# Presentation: 093166

## Community Capability:

- Building for Post 9/11 Terrorism Preparedness
- Presented to the
- 5th Annual Emergency Management Higher Education Conference
- May 31, 2002
- Steven Charvat, CEM
- Director of Training, Exercises, Mitigation & Planning
- DC Emergency Management Agency

**Notes:**
Beyond response preparedness, our new focus at in DC is building and enhancing regional and private partnerships.

## Overview of Presentation

- DC Response
- District Response Plan
- Mayor’s Task Force and
- 	Emergency Preparedness Council
- Emergency Planning and Partnerships
- Continuing Issues
- Next steps

**Notes:**
Beyond response preparedness, our new focus at in DC is building and enhancing regional and private partnerships.

## The Unique Challenges of District Government 

**We function as a city, County and State with daily interactions with our federal partners, neighboring states and regional entities**

## September 11, 2001

## From Montana to DC	

- 9/11 at the NEMA Conference in Montana
- En route to DC
- Assessing the new threat
- Immediate lessons learned
- Setting new directions

## Anthrax Response (October 2001 - Present)	

- Anthrax Response (October 2001 - Present)

- First Responders
- Hart Building Response
- Brentwood Postal Facility
- Working with Congress
- Federal Components
- EPA & US Postal Service
- USPHS
- Attending Physicians
- Capitol Police

## District Response Plan

- Creation of the (new) District Response Plan
- Based on Incident Command 			System (ICS)
- Interoperability with Federal		 Response Plan (FRP)
- Coordinated delivery of assistance and resources
- Collaborated on by support and 			lead agencies and private industry
- Can be found online @ http://dcema.dc.gov

**Notes:**
Another outflow of the Mayor’s actions was the creation of the District Response Plan.  The DRP establishes the framework for integrated planning and response to all public emergencies, including severe weather, disasters, terrorism, and other hazardous events.

The DRP is set up to unify the efforts of all organizations. 

## District Response Plan:

- The 15 ESFs

## Emergency Operations Teams

- Consequence Management Team (CMT)
- Central Operational Organization
- Rapid Response Teams
- Assess damages / determine immediate needs.
- Generally composed of EMA and DPW staff.
- Disaster Field Office Liaison Team
- Deployed to FEMA DFO.
- Composed of EMA and District ESF representatives.
- District Coordinating Officer (DCO)
- District senior representative requesting federal assistance.

## DRP Concept of Operations

- District has four operational levels
**Normal Operations**
**Operational Level 1** – Monitoring Phase /increased potential
**Operational Level 2** – Partial Activation of CMT.
**Operational Level 3** – Full CMT Activation.
- National Capital Region Plan
- DCO coordinates with FEMA HQ during terrorist event.
- Mayor, supported by CMT Director, leads and manages agencies engaged under the DRP.

## Implementation of New National Threat System

## Task Force to Emergency Preparedness Council (EPC)

- Maintains, exercises and revises DRP.
- Emphasis on building relationships and sharing operational and planning information
- Quasi-public and private sector partnerships
- DC Hospital Association
- Consortium of colleges and universities
- Council of Governments (COG)
- Working with PEPCO, Washington Gas, WASA, and others
- Organizes stakeholders into four functional subcommittees

**Notes:**
Initial actions taken were to expand the Task Force to include workgroups for each Emergency Support Function in the new District Response Plan.  With this action, initial partnerships and foundations for coordinated regional action were laid and are built upon today.

EPC now organizes the Mayor’s office, ESF organizations, key DC stakeholders, and regional partners into four functional subcommittees.  The Subcommittees are Operations Support, Community Services, Infrastructure, and Emergency Services.
The EPC is a cabinet level body, chaired by the Mayor’s office.

The Emergency Preparedness Group (EPG) supports the EPC.  It is a senior level functional planning group comprised of lead planners from each ESF, chaired by the EMA Director.

## Planning and Training

- Planning Support
- The College and University Hazard Identification Workbook
- The Family Preparedness Guide
- ESF Pocket Guides
- Training Support
- Coordination of Training for Emergency Preparedness personnel
- Monthly newsletter identifying courses
- Development of tailored courses based on District’s specific needs

## Planning and Training

- Planning, Training, and Exercise workgroup established
- Developing expanded exercise program to include executive tabletops, functional exercises, and federal-District exercises

## GIS Capabilities

- The DC EMA GIS staff is developing applications to:
**Display** Live weather data over detailed area maps
**Forecast** the spread of airborne pathogens and epidemiological trends
**Determine** best evacuation routes based on real time traffic conditions
**Organize** the efforts of multiple District Agencies

## Communication & Notification

- Emergency Alert System (EAS) provides information to the public
- Notification Matrix/Pocket Guides
- Technology
- GETS system/satellite phones
- Telephone Switching Priority (TSP)
- New phone and paging systems (REACT/ROAMail)
- 16 alternate methods of communication

**Notes:**
The District is working with the Council of Governments to create commonality in language so that regional response plans will intermesh with one another, just as the DRP complements the FRP.  This will ensure better coordination of actions across regional lines in the event of an emergency.

## Revisiting Current Statutes

- Security
- Airports
- Public and Commercial Transportation
- Volunteer Liability
- Medical Field Personnel Liability
- Hazardous Material Reporting Limits
- Forced/Mandatory Evacuation of Private Properties
- Commandeering Resources

## Proposed Criminal Laws

| Current Law | Crime | Proposed
“An act of terrorism” |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 15 years max | Assault with intent to Kill | 30 years max |
| 10 years max | Arson | Life Imprisonment |
| 10 years max | Destruction of Property (more than $500,000) | 20 year max |
| 30 years max | Second Degree Murder | Life Imprisonment |

## Proposed Laws Include

- Manufacturing or processing a weapon of mass destruction 				– Imprisonment for life
- Disseminating or detonating a weapons of mass destruction 				– Imprisonment for life
- Murder of a public safety employee		– Mandatory imprisonment for life

## Regional and National Coordination

- Control point for WAWAS messaging system.
- Regional Information Communication and Coordination System (RICCS)
- Emergency Management
- 	Assistance Compact (EMAC)

## The District of Columbia continues to be the #1 target of Terrorists in the U.S.

**The District of Columbia continues to be the #1 target of Terrorists in the U.S.**

## Fall 2001 CNN 30-city Rankings Study

- New York
- San Antonio
- Charlotte
- Atlanta
- Phoenix
- Miami
**Washington DC**
- Austin
- San Diego
- Columbus, OH

- Best Prepared

- Well Prepared

## Slide 23

## Continuing Concerns

- Budget Limitations
- Short term budgetary needs
- Long term budgetary needs
- Flexible funding
- Seeking security clearance for District personnel
- Regional compatibility between Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) & communications systems

## Next Steps in Building Community Capabilities

- Participate in TOPOFF II national terrorism exercise (Spring 2003)
- Conduct full-scale terrorism field exercise for NCR
- Develop the District Emergency Management Program to meet or exceed NFPA 1600
- Seek accreditation under the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP)

**Notes:**
The strategic vision of the emergency management program is for the District to be a model for the nation in emergency preparedness.  To make that vision a reality, the Mayor has set a goal to meet or exceed the new national standards established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for emergency management programs and has expressed a desire to be the first accredited city emergency program.

An Emergency Management Program Strategy is being developed based upon the national (NFPA) standards to assure that the District reaches or exceeds compliance in all program areas.

## Next Steps in Building Community Capabilities

- Strengthen relationships with regional partners and stakeholders.
- Continue to develop community based emergency plans throughout the District
- Implement Freedom Corps program
- Integrate planning efforts with regional partners
- Continue to educate and train emergency response personnel

## Our Preparedness Vision

- To meet or exceed the national standards
- To become the first city emergency management program in the nation to be accredited
- To become the emergency preparedness model for the nation
- To sustain our readiness posture until the threat is no longer present

- Questions ?

## For More Information – 

**please contact:**

**The District of Columbia**
**Emergency Management Agency**
- Steven Charvat, CEM
- 2000 14th Street, NW
- Suite 800
- Washington, DC  20009 USA
- Phone:	  (202) 673-2101 x 1188
- FAX:	  (202) 673-7054
- Email:  steven.charvat@dc.gov
- www:	http://dcema.dc.gov