By Vicki Sheppard
Incidents
Florida residents will not soon forget the 2004 hurricane season as four hurricanes left widespread devastation in their wake. After nine months of specialized training in command operations, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue put its command team, and department, to the ultimate test during two major hurricanes: Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne.
Command Preparedness
Utilizing the Incident Management System (IMS), the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Area Command Team comprises the incident commander and all general and staff positions with at least one assistant per position. The command post is equipped with sufficient computers, communications, maps, and large tracking forms to efficiently organize numerous incidents. To develop the Command Team’s skills, District Chief Tom Phillips, an adjunct instructor for the National Fire Academy, taught introduction to command and general staff courses. Following each lecture, team members demonstrated their skills through practical applications including tabletop and computer-generated scenarios.
As each hurricane approached, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue activated the Area Command Team. It developed an incident action plan for each 12-hour operational period and all operations personnel initiated ICS Form 214 (unit logs) during each operational period.
Actions
Two hurricanes, following almost identical paths dumped large amounts of rain and yielded 100-mph wind gusts. Numerous flat roofs, common in Florida, were unable to handle the heavy rainfall resulting in frequent calls for partial and complete roof collapses. After hours of constant rain, a nursing home suffered a roof collapse requiring the immediate evacuation of 96 patients. In addition the roof to the Special Care Unit was jeopardized. During adverse weather conditions, Special Operations crews pumped excessive rainwater off the roof, thereby preventing the need to evacuate an additional 521 patients.
Officials modified the dispatch protocol based on storm conditions, eliminating non-emergency calls and dispatching units to life threatening calls when conditions were safe. Communicators tracked the backlog of nonemergency calls for later response. For emergency responders and dispatchers, the process of not responding to calls was a difficult decision to accept but necessary for personnel safety.
Lessons Learned and Reinforced
- The command team had the opportunity to apply the concepts of incident command in a practical setting. A team can only be effective when members understand and follow through on their specific duties.
- Anticipate that emergency responses will have to be terminated when local conditions deteriorate to an unsafe level, and be resumed when conditions later improve.
- Departments must be fully prepared to logistically support the fire stations and firefighters. Waiting until after the storm to request generators and other supplies is too late as departments are then competing with numerous other essential services for the same equipment. Departments must purchase the equipment and distribute before the storm.
- Clerical personnel assisted in the compiling paperwork, a critical documentation link for FEMA reimbursement. All hours worked, regular and overtime, must be thoroughly documented. Items from damage to personal vehicles to loss of roofing structures need photograph documentation to generate loss estimates, and emergency repairs must be completed in a timely, accurate, and efficacious manner.
- Support the efforts of volunteers and union leadership to meet the necessary needs of their personnel. Fire stations became the critical link in storing and distributing personal supplies to those in need.
Every member of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment when faced with extraordinary conditions of two major hurricanes. The experience clearly demonstrated that training and preparation are indispensable in bringing such incidents to successful conclusions.
Battalion Chief Vicki Sheppard is a 24-year veteran with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. As the Battalion Chief for the Training and Safety Division, she works with a team of 12 personnel to provide the necessary development and delivery of training to the department’s 1,000 career firefighters each month. Sheppard is the President of the Training Officers of the Palm Beaches, member of the Fire Chiefs of the Palm Beaches and Florida Fire Chiefs Associations, and is a member of the Live Fire Curriculum Development Committee for the Florida Bureau of Fire Standards.