LOCAL NEWS
Friday, October 14, 2005
Panel holds
annual review of CSEPP program
By Hal McCune
of the East Oregonian
HERMISTON — After a four-hour
review of the CSEPP program, Echo Mayor Richard Winter seemed to sum up the
feeling of many in the room: “This community is one of the better prepared
communities in the country,” thanks to Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness
Program.
He’s one of 20 members of the Executive Review Panel, which is charged with
reporting annually to the governor on the status of CSEPP. It includes representatives
of the towns near the Umatilla Chemical Depot, the counties and emergency
response agencies.
After a positive review of the annual CSEPP exercise held in May and updates
on progress regarding communication capabilities and evacuation infrastructure,
the panel agreed on the summary statement for its report to Gov. Kulongoski:
“Emergency response capabilities have improved measurably, and, notwithstanding
some uncertainties involving program governance, the Umatilla CSEPP community
remains adequately prepared in the unlikely event of an accident at the Umatilla
Army Chemical Depot.”
Craig Campbell of the governor’s office told the group that watching other
parts of the nation deal with natural disasters has reminded Oregonians that
“it could happen here.”
But he said that thanks to the example of CSEPP, “at least Oregon has a place
to look to see what it takes to be prepared.”
Don Cobb of Innovative Emergency Management, which has helped CSEPP plan
and evaluate its annual exercises, said local agencies performed well in
the May 10 exercise.
The American Red Cross participated in an unprecedented degree, setting up
six shelters with more than 100 volunteers. First responders were able to
balance the demands of the exercise with the “real-world responsibilities”
of 9-1-1 calls. And the incident command center at the Hermiston Safety Center
gave “a strong performance.”
For the second year in a row, the exercise passed all but one of the performance
measures. It failed in the “protection of emergency workers” category because
a required safety briefing wasn’t conducted and one first responder failed
to wear all the correct protective equipment.
Cobb said the deficiencies have been addressed and he doesn’t expect a repeat
next year.
CSEPP first held an annual exercise in 2001. It was designed to test the
plans, people and procedures that would be called into action during a depot
disaster and it failed in seven of the performance measures.
A big part of CSEPP’s improved efficiency over time was credited to improved
communications. The panel heard reports on both the 450 megahertz radio and
computer aided dispatch (CAD) systems used by many first responders in the
region thanks to CSEPP funding.
Shawn Halsey, system manager for the 450 radio system, said 31 agencies are
now connected to the system and more than half use it for their primary communications.
That means nearly all first responders in the area have compatible communication
capabilities.
He said the system has 217 mobile radio units in the two counties and 385
portable radio units.
The panel briefly discussed the need to seek continued funding for the system
once incineration of chemical weapons at the depot is completed. The 24-hour-a-day
maintenance contract with Motorola costs $151,000 a year.
Kathy Lieuallen, 9-1-1 manager for Umatilla County and CAD manager, said
it’s provided dispatchers with a state-of-the-art system for both emergency
and non-emergency situations.
“It improves our efficiency and proficiency,” she said, providing street
addresses, maps and hazard warnings at the touch of a button and speeding
up response times.
It also allows dispatchers to access incoming information simultaneously
and provides redundancy, meaning if the system goes down at one center, it
doesn’t hinder other operators.
Ten agencies and 18 sites are part of the system, she said.