Storm`s Severity Taxes Communications Capabilities
LeROY GUNZELMAN III
Somerset County began preparing for Hurricane Floyd several days before the storm was predicted to affect the area. Weather bulletins advising of the potential damage Hurricane Floyd could cause were sent to all 21 municipalities through the county`s alerting system. Each municipality activated its alerting system, advising residents to prepare for flooding conditions.
Twelve inches of rain fell over the county in a short period of time, causing severe flooding to some towns along the Raritan and Millstone Rivers. Bound Brook`s business area was completely destroyed, and Manville suffered heavy residential damage. The Somerset County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was opened at 11 a.m. on September 16. By late afternoon, 23 agencies were represented in the EOC.
Storm-related communications failures hampered EMS operations throughout the state. The Somerset County OEM coordinator, in conjunction with the township of Bound Brook, declared a state of emergency, activating the New Jersey State First Aid Council (NJSFC) State Wide Mobilization Plan. From the storm`s arrival through the 11 days that followed, more than 125 EMS organizations from throughout the state responded to calls for assistance. The Bound Brook Rescue Squad, which was under water–as was about one-third of the town–called for aid from the 5th District Mobilization Committee in Somerset County. Personnel, ambulances, and equipment from the surrounding areas arrived while the rain was still falling.
FIRE MUTUAL AID
Despite serious storm-related problems experienced by virtually every county in the region, many fire coordinators from other counties assisted Somerset County Fire Mutual Aid Coordinator Doug Rue to arrange for mutual-aid assistance into the county. Some 23 fire departments from six counties, including the Fire Department of New York, took part in the initial flood/fire emergency operations in Bound Brook. Another 30 companies provided standby fire suppression services alongside the Bound Brook Fire Department around the clock for eight days after the flood waters receded.
PRIMARY COMMUNICATIONS PROBLEMS
Somerset County has only two primary fire frequencies–one high-band and one low-band. This is the main radio for 54 fire companies.
Each fire company has its own second frequency for on-scene communications. Most fire companies don`t have the capability to talk on other fire companies` second frequencies. This causes a coordination problem with mutual aid as well as congestion on the primary fire frequencies.
During the storm, local dispatch agencies were overwhelmed with phone calls, causing an overflow problem at the County Communications Center. Local agencies were doing their own dispatching of resources and were not keeping the County Fire Coordinator informed.
LESSONS LEARNED AND REINFORCED
Additional staffing was necessary at the state-of-the-art Somerset County 911 Communications Center. Eight telecommunicators were on each shift, representing an additional four people per shift to handle the volume of calls.
Additional ground frequencies are needed so that the County Communications Center can move major operations to other frequencies for coordination.
All requests for resources must go through the County Emergency Operations Center so that equipment can be tracked more efficiently.
More portable/cellular phone service is needed at the command post(s).
County-level meetings with fire and EMS agencies must be held to review communications and determine how they can be improved for the future.
LeROY GUNZELMAN III is director of communications, 911 coordinator, hazardous materials director, and Office of Emergency Management coordinator for Somerset County, New Jersey, and a 39-year veteran of the Somerville Fire Department, having served as chief for nine years. He is also the director of the Somerset County Fire Academy and a certified haz mat technician, an amateur radio operator, and an extrication instructor.
