Community Emergency Response Teams

Community emergency response team (CERT) transition plan ... 

Outside emergency response teams, community, or mutual aid... 

Disaster Field Office (DFO) - The office established in or near the disaster area that supports federal and state response as well as recovery operations. The Disaster Field Office houses the Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO), the Emergency Response Team (ERT), the State Coordinating Officer (SCO), and support staff, disaster informatics - The theoretical and practical operation of processing information and communicating in a disaster situation. 

A key part of emergency response is the development of contingency plans for spills. A spill of waste liquids from BGCAPP or PCAPP may cause significant concern on the part of the community. Every effort should be made to avoid such spills, but if one occurs, it should be contained to minimize its impact on the coimnunity. To determine the potential impact of a spill, it is suggested tliat dispersion analyses be conducted for potential spill scenarios and the information be made available for emergency response persormel. Transportation routes should be assessed to minimize the possibility of spills into water. Spill contaimnent equipment should be available to the emergency response teams. 

An emergency response team, under the control of the emergency response coordinator, should be assembled with a clearly defined chain of command. The members of this team should be selected and trained for specific mitigative and communication tasks. Specific duties might include spill cleanup, first aid, employee evacuation and headcount, incipient fire response, fire pump/sprinkler control valve/fire door monitoring, firefighting, fire/emergency responder communications, and rescue. 

The emergency response team works in a large, open room that is designed with efficient communication in mind. For the record during the first two and a half weeks following Katrina, Wal-Mart shipped 2500 containers to the region. Wal-Mart also set up satellite links for its stores that lost phone or Internet service so that they could stay connected to headquarters. 

Provisions for notification and activation of the reactor emergency response team, including the primary and backup means of notification and communication. 

The staff determined that the amount of communications equipment installed in the OSC appears to be consistent with the OSC functions and the emergency response addressed in the RAEP and in the OSC EPIPs 6Q7-101, "Activation and Operations of the OSC," and 6Q-102, "Emergency Response Teams."... 

A plant team working with the Pampa fire department brought the fire under control. The Chemical Manufacturers Association s Community Awareness Emergency Response Program (CARE), developed after the Bhopal disaster was credited with effectiveness of their efforts in putting out the fire. 

Training response teams, and orienting die public, die media, and die local officials, are critical to die success of the plan in an emergency. Education about die hazards associated widi chemicals in die community can ease die fear die public has about industrial chemicals. 

If the emergency response plan calls for use of outside response teams, community, or mutual aid, the fire pre-plans should be reviewed with them. 

Fire Brigade Team Leader —Oil Spill Response Team Leader —HazMat Spill Response Team Leader —Public Affairs Coordinator/Press Officer —Legal Counsel —Security Coordinator —Insurance and Claims Coordinator —Emergency Communications System Coordinator —Coordinator of Personnel Services... 

Telephone notification should be made to the community emergency coordinator for the local emergency planning committee for any area likely to be affected by the release. If no local emergency planning committee exists, notification should be made to relevant local emergency response personnel such as the fire department, police department, hazmat team, sanitary district, etc. 

Are there clear procedures during emergencies for communications between operators, engineers, construction, control room, operations support, maintenance, response teams, and management ... 

Emergency action helps reduce the severity of an incident. Emergency action may take several forms, for example, evacuation, rescue, emergency communications, treatment, and recovery. Emergency action requires the use of specially trained teams (fire brigades, spill response teams, etc.) and special equipment (fire protection systems, spdl containment equipment, flood control equipment, communication systems, medical emergency equipment, etc.). Chapter 29 discusses emergency actions in more detail. 

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