Royal Oak Homeland Security Issues - May 24, 2007
Royal Oak Fire Chief Wil White presenting
ROFD and Mutual Aid
Every shift starts with 16-19 personnel on duty every day, The Royal Oak Fire Department responds to over 5100 runs a year. Several mutual aid runs are given and received with our Oak Way mutual aid pact, this would be where we respond to a neighboring community or they come here for assistance on large incidents. We have 3 stations, in our city, and mutual aid with Ferndale, Madison Heights, Southfield, Birmingham, Bloomfield Twp, West Bloomfield, Pontiac and Waterford Twp. In addition we have an agreement to assist Hazel Park and they will assist us. We belong to a separate agreement with Oakland County, which would allow us to receive aid and give aid wherever it is needed in the county. All mutual aid agreements are friendly in the sense that we do not have to respond if we have our equipment tied up on an incident in our city. The mutual aid pact allows us to participate in; fire, medical, Haz Mat and technical rescue teams that expand our ability to handle large scale incidents.
Consolidation Study
Currently we are two years into a feasibility study on consolidation with Madison Heights, Ferndale and Hazel Park. This would erase the boundaries for fire and medical response and bring all four departments together. This study has been productive, but it is not at the point where it can be implemented.
ROFD Response to emergencies
We respond to medical runs with one engine with 2-3 firefighters & one ambulance with 2 firefighters. We can call for more help if necessary on Vehicle accidents or CPR's or anything that requires additional personnel.
On a confirmed structure fire we usually send everything available from the Royal Oak Fire Department; E9-10, T9-12, A351. E9-30, A351, E9-40, A354. We have the option to drop an ambulance to cross staff an engine if the ambulance is in quarters. This means the ambulance is out of service while the structure fire is mitigated. While we are actively involved at the scene of a structure fire, overtime personnel can be called to staff additional equipment as well as calling for mutual aid from surrounding communities. This would be performed if the incident was an expanding or growing incident, or if multiple incidents were to occur.
Dispatch
Reports of incidents vary; we gear our response to the information that comes from our dispatchers. The dispatchers receive info and they pass it along to the Officer in charge, the Officer will then make decisions based on our response capabilities and the info received from dispatch.
Interstate incidents and Haz Mat
A response to the interstate for a truck fire could be a pickup truck or a semi truck. The smoke could be from a fire or a hazardous material spill. The first due engine makes an assessment of the scene and calls the info out to other responding apparatus. If there were a need for additional resources, they would be called at this time. In the instance of a truck fire with no hazardous material, the scene is still a very difficult situation to manage, as traffic is a major concern for the safety of our personnel and any occupants of the vehicle.
In the event of a hazardous material plume, the scene would unfold in a very different manner. The product on board would have to be identified, the driver would be located, in the truck or out, and medical protocol would have to be assessed for resources and decontamination. The proper Haz Mat resources would be called from the Oak Way mutual aid group. In the event this was a Haz Mat incident, wind, temperature, rain, and the neighborhood would all be considered in the overall tactical plan to mitigate the situation.
The Oak Way Haz Mat team is a very well trained team and is known for their progressive approach to preparation and planning for Haz Mat events. They have an impressive amount of equipment and they have members from every Oak Way department on the team.
Natural or other Disasters
The common phrase heard in training for disasters is "think global, plan local". This can be used at all levels of preparation. In the home, this means prepare yourself for the worst-case scenario, but take care of yourself and your family. For a neighborhood this could mean planning for an event that was larger but having a plan for neighbors who maybe can't take care of themselves, take them to a shelter before the storm hits. Preparation for disaster is essential for any community to work together and make it through a large incident of any kind. Have enough water on hand, this means one gallon per person per day, and have at least three days worth. Store food that will keep and give you the most energy, again the recommendation is a three-day supply. Have a well-stocked first aid kit, some tools and supplies like can openers and flash lights. You can get a list from the Red Cross or from the info packets. Store additional clothing and blankets for shelter. Try and be aware of medical needs for everyone in the family and prepare for those needs.
Having citizens prepared for times of crisis allows the Police and Fire Department to direct their attention to the core issues surrounding the incident.
Q & A
Question? How are you preparing for future terrorist attacks, such as 9/11?
We participate in multi-day courses given by Homeland Security including more information, better tools, better training, in order to provide "lessons that come before the "test"! In addition, we participate in simulation exercises for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive incidents.
Question? How are meth labs handled?
Very carefully. Due to the toxic and flammible chemicals involved in the production of Meth, this is a dangerous remediation and requires special training with Haz Mat.
Question? How are Tanker Truck spills handled?
Assessment of the scene by first responders, followed by a call for necessary resources (Haz Mat, or other trained people), focus on the safety of responding personnel and others, institute appropriate evacuation plans to protect threatened areas.
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