2015 annual report - wake county, north carolina report.pdf · 2015 annual report ... the emergency...

2015 Annual Report

Department of

Emergency Management

Activates the Emergency Operations Center

Responds to emergencies on a 24/7 basis

Coordinates information & resources during emergencies

Exercises on disaster response and recovery

Develops emergency plans

Oversees the Harris Nuclear Power Plant

Manages homeland security grant funds

Educates our community and

Prepares our community for emergencies

Emergency Management:

Department of Emergency Management Annual Report FY 2015 3

Director’s Message…………………………………………………………………………………....5

Mission Statement…………..…………….………………………………………………………..…7

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..……..9

First Response Partners…………………..……………………………………………………....11

Meeting Community Needs…………….………………………………………………………...13

Harris Nuclear Power Plant……………..………………………………………………………..15

Homeland Security…………………………………………………………………………………...17

Hazardous Materials……………………………………………………………………………..…19

Operations……..……………………………...…………………………………………………...…..21

Planning………………………………………...…………………………………………………..…..23

Exercises……………………………………………………………………………………………..….25

Preparedness…………...………………………………………………………………………….....27

Looking Ahead……………………………………………..……………………………………..…..29

TABLE OF CONTENTS

L to R: Melissa Moats, Amy Ikerd, Steven Newton, Josh Creighton, Darshan Patel, Andy Hiscock, Leslie O’Connor, Chris Lacasse

Not Pictured: Diana McBride


Without hesitation, I am proud to say that Wake County has the best

Emergency Management Team in North Carolina. Our team of dedicated,

morally obligated people works diligently to provide excellent service to

the public and our partner agencies through innovative, fiscally

responsible programs.

The Team is charged with the challenge of building, sustaining and

improving our community‟s capability to prepare for, protect against,

respond to and recover from actual or threatened natural and man-made

incidents. Collectively, through trust, team unity, accountability and

effective communication, Wake County Emergency Management

continues to be responsible stewards of emergency preparedness and

response programs throughout the County and beyond.

In the past year, Wake County Emergency Management has made

measurable progress in key infrastructure and program development.

This year, in concert with Facilities Design and Construction, planning for

the new Emergency Operations Center has moved forward with the

delivery of the Advanced Planning Study. Parallel to the internal facility

planning, significant strides have been made in both the academic and

business partnership with NC State which is the proposed site for the new

Emergency Operations Center.

Programmatically, Emergency Management has established the Capital

Region Incident Management Team, co-led a state-wide initiative to assist

those with intellectual and functional disabilities during disasters and,

held the 27th Annual Business and Environmental Safety Training

(BEST) Conference with over 500 attendees.

The Emergency Management Team has formalized its first multi-year

Strategic Plan and look forward to the years ahead by fulfilling our vision

of being a recognized center of excellence; achieved by being

knowledgeable, innovative and reliable industry leaders.

Sincerely,

Joshua Creighton, Director

Department of Emergency Management offices in downtown Raleigh, NC


MISSION STATEMENT

Wake County Emergency Management serves as the governmental function that

coordinates and integrates activities within the county to build, sustain and improve

communities‟ capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from or

mitigate against actual or threatened natural and man-made incidents of high

consequence.

Our shared vision for Wake County Emergency Management is to be a recognized

center of excellence; achieved by being knowledgeable, innovative, and reliable industry

leaders with a commitment to continual professional development and comprehensive

programs using a holistic approach to services.

VISION STATEMENT


INTRODUCTION

The Department of Emergency Management is the governmental function that

coordinates and integrates all activities to build, sustain and improve the capability to

prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from or mitigate against threatened or

actual natural disasters, acts of terrorism or other man-made disasters.

To accomplish this purpose, Emergency Management places a heavy emphasis on

planning and coordinating efforts with municipal, regional, state and federal partners

and the private sector, nongovernmental organizations and Volunteer Organizations

Active in Disasters. Through this coordination, Emergency Management identifies

steps to effectively accomplish its goals.

Emergency Management is available on a 24/7 basis to assist first responders, assure

continuity in response efforts, provide on-scene technical expertise, activate and lead

the Emergency Operations Center, and provide informed recommendations on

emergency actions and procedures.

With over one million citizens, Wake County is North-Carolina‟s second most

populated county. Wake County contains the state capital and is composed of twelve

distinct municipalities, twenty townships, and 414 square miles of unincorporated

communities. Wake County is currently the 21st most populous county in the United

States and identified by multiple national lists as one of the best places to live in

America. This continuing rapid growth will place a higher demand on emergency

resources, and the Department of Emergency Management looks forward to exceeding

these challenges.


FIRST RESPONSE PARTNERS

Emergency Management‟s most valuable

assets are its partnerships with organizations

that serve our community in preparing for,

responding to, recovering from, and

mitigating against disasters. These include

both Traditional and Nontraditional

Partners.

Local Response Partners

9-1-1 communications, law enforcement, fire,

and emergency medical services are not only

our community‟s traditional first responders,

they also serve as extensions of Wake

County‟s emergency management function.

Through local, state, and federal emergency

management initiatives responders are

trained to recognize and manage incident

causes, such as terrorism, which require

specialized teams, protective action

measures, and a rapidly escalating approach

to incident management.

Through the Staff Duty Officer (SDO)

program, Emergency Management personnel

are available 24/7 to assist first responders

with incident management, technical

guidance, activating mass warning &

notification systems, and identifying and

contacting support resources. In FY15

Emergency Management SDOs assisted with

109 requests for service, including airplane

crashes, active shooter threat, bomb threats,

disease surveillance, explosions, hazardous

chemical spills, emergency sheltering,

missing person searches, critical incident

stress debriefing, severe weather, and

planned events.

Extended Response Partners

Emergency Management continues to

maintain close relationships with local, state,

and federal emergency management and law

enforcement organizations, volunteer

organizations active in disasters (VOADs),

and non-governmental organizations.

Through face-to-face discussions, cooperative

training and exercises, and conferences we

continue to build a network of resources

willing and able to respond.

139 109 SDO Responses Equipment Deployments

North Carolina State University’s Main Campus


MEETING COMMUNITY NEEDS

To meet the needs of the community during

large incidents, events, and disasters,

Emergency Management leverages multiple

fixed and mobile facilities, as well as the

skillsets of its own staff and those of other

County departments and partner agencies.

Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

Since 1988, Wake County Emergency

Management (formerly Wake County Civil

Defense), has occupied space in the basement

of the Wake County Courthouse for the

coordination of the County‟s response to

disaster. Wake County is now pursuing a

partnership with North Carolina State

University to construct a new EOC on the

university‟s main campus. This partnership

will provide a facility to meet the needs of a

growing community, but also a training and

research center for practitioners and

academics alike. A new emergency

operations center is still in the early

planning stages, but it is an exciting new

development for the Department of

Emergency Management to look forward to.

All Hazard Incident Management Team

All Hazard Incident Management Teams

(AHIMT) are developed to assist local

emergency services and local governments

manage large, complex , and long-term

emergency incident responses. The AHIMT

can assist in control and containment of the

incident, provide logistical support, provide

operation support and expertise, and arrange

for additional manpower. Emergency

Management serves as the coordinating

agency for the AHIMT, but its membership

includes highly trained members from

county, municipal, and volunteer

organizations.

Warehouse

Emergency Management, EMS, and Fire

Services jointly operate a warehouse facility

to support daily operations, major incidents,

and disasters. Emergency Management

maintains mass sheltering, radiological

monitoring, decontamination,

communications, traffic control, warning and

notification, lighting, and other equipment

and supplies to support the response to a

wide range of hazards. In FY15, the

warehouse was responsible for 139 scheduled

equipment loans. Sixty-nine loans went to

county-funded agencies, such as the Sheriff‟s

Office and Fire Services, and fifty-six loans

went to municipal partners. Fourteen loans

went to the state and other partners,

including NC State University and Rex

Hospital.

Harris Nuclear Power Plant is located in New Hill, NC, twenty miles south of Raleigh


HARRIS NUCLEAR

POWER PLANT

The Department of Emergency Management

coordinates with Chatham County, Lee

County, Harnett County and the state of

North Carolina on emergency plans, training

and preparedness activities for the Harris

Nuclear Power Plant.

Medical Services Drills

In May 2015, WCEM organized the annual

medical services drill held at the power plant

and WakeMed hospital. The training exercise

focused on treatment and transport of a

contaminated injured employee from the

plant. The drill was a major success, with

FEMA acknowledging the “obvious

enthusiasm, training and preparation

invested in this drill”.

Functional Needs Program


is working in conjunction with Duke Energy

Communications to revamp the Functional

Needs Program. The program is designed for

residents living within a 10 mile radius of the

plant who need assistance with evacuation in

an emergency situation.

FY 2015 Accomplishments

Provided training to over thirty first

response and support agencies

Completed quarterly operational testing

and maintenance of more than 1500 pieces

of radiological survey meters. WCEM

received over 100 new Ludlum M26

Radiological Meters to be placed in service

by January 1, 2016.

Reviewed and updated the necessary plans

and procedures in accordance with the

2015 FEMA REP Program Manual


HOMELAND SECURITY


is responsible for planning the county‟s

homeland security procedures. WCEM also

develops and coordinates emergency

management programs that meet national

homeland security goals.

Critical Infrastructure

Wake County is home to diverse sectors of

critical infrastructure that includes the

chemical and energy sectors, information

technology and nuclear reactors sectors.

Harris Nuclear Power Plant, Raleigh-

Durham International Airport, Chemical

Facilities, Large Employers, etc. are

examples of critical infrastructure that are

vital not only to Wake County, but also to

the state of North Carolina and the nation.

Wake County Emergency Management is

responsible for planning homeland security

procedures to protect our critical

infrastructure. In FY 2015, we began

identifying critical infrastructure sectors and

started a Critical Infrastructure Plan; the

plan creates a strategy for Emergency

Management and other Wake County

agencies to follow in pursuit of the National

Infrastructure Protection Plan.

Domestic Preparedness Task Force

The Domestic Prepared Task Force is a

major collaboration between law

enforcement, emergency medical services,

fire services, public health, emergency

management, hospitals, government

administration, communications and private

industry. The task force focuses on

administering local and regional grants and

improving domestic terrorism preparedness.

Metropolitan Medical Response Systems

(MMRS) Grant

Wake County closed out the FY11 MMRS

Grant from the Department of Homeland

Security that is designed to improve

domestic terrorism preparedness by

addressing equipment, training, exercises,

and planning needs. Wake County

Emergency Management used its MMRS

grant funds in 2014 to hold Incident

Management Team training and exercises,

as well as the purchase of much-needed

preparedness and response equipment. The

MMRS Program has been defunded by the

federal government.


HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

Emergency Management is responsible for

planning and implementing policies

pertaining to hazardous materials and the

communities they are in.

Wake County Local Emergency Planning

Committee

Emergency Management administers the

functions of the Local Emergency Planning

Committee (LEPC), which has become one of

the national models in LEPC activities by its

actions including its participation in land use

planning, assistance and oversight to private

industry and community education. The

primary responsibility of the LEPC is to

receive information about hazardous

substances from industry and to use this

information to develop comprehensive site

emergency plans to handle emergencies.

BEST Conference

The Business Environmental Safety and

Training (BEST) Conference is the primary

outreach activity of the Wake County Local

Emergency Planning Committee. It provides

free training on safety and environmental

topics, as well as opportunities to network

with professionals in these fields. WCEM held

the Business Environmental Safety and

Training Conference on February 15, 2015;

the conference had another successful year

with over 500 attendees, 27 vendors and 25

classes.

EPlan Database Reporting System

EPlan is the online reporting tool that

facilities use to submit their chemical

inventory as required by the Emergency

Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act

(EPCRA) of 1986. This law requires facilities

to report threshold quantities of chemicals

stored and produced on site to foster a

collaborative safety relationship between

government, residents, and industry. EPlan

has been the primary online chemical

inventory for Wake County since 2009. Wake

LEPC is one of the few in the state to allow all

fire departments within the county direct

access to the information in EPlan.

Data Storage Box Program

Wake County previously implemented a

hazardous materials data storage box

ordinance that requires facilities that use,

store or manufacture any of the EPA “List-of-

Lists” EHS chemicals to have a data storage

box. This box must be accessible & contain

facility specific information for first

responders during an emergency. In FY15, the

City of Raleigh decided to place a box at all

Parks and Recreation locations and facility

maintenance yards to ensure first responder

safety in the event of an incident at one of

their facilities.

1645 Reporting Facilities in E-Plan

The Communications desk inside the EOC is where information will be dispersed during an

emergency or disaster.


OPERATIONS


coordinates and collaborates with emergency

partners to reduce the impact of emergencies

and disasters.

Staff Duty Officer (SDO)

Through the Staff Duty Officer (SDO)

program, Emergency Management staff are

made available 24/7 to assist first responders

with incident management, technical

guidance, activating mass warning &

notification systems, and identifying and

contacting support resources. In FY15

Emergency Management SDOs assisted with

109 requests for service, including airplane

crashes, active shooter threat, bomb threats,

disease surveillance, explosions, hazardous

chemical spills, emergency sheltering,

missing person searches, critical incident

stress debriefing, severe weather, and

planned events.

Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

The Emergency Operations Center is

activated to coordinate County, municipal,

and support agency response to major

incidents, events, and disasters. In the EOC

partners coordinate response efforts, gather

and disseminate information, and make

difficult decisions. The EOC maintained so

that it can activate quickly and sustain 24/7

operations indefinitely. The EOC brings

together representatives from across county

departments, including law enforcement,

communications and the public school

system.

WebEOC

WebEOC is the information sharing platform

that is used by SDO‟s, the EOC, and

municipalities during large incidents, events,

and disasters to ensure quick and accurate

disbursement of information. In FY15

Emergency Management continued to

develop and implement enhancements to the

WebEOC system and developed protocols for

day-to-day use of the system.

Communicator! NXT and GeoCast Web

Emergency Management maintains a mass

warning and notification system to rapidly

alert the public of an imminent threat and

muster staff for the EOC. This system is also

used daily by the Sheriff‟s Office Well Check

program, Human Services, and Raleigh-

Wake Emergency Communications to alert

personnel of major incidents.

Communications Support Vehicle

(COMM1)

Emergency Management maintains and

operates Wake County‟s Communications

Support Vehicle for major incidents and

events to ensure a coordinated response. In

FY15 the department upgraded onboard

technology to better support large and small-

scale incidents. In FY15 COMM-1 was

deployed for 41 days in response to 24

incidents/events.

A marked car sits in the snow after the 2014 ice storm that hit Raleigh. Image courtesy of the

News & Observer.


PLANNING


is responsible for developing and

maintaining the Wake County Emergency

Operations Plan, Continuity of Operations

Plan, Continuity of Government Plan,

Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment,

Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP)

plans, Commodity Receiving and

Distribution Plan, and associated

procedures, guides, and references.

All-Hazard Abandoned Vehicle Procedure

In FY15 a new All-Hazard Abandoned

Vehicle Procedure was developed in

cooperation with State Highway Patrol. The

procedure offers a guideline for the actions to

be taken by all first responders in the event

motorists abandon their vehicles during

severe weather or other incidents.

Abandoned vehicles obstruct traffic and snow

plow operations, as well as put responders at

risk when confirming that no one is left

inside. When implemented, this plan calls for

first responders to attach a three foot long

strip of brightly colored scene tape to a

conspicuous location on an abandoned

vehicle that has been confirmed to be empty.

The procedure was employed during 2014

and 2015 winter weather, and has been

adopted as a statewide standard.

Planning Assistance for Community

Partners

In FY15 Emergency Management staff

assisted Raleigh, Knightdale, Apex, the

Raleigh-Durham International Airport

Authority, and others develop and evaluate

emergency plans.

Emergency Management also receives and

maintains copies of plans submitted by

licensed care facilities. As a requirement for

licensure in North Carolina, licensed care

facilities must submit a facility emergency

plan annually to Emergency Management.

There are more than 600 licensed care

facilities in Wake County.

As a result of the Coal Ash Management Act

of 2014, dam owners are required to submit

Emergency Action Plans for high and

intermediate hazard dams to Emergency

Management. There are currently over 400

high and intermediate hazard dams in Wake

County.


Exercises are essential components to the

Department of Emergency Management‟s

comprehensive approach for emergency

management. The types of exercises vary and

can range from tabletop discussions to full-

scale exercises. In FY15, WCEM held six

exercises throughout the county.

Morrisville Active Shooter

The full-scale active shooter training exercise

was held in December 2014 in Morrisville, in

conjunction with Morrisville Police and Fire

Departments, Cary Police Department, Cary

EMS, Cary CERT, Wake County EMS and

Sheriff's Office. The exercise had two main

goals: to develop and practice skills needed to

quickly engage and neutralize an active

threat of violence, and to practice providing

advanced emergency medical care for

victims.

Central Branch Communications

WCEM and Wake AUXCOMM participated

in an exercise held by North Carolina

Department of Emergency Management in

April 2015. The exercise simulated

infrastructure damage across the central

region of North Carolina. Wake was one of

thirteen counties to participate in this state-

wide exercise, giving us the chance to

interact with and learn from emergency

management departments that we may not

regularly communicate with.

North Carolina State University Executive

Officers Training

This table top exercise was held as a

refresher on NC State‟s Emergency

Operations Plan, as well as giving university

officials the opportunity to simulate an

emergency response to hurricane conditions

that threaten the school.

Medical Services Drill

Emergency Management, Wake EMS,

WakeMed Hospital, WakeMed Center for

Innovative Learning, Duke Energy, Harnett

County Emergency Management and Lee

County Emergency Management

participated in an exercise that

demonstrated the ability to manage a

contaminated injured person. Emergency

Management served as the lead for exercise

development, facilitation, and exercise

control. WakeMed Center for

Innovative Learning and Emergency

Management utilized realistic patient

simulators during the exercise to challenge

responder and hospital staff‟s ability to

decontaminate a patient while providing

excellent patient care.

EXERCISES

Image courtesy of the Red Cross


PREPAREDNESS

Pet Safety

Emergency Management in conjunction with

Wake County Animal Control is working to

establish co-location shelters that, in the

event of an emergency, will allow people and

their pets to stay together in the same

location. Companion animals such as dogs,

cats, rabbits and birds can check into the

co-location shelters with their owners. This

initiative is designed to satisfy the

requirements of the 2006 Pets Act, and to

ensure that no one in Wake County has to

choose between their pets and their safety.

ReadyWake!

The ReadyWake initiative shares

information on potential hazards,

instructions on how to make your own family

preparedness kit, and list of valuable phone

numbers. Residents can register to receive

alerts from Wake County for important

emergency information. The Department of

Emergency Management has partnered with

Holly Springs, Apex, Garner and Morrisville

to expand availability. Information is shared

through Facebook, Twitter, and the Wake

County Communications Office.

@ReadyWake


LOOKING AHEAD

Strategic Planning

Wake County continues to grow at a

staggering rate, and with this increase in

growth the Department of Emergency

Management expects for community needs to

increase. For the next three to five years, the

department is preparing for these horizon

issues by formulating and implementing a

strategic multi-year department plan.

New Emergency Operations Center

North Carolina State University‟s Main

Campus is the proposed location of WCEM „s

new Emergency Operations Center. Locating

on NC State‟s campus provides an invaluable

academic and business partnership between

WCEM and the university. A new emergency

operations center is still in the early planning

stages, but it is an exciting new development

for the Department of Emergency

Management to look forward to.

Harris Nuclear Power Plant

In October 2015, the Department of

Emergency Management will be holding a

hostile action drill at the power plant in

conjunction with Harnett County Emergency

Management, Lee County Emergency

Management and Chatham County

Emergency Management. The drill will focus

on a hostile-action based scenario and will be

evaluated by the Federal Emergency

Management Agency (FEMA).

PO Box 550

Raleigh, NC 27602

(919) 856-6480

www.wakegov.com/em

www.readywake.com

Published by Melissa Moats, July 2015

2015 annual report - wake county, north carolina report.pdf · 2015 annual report ... the emergency...

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