Interesting query (re appocolyptic event) to a utility company

[kmitch200]

Look on the bright side Mitch, He's at least honest enough to admit it.

True.
He knows that in the event of a city/county wide disaster, the fire guys would be getting their own families out if possible. We would be in the I-17 & I-10 parking lots with everybody else.

[fightingquaker13]

The original question reminds me of the query posed to the Fire Chief about evacuating the Phx area in the event of an NBC attack.

The answer? 

We can't, so there is no plan.

I think the real honest answer is WE have a plan, the rest of you are on your own. As was posted, critical infrastructure guys are human too. If there is a plan and a drill and good morale, figure 75% will man their posts on a good day, the rest are gone. No plan, low morale? Good luck. Remember the NOPD in Katrina. Of the ones who showed up, most didn't know what to do and followed whatever BS orders they got. The rest were taking care of their own families.
FQ13

[ratcatcher55]

How much security have you ever seen around a municipal water supply ? 

Tom,

Municipal water supplies are pretty safe because of the large volumes of water involved.  You might knock out distibution for a while but to contaminate a city supply so bad that it could not be used is pretty hard. You can target buildings pretty easily.

Unless you live in huricane country, most big cities do not have evacutation plans. In fact if there was a WMD event there really would be no need to evacute short of a nuclear bomb going off.  Dirty bombs, Bio or chem weapons are pretty local in inpact and would be handled like a train derailment.

I had a major FD HAZMAT chief tell me if they had a WMD attack in his city he expected less than 50% of his folks to report for duty. Many EMT, PD and FD have worked on evacuation plans for the families so the emegenciey services folks will stay and work.

[fightingquaker13]

I had a major FD HAZMAT chief tell me if they had a WMD attack in his city he expected less than 50% of his folks to report for duty. Many EMT, PD and FD have worked on evacuation plans for the families so the emegenciey services folks will stay and work.

That is about the smartest thing I've heard on this issue. If you want your guys (and gals) to show up, you need them to know their families are safe. Otherwise? Is a no brainer as to where there loyalties will be. Idiots may say its favoritism, but me, I'd say its just good sense. You don't ask a guy to take a bullet without good insurance and a pension plan. You don't ask him to show up for work unless his wife and kids are safe either.
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

Here's another thing, A disaster occurs, they call in all the emergency services people, how many of them will be stuck in those big parking lots ?
Even if they INTEND to do their jobs, they have to get there.

[Sponsor]

[ratcatcher55]

Here's another thing, A disaster occurs, they call in all the emergency services people, how many of them will be stuck in those big parking lots ?
Even if they INTEND to do their jobs, they have to get there.

Tom, I've seen firemen and LEo respond to incedents on the subway in Tokyo, NYC and Washington rather then fight through gridlock.

[kmitch200]

I had a major FD HAZMAT chief tell me if they had a WMD attack in his city he expected less than 50% of his folks to report for duty. Many EMT, PD and FD have worked on evacuation plans for the families so the emegenciey services folks will stay and work.

Smart plan. Our chiefs never figured it out.

[tombogan03884]

Tom, I've seen firemen and LEo respond to incedents on the subway in Tokyo, NYC and Washington rather then fight through gridlock.

No slight intended Ratcatcher, But look at when Aum released that Sarin, even the subways had to stop.
What I was trying to show is that some times no matter how good the intentions it comes down to what is possible.
As far as the dedication part, I actually think that what happened in New Orleans, with half the emergency people hauling azz was an aberration that would not happen in other US cities, individuals maybe, but not on that massive a scale.
Just look at NY on 9-11-01, they didn't run away.

[ratcatcher55]

Tom,

The subway was the target in Tokyo. Surface streets carried evacuees, contaminated or not.  They had 14,000+ moved to hospitals in a couple of hours so they did pretty well. They contaminated the ER's and swamped the system so not so good on that  part.

In NYC this time of year the streets are jamed with shoppers. Once the initial equipment is onsite they just need manpower so the subway make the easiest and quickest form of transport.

9/11 was a response to a fire and plane crash.  No one suspected the two towers to collapse.  The chief of FDNY HAZMAT agreed with the 50% figure on call ins if they needed off duty extra bodies to a WMD event.

NOFD is not a bad bunch of folks but the city is so poorly organized and corrupt it harms the whole department.  Lots of folks just could not get back into the city and after 72 hours the ones already there ran out of steam. The problems in New Orleans started people thinking about mass causilty events and how to handle emergency service personel issues.

Some cities are trying to deal with it  and others have their heads up their a$$.

[tombogan03884]

Tom,

The subway was the target in Tokyo. Surface streets carried evacuees, contaminated or not.  They had 14,000+ moved to hospitals in a couple of hours so they did pretty well. They contaminated the ER's and swamped the system so not so good on that  part.

In NYC this time of year the streets are jamed with shoppers. Once the initial equipment is onsite they just need manpower so the subway make the easiest and quickest form of transport.

9/11 was a response to a fire and plane crash.  No one suspected the two towers to collapse.  The chief of FDNY HAZMAT agreed with the 50% figure on call ins if they needed off duty extra bodies to a WMD event.

NOFD is not a bad bunch of folks but the city is so poorly organized and corrupt it harms the whole department.  Lots of folks just could not get back into the city and after 72 hours the ones already there ran out of steam. The problems in New Orleans started people thinking about mass causilty events and how to handle emergency service personel issues.

Some cities are trying to deal with it  and others have their heads up their a$$.

Can't add to that.