When a Critical Incident
Happens
by Danielle Engle
In an effort to understand
emergency management planning, this reporter met with city officials
in Hopkins and Plymouth, Minnesota. With this knowledge, individuals
with special needs may take steps to mitigate such tragic incidents
as occurred with Hurricane Katrina.
Part One of this report describes the process for managing a critical
incident beginning at the local [city] level and proceeding to the
federal [FEMA] level.
Police Lt. Dan Plekkenpol,
the support services commander for Plymouth, described Plymouth’s
emergency management plan. The plan is derived from MNWALK. This
is an acronym for the state [Minnesota] requirements for a city.
In other words, it outlines the things each city is required to
have in its emergency management plan–see
www.hsem.state.mn.us. These requirements are vital to a city in
the event that its own resources are overwhelmed.
When a critical incident occurs in a city, the first response is
at a local level. Through the use of MN-WALK, Plymouth has two source
binders. One is a step-by-step procedure guide with special appendixes
for managing critical incidents. Some examples of a critical incident
are a school shooting, area flooding, tornado, chemical spill and
a terrorist attack. Some are universal whereas others are specific
to a region. In Minnesota regional threats include tornados, blizzards
and flooding, to name a few.
Plymouth is also a member of the North Suburban Planning Group.
This group is comprised of suburban cities in the northern area of
Hennepin County. The purpose of the group is to pool resources and
labor power in the event that a member city needs assistance in managing
a critical incident. If more than one city is affected, this partnership
ensures the most timely and efficient distribution of resources to
affected cities.
If the North Suburban Planning
Group is overwhelmed by a critical incident, the next level of assistance
is Hennepin County. The emergency management director of the affected
city (ies) contacts the Homeland Security Emergency Management Division
of Hennepin County. County wide resources are brought to the aid
of affected cities. The Minnesota Homeland Security Emergency Management
Web site www.hsem.state.mn.us includes a complete listing by county
of the coordinators, assistants and directors for each planning group
within Hennepin County.
When the county’s
resources are overwhelmed, the next contact is the state duty officer.
The 24-hour Minnesota Duty Officer Program offers a single point
of contact for both public and private sector entities to request
state-level assistance www.hsem.state.mn.us.
The scope of this program includes incidents such as hazardous materials,
radiological exposure, natural disasters (tornado, flood, fire, etc.),
aircraft incidents and a host of other events where state-level assistance
is needed.
When (and only when) state
resources are overwhelmed, FEMA is contacted. At this point nationwide
resources are brought in to assist with the incident. States (as
well as counties) may also call upon other states within their region.
A region may be defined by, for example, shared threats such as blizzards
in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The purpose of Homeland Security Emergency
Management programs from the local to the national level is the most
efficient and timely distribution of resources to affected areas.
Additional resources are also available through a program called
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster www.nvoad.org.
There are also state divisions. The purpose of NVOAD is to coordinate
planning efforts by voluntary organizations. Each member organization
provides a thorough listing of the volunteer services and resources
it provides. Member organizations include American Red Cross, Catholic
Charities USA, Disaster Psychiatry Outreach, Mercy Medical Airlift,
and a host of other organizations, including some in the government
and private sector.
Lt. Plekkenpol encourages
anyone with a disability to contact their local emergency manager
to see what plans are in place. As someone with special needs,
the individual may also benefit others by volunteering to help
in the city’s emergency management planning for individuals
with special needs. Voluntary organizations that service individuals
with special needs may also benefit the greater community by becoming
a member of NVOAD at a state or national level.
It is important to remember that the first respondents in any critical
incident are, by law, local officials. In a disaster with the magnitude
of Hurricane Katrina, Lt. Plekkenpol indicated that some loss of
life is inevitable. It is important to maintain a clear perspective
of critical incident management. Individuals are encouraged to remember:
When an entire city calls 9-1-1, emergency response teams are stretched
thin and time is critical.
“There are many things people with special needs can do to
mitigate their own circumstances, to help the locals help them,” said
Lt. Plekkenpol. “Ask your emergency management director if
the city offers any brochures, pamphlets or other items to help you
prepare yourself for an emergency.” The National Organization
for Disabilities www.nod.org offers free pamphlets with instructions
for preparing emergency kits. By preparing these, individuals provide
evacuation teams and critical incident respondents a listing of assistive
technology devices, medications, companion animals and other items
critical to the person’s special needs.
In addition to the emergency management plan, Lt. Plekkenpol emphasized
the importance of working a plan before an incident occurs. By testing
a variety of critical incident scenarios, problems, needs and resource
shortages can be identified. Developing and working the plans at
a local level helps to mitigate the crises and loss of life in a
disaster situation.
Plymouth conducts table top
exercises and critical incident enactments. To date Plymouth conducted
an active shooter enactment at Armstrong and Wayzata high schools.
The exercises included 150 students at Armstrong and 350 at Wayzata.
They included role players from the police and fire departments,
ambulance service and school district. Enactment scenarios included
the triage and transportation of the injured, air care helicopter
transports, lock downs, rally points and reunification points for
students.
Cities that meet the state requirements for emergency management
planning are eligible to apply for grant money to conduct table top
exercises and critical incident enactments. Follow-up reports are
required from the participants. This is another example of problem
identification and crises mitigation in nationwide emergency management
planning.
As residents with special needs, the important questions need to
be asked first and foremost at the local (city) level of government.
Individuals may also volunteer as a stake holder for table top exercises.
Stake holders are those involved in the provision of resources or
services as well as representatives of special populations. For Access
Press readers, this is another avenue whereby individuals with disabilities
may take steps to ensure that emergency management plans include
provisions for those with special needs.
In summary, this article is not meant to mitigate the responsibility
of FEMA or any other government entity involved in recent disaster
situations such as Hurricane Katrina. Mistakes most likely occurred
at many levels. What is most important now is for each individual
to take steps to prepare for emergency situations. Each step taken
at an individual level contributes to the response time available
for emergency response teams to assist others with special needs.
The reporter extends a special thank you to Plymouth Mayor Judy
Johnson, Police Chief Michael Goldstein and Lt. Plekkenpol for assisting
with Part One of this article. A special thank you is also due for
Hopkins Police Chief Craig Reid and the seven volunteers for Long
Beach, Mississippi Project for their assistance in understanding
the importance of emergency management planning in local government.
