were in attendance.