Hey Kids! It's Hurricane Time Again!!

As I sit here this morning in the south eastern US, a quick look at the news tells me that trouble is on the way. A peek out the window confirms this. So, from an emergency communications standpoint, what should your concerns be during such weather events? Sure, you have response and staffing issues, but past the overall impact of severe weather on your department, how does it specifically impact communications, and what type of plan do you have to have in place to address this?

1 – What does the plan cover? Well, a variety of things, but especially concerning are the who, how, and when it can be implemented, along with the definition of what is covered.

2- Revisiting the above, it further requires definition as to who, how, and when it can be modified. Failure to deviate from a plan that is not working spells disaster, but so does freelancing and wandering down an unpaved path. How can needed deviation be accomplished? Who has the final say? How is this change effectively communicated to all team members?

3 – Communications staff. Do you have enough on duty? If you don’t, where do you get them? How do you get them? Do they need transport? The “nice” thing about hurricanes is that they usually give us some time to mobilize. I’ve managed in both in hurricane country and tornado alley, so I know the difference. The key similarity is that you better have a damned good plan. Weather takes no prisoners.

4- How do you manage the human demands of extra staff? Do you have room for all the “extra” help? How do you feed them? Where do they sleep? What happens when the toilet clogs? How do you handle the human factors? ALL of your staff – suppression – clerical – inspection – maintenance – command – communication, live actual lives. How do you address real life issues such as family safety, elder and pet care, damage to homes, etc.? They’re going to come up.

5- How is the state of readiness and survivability of your communication resources? This includes tower sites, PSAP, phone system, and all the technology that you rely upon on a normal day? If it’s broke, fix it. If you can’t fix it, identify a work aorund.

6- Who is responsible for maintenance of your critical systems? When it’s raining 2 inches an hour and main street is under water, how are they going to get to your center or remote sites? This week is just a test. There are likely bigger storms to come. Be ready!!!

7- When things get really bad, who are you going to call? Not Ghostbusters, that’s for sure! Chances are that whether you are facing a major downtown fire or MCI during sever weather, you’re largely on your own. Normal mutual aid partners are likely braving the same storm. Oh, and FEMA will be here. Sometime. In the meantime, here’s the ball. We’re gonna run because there’s no one to pass it to.

8- And by the way, your normal dispatch assets are gone. Whether that means the phones are out, the historic oak has taken out your tower, or the basement – where you hide your dispatchers – has now been designated as a pool for the Olympics, where you gonna go? Who says? How? What works/doesn’t work when you get there and how does that all play out? Hope you’ve got it written down!

9- What non-public safety agencies can help? First off, the media – both broadcast and social – can have an impact on the safety of your community and the success of your operation! Build those bridges and identify those contacts and assignments before the first drop of rain hits the ground. The PIO is your friend. You’re also going to have to deal with human needs and supplies. Even food! Where do you get them when delivery services stop delivering?

10 – Identify your priorities. What incidents come first? Do SOPs/dispatch assignments change drastically from a normal day? If so, how? When do they go back to normal? Who says?

11 – “Borrow” help for communications. Look. Working in dispatch is not for amateurs or the faint of heart. But that doesn’t mean that others can’t help. There may be non-emergent tasks and phone calls that can be handled by other municipal workers, allowing the trained telecommunications staff to concentrate on the emergency at hand. Need a less critical task or notification to be made? Let somebody else help! Bonus points if you are prepared enough to identify and train a corps of other public employees, and/or can properly outsource these tasks to your Emergency Operations Center.

12 – Write down the important stuff! Add it to your future plans. Have or participate in a post-incident debriefing and critique. Admittedly, post-incident public safety time is at a premium. Everyone is trying hard to get back to “normal,” but it is still critical to review the goods and bads while they are still fresh in your mind. Fix what’s broken. Pat yourself on the back for what worked! Because, either way, it’s only a matter of time until you’ll have to do it all again. And in hurricane season, that time can be pretty darn short.