Coomer Creek Neighborhood Association

Sever Weather Response Plan

Purpose

(We appreciate Councilman Randal Dunning for supplying us with this information.)

The purpose of this plan is to outline the City of Garland’s preparedness, response, and recovery actions to the potential issues and failures that may be caused by severe weather, either in the form of thunderstorms, flooding, tornadoes, or snow & ice. This plan is to be used in conjunction with the City of Garland Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), various department and agency Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and / or other Contingency Plans.

Severe Weather Response – Thunderstorm, Flooding, or Tornado

· The Garland Fire Department will be the lead agency (Incident Command) and will assume primary operational control if they are the initial responding agency into a disaster area due to a rapid developing emergency situation, especially one that has resulted in causalities and has the need for search and rescue or fire suppression.

· The Garland Police Department will be the lead agency (Incident Command) and will assume primary operational control during the response phase of slower developing weather related situations, such as street flooding, and residential flooding and evacuation.

· The Office of Emergency Management, Street Department or the Health Department will coordinate lead agency responsibilities during the preparedness and recovery phases as the situation may warrant.

The end of the response phase will be determined by mutual agreement between the senior fire officer on duty, senior Street Department official on duty, senior police officer on duty, senior Health Department official on duty, and the City Manager or his designee (Asst City Manager or Emergency Management Coordinator (Also see CEMP Basic Plan section, Lead Agency Assignment)).

Severe Weather Pre-Event Planning Meeting

When the National Weather Service (NWS) classifies a particular day as having a moderate or higher risk for severe weather, or if the NWS issues a Thunderstorm Watch, and if the Garland area is not under immediate threat of a severe weather event, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will notify and update Crisis Action Team (CAT) members to the weather situation. If weather situations change such that a severe weather event is likely, the Office of Emergency Management will convene a Severe Weather Pre-Event Planning Meeting of selected CAT members for the purpose of coordinating the City’s planning response to the event. This meeting will be held at the EOC and attended by:
City Manager / Asst. City Manager(s) or designee (attendance optional – receive updated from Office of Emergency Management)
Emergency Management
Fire
Police
Street
EOC Planning Section
PIO
RACES Radio Officer (notified only)
Others, as determined by Office of Emergency Management

Situation

Severe weather, usually in the form of thunderstorms, occasionally causes high water and wind damage in the city. These conditions usually unfold in a predictable sequence: initial high wind, heavy rain, street and intersection flooding, and creek flooding phase.

Flash flooding of streets and intersections and flooding of major creeks and drainage arteries is a threat to the City of Garland in the event of excessive rainfall occurring over the City and major creek watersheds.

Tornadoes are a major threat to the City of Garland because they can occur anytime of the year, day or night, although they occur most frequently in the afternoon and early evening during April, May, and June. Dallas County averages about 4 tornado incidents per year.

Severe winter weather – refer to Snow & Ice Plan, page 14 of this document.

III. Mission

The severe weather response mission of the municipal forces of the City of Garland encompasses safeguarding the public from the hazards of high water and wind damage while restoring utility services, and streets and public right-of-ways to normal, productive use as soon as possible after passage of the storm.

IV. Concept of Operations - Preparedness Phase

A. Office of Emergency Management (OEM)

1. OEM will monitor all severe weather situations in Garland and surrounding counties by listening to National Weather Service (NWS) NOAA Weather Radio and remaining in contact with Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (R.A.C.E.S.) radio operator by telephone.

2. Upon notification of severe weather approaching Garland, OEM will systematically report the location and intensity of the storm to the Police and Fire Departments, the Street Department, the Health Department, and the City Manager’s Office.

3. OEM will monitor the creek elevation and street & intersection flooding during periods of excessive rainfall through contact with police, fire, and other City departmental units in the field. Fire / Police Communications will announce or relay flooding information reported by units in the field.

4. All flood WATCHES & WARNINGS issued by the National Weather Service and received by the OEM will be communicated to Fire / Police Communications to be broadcast to field units and supervisory personnel when received. OEM will monitor weather situations through National Weather Service reports to local radio and TV stations, and through various internet products received in the Garland EOC.

5. OEM will provide adequate notice, if possible, to all responding departments of possible flooding situation.

6. OEM will provide planning and preparation to insure a high state of readiness of municipal forces and a high state of awareness by the general public as to appropriate self-protective measures.

7. OEM will transmit flood and tornado warnings to the public via severe weather siren, emergency broadcast system, and other appropriate means.

8. OEM will notify the CAT (Crisis Action Team) and advise members of the situation, and to prepare for the activation of the CAT to the EOC at a Limited Activation Level.

B. Police Department

1. Fire / Police Communications will monitor the weather for any WATCHES & WARNINGS affecting Garland, as well as monitoring departmental radios and computers for reports of flooding, tornadoes, and other severe weather in Garland. Field units will immediately notify police communications of tornado sightings or public reports of sightings, noting the location and direction or travel of the sighting report. Fire / Police Communications will immediately notify OEM or the EOC, if activated, of reports of flooding, tornadoes, and other severe weather in Garland.

2. Police will provide storm spotting and reporting of severe weather to the EOC (if activated) or to the Office of Emergency Management, and other police field units.

3. Police will notify Garland Emergency Corp (GEC - Volunteer Group) if assistance is needed in placing barricades, providing site or barricade security, providing emergency evacuation of flooded areas by GEC rescue boats, providing emergency lighting to incident scene or affected public facilities, or in notification and pre-flooding evacuation of affected areas.




B. Fire Department

1. Fire Department personnel will be advised to remain on stand-by status during severe weather watch situations.

2. Fire will monitor the weather to be alert for any WATCHES & WARNINGS affecting Garland and Dallas County, as well as monitoring departmental radios for reports of tornadic activity in or approaching Garland. Any Fire Station or field unit receiving such reports will immediately notify the Fire / Police Communications Center of the location, direction or travel and source of the sighting report. Fire / Police Communications will immediately notify OEM or the EOC, if activated, of reports of flooding, tornadoes, and other severe weather in Garland.

C. Street Services Department

1. The Street Department will monitor the weather to be alert for any WATCHES & WARNINGS affecting Garland and Dallas County, as well as monitoring departmental radios for reports of tornadic activity in or approaching Garland.

2. Streets and Stormwater Departments will monitor flooding conditions from 7:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

3. Police will monitor flooding conditions from 3:30 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. Police communications will advise Water Dispatch to notify the Street Department of possible flooding conditions so that appropriate actions can be taken to efficiently activate street barricade standard operating procedures.

4. In the event of impending or ongoing flooding conditions, Street Department crews will remain on duty beyond 3:30pm as long as is necessary to address the flooding. If the flooding conditions persist over an extended period, Street Department crews will be assigned to three 8-hours shifts to maintain 24-hour staffing.

V. Concept of Operations - Response Phase

A. Office of Emergency Management (OEM)

1. OEM may elect to implement this plan to monitor severe weather approaching the City. If damage occurs, OEM may implement this plan and activate the EOC for the purpose of managing City response.

2. Tornado or flooding response operations under this plan may be activated on-scene by one of the departments separately or in concert with senior officials of the other departments.

3. OEM and other WARNING OFFICERS will determine the need for activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). If activated, CAT team notified.

4. OEM / EOC will establish communications with Incident Command (IC) at the command post and with other responding agencies by radio or telephone to determine status and magnitude of the severe weather emergency.

5. OEM will keep elected City officials, and county, state and federal officials advised, if necessary, of status of flooding and damages, and disposition of affected citizens.

6. OEM will coordinate with Volunteer Coordinator and volunteer organizations for the needs of responding agencies and affected citizens.

B. Police Department

1. If a field command post has previously been established by the Fire Department, a designated police officer will report to the command post and the CAT designee will report to the EOC to coordinate police activities with other departments and responding agencies. The Police Department will carry out their normal responsibilities in accordance with their normal operating procedures. If the event is a slower developing situation, and a command post has not been established by the Fire Department, the Police Department will establish a field command post and assume Incident Command.

2. Police will seal off and control access to flooded or damaged areas, provide security for citizens and emergency responders.

3. Police will establish Incident Command and field command post (coordinated with Fire Department).

4. On-scene officers will select staging areas for their departmental needs.

5. Police units will execute coordinated efforts to promptly and effectively accomplish search and rescue, emergency access and crowd control actions.

6. Police units will activate departmental sections in accordance with the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and the main field command post.

7 If the Fire / Police Communications Dispatch is the first to receive a report of tornado or flooding activity, they will immediately transmit the following information to the Office of Emergency Management for their dissemination to designated agencies:

· location of confirmed damaged or flooded areas
· what response actions have taken place
· location of main field command post as soon as it is established

8. The Police officer sent to the scene will initiate Incident Command and will provide, by radio report, as soon as possible, the location and description of the severe damage area. The senior ranking police officer will assume the position of Incident Commander.

9. The Communications Dispatcher will promptly inform the Street Department, the main field command post and the EOC of the location and description of any severe damage or flooded areas as related by the Police officer at the scene.

10. Police units will establish, in conjunction with Traffic Department, a network of bypass routes and detours utilizing signing and signal adjustments as needed.

11. Police will coordinate evacuation efforts in effected areas, and provide security in facilities used to shelter evacuees.

12. Police will assist Street in determining location of barricade placement to close off traffic to flooded or damaged areas.

C. Fire Department

1. If significant damage, casualties and a need for search and rescue occurs as a result of a severe storm, the GFD Chief or senior fire officer on duty may elect to implement this plan which includes the establishment of a field command post, implementation of the Incident Command System (ICS), if not previously activated, and activation of the EOC. Fire personnel will carry out their normal responsibilities in accordance with normal operating procedures. The Battalion Chief will function as Incident Commander and will assume primary operational control. The Fire Department CAT designee on duty will report to the EOC.

2. Fire will execute initial response to emergency conditions caused by tornadoes and coordinate search and rescue, treatment and transportation of casualties to medical facilities, and control and extinguish fires.

3. Fire will assign search and rescue teams per departmental procedures. Emergency response will be escalated as required.

4. The Emergency Medical Services Mass Casualty Plan will be implemented as needed. The Garland Fire Department Officer over the Emergency Medical Division or his/her designee will report to the field command post and evaluate the magnitude of the casualty situation and determine the needs of managing victims.

5. Incident Command will locate and designate unsafe areas within the flooded or damages areas and coordinate with other responding departments to avoid exposure of personnel to injury.

6. The location of the initial Command Post will be established by the first arriving chief officers or earlier by company officers if necessary, and if not already established by Police, in accordance with standard operating procedures and ICS.

7. Fire units will conduct fire and hazardous materials control operations as necessary.

8. Fire officers will, in accordance with police and other involved departments and agencies, determine any need to evacuate neighborhoods.

D. Street Department

1. If damage occurs, or if there is a threat of high water or flooding, the Street Department Director or CAT designee may elect to implement this plan and activate the EOC. The CAT designee will report to the EOC and field units will report to the field command post. The Street Department will coordinate their activities with other departments and responding agencies and will carry out their normal responsibilities in accordance with their normal operating procedures. Street Department senior manager on duty may serve as IC during recovery phase.

2. Street will clear access to damaged areas, make emergency repairs to public facilities, and remove debris and restore the public street system to normal usage, as per Street Department responsibilities outlined in the Debris Management Plan.

3. A senior departmental official will direct activities necessary to identify the nature and magnitude of clearance work to be done and will direct mobilization of sufficient department forces and equipment to efficiently execute departmental missions.

4. A senior official will go immediately to the scene to coordinate with senior officials of the Health, Fire and Police Departments in the selection of a site for a main field command post and debris removal staging area(s).

5. Street will assist the Fire Department in rescue operations involving searches of debris, containment measures to control hazardous material spills, exposures of buried fire sources, and other tasks requiring departmental responses and special equipment teams.

6. Street will assist the Police Department in sealing off emergency areas with barricades or rope, clearing obstructions to emergency traffic access and other tasks requiring departmental barricade and response teams.

7. Street personnel will continue to function in the Emergency Operations Center, the main field command post and the evacuee assembly point as provided in the annexes for these activities.

8. Street will follow departmental procedures to determine placement of high water barricades.

9. Street will locate and designate unsafe areas within the damaged or flooded area and coordinate with other responding departments to avoid exposure of personnel to injury.

10. Street will assist Police Department in sealing off emergency areas with barricades.

11. A Street supervisor will report to or contact by radio / telephone the IC at the main command post upon activation of this plan.

E. Building Inspection

1. Initial damage assessment reports will form the basis for the Mayor’s decision to declare emergency proclamations. If damage occurs, the EOC, if activated, or the IC will contact the Building Inspection Official to report to the command post.

2. Building Inspection will respond with a departmental inspector to the command post or make contact with IC by radio or telephone.

3. The Building Inspection Official will, upon arrival at command post, make determination for the need for damage assessment in affected flooded or damaged areas and determine need to activate the damage assessment team(s).

4. Damage assessment will follow assessment phases and utilization of state approved forms as outlined in Annex J of the City of Garland Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.

5. Building Inspection will coordinate with OEM the preparation of proper damage assessment forms for submittal to county, state or federal agencies.

F. Transportation Department

1. Traffic Operations will send a representative to the main field command post to assist police in rerouting traffic with appropriate signs and signal adjustments and replacing street identification signs destroyed by the severe weather incident.

2. Transportation will provide temporary street name signs to assist response crews in finding reported locations.

G. Administration

1. An Assistant City Manager or his/her designee, equipped with a radio or a telephone, will report to the EOC and stand by to assist whenever there is a need for resource support or coordination.

2. During emergency operations, the Purchasing Department will locate supplies, equipment, and personnel to meet specific needs, maintain a list of suppliers for supplies and equipment, establish emergency purchasing procedures, and other duties as outlined in Section IV.21 of the CEMP

H. Health Department

1. Responsible for coordinating debris management operations in the City of Garland. Refer to CEMP Special Subjects – E. Debris Management. Health Department supervisors will subdivide the emergency area into major sectors of responsibility to expedite the clearing of streets, alleys and utility easements, removing debris and making street repairs necessary to restore conditions to normal as soon as possible.

2. A department official, equipped with a radio or a telephone, will report to the field command post and stand by to provide advice on environmental problems and / or disposal of hazardous materials as needed.

3. A department official will report to evacuees sheltering facilities, if in operation, to insure that proper health procedures have been established.

I. Parks Department

1. Parks will send a representative to the main field command post to coordinate with the Incident Commander the selection of an Evacuee Assistance Point, and will remain in contact with the EOC and OEM on matters pertaining to providing facilities for persons displaced by evacuation procedures.

2. Parks will assist with providing vehicles and personnel to remove debris from roadways and property as per the Debris Management Plan.

J. Electric Utilities (GP&L and Texas Utilities)

1. Repair damages and restores electric services to City.

2. Senior departmental officials, equipped with a radio or a telephone, will go to the field command post and stand by to provide electric utility services on any problems involving power outages or downed power lines.

K. Other Utilities - Water

1. A senior departmental official, equipped with a radio or a telephone, will go to the field command post to provide water utility repair operations.

L. Other Utilities - TXU

1. A senior official, equipped with a radio or telephone, will go to the field command post and stand by to provide gas services on any problems involving natural gas.

M. Other Utilities - Verizon & Southwestern Bell

1. Senior officials, equipped with a radio or telephone, will go to the field command post and stand by to provide telephone services on any problems involving telephone communications.

N. Volunteer Support Group – Community Relations

1. The Community Relations Volunteer Coordinator will report to the incident area to coordinate with the Parks Department representative the activities of all volunteer efforts.

2. The Community Relations Volunteer Coordinator will establish communications with the EOC, if activated.

O. Other Volunteer Support

1. The American Red Cross will send a representative to the Evacuee Assistance point to serve as a liaison between the command post and Red Cross headquarters to coordinate Red Cross emergency services and to provide refreshment support to the operating personnel.

2. The Salvation Army will send a representative to the Evacuee Assistance Point to coordinate Salvation Army disaster relief activities with other agencies.

P. Garland Emergency Corp (GEC)

1. Will report to IC at command post to assist in emergency procedures to seal off damaged areas, place and provide security at barricade sites, and provide other assistance to responding personnel for the protection of City citizens.

2. Will send a senior officer to the EOC, if activated.

Q. R.A.C.E.S.

1. The R.A.C.E.S. Radio Officer or designee will report to the Emergency Operations Center and continue to monitor National Weather Service weather reports.

2. Garland R.A.C.E.S. will keep the EOC management staff informed of all weather developments, and will, at the direction of either the NWS or the Office of Emergency Management, activate or participate in Dallas County Skywarn activations and weather “nets”. Refer to Attachment – Garland RACES Severe Weather Procedures kept un separate cover in EOC.








VI. Concept of Operations - Recovery Phase (Refer to Recovery Support Functions – RSFs – of CEMP for further details)

A. Office of Emergency Management / Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

1. Will support field command post Incident Commander (IC) with recovery operations by coordination response and resource allocation from responding department and agencies as outlined in EOC / ICS procedures.

2. Assist victims of the disaster in obtaining assistance from any and all sources, such as volunteer organizations and state and federal agencies.

B. Police Department

1. Police will provide security within the damaged areas as necessary to control recovery and curiosity traffic and to prevent rioting and theft.

C. Health Department

1. Health will serve as IC during recovery phase if the position has been transferred by Fire or Police Departments.

2. Health will coordinate City units for debris removal to facilitate clean up in the flooded or damaged area, and coordinate with OEM as lead agency for planning and operational direction for recovery operations.

3. Health officials will monitor health conditions in the damaged areas and at evacuation housing facilities as necessary to safeguard against hazards to public health and conduct such inspections and notifications as necessary to alleviate any environmental hazards remaining in the damaged area.

D. Building Inspection

1. Building Inspection will continue damage assessment, as necessary, throughout the recovery phase of the incident and will provide EOC / OEM copies of all assessment reports, and will complete a detailed assessment within 72 hours of occurrence of incident.

E. Transportation Department

1. Transportation will respond departmental supervisor to command post to establish contact with Police official to coordinate traffic control needs: Traffic routing, replacement and / or repair of street signs, traffic signs and roadway markings

F. Administration

1. Administrative support for recovery operations in the City of Garland will be through normal departmental channels with urgent needs being handled on an expedited basis.

G. Other Utilities - Electric, Water, GP&L, Texas Utilities, Verizon Telephone and Southwestern Bell Telephone

1. Utility officials will continue restoration of services until all systems are back to normal.

VII. Concept of Operations - Supply

1. All City-owned supplies and equipment are available for use during a severe weather disaster.

2. Records of supplies used and expenditures incurred will be maintained by each department for submission upon request.

3. No supplies or equipment will be commandeered except under the authority of the Mayor or his/her representative.

4. Supplies and equipment may be requested from adjacent jurisdictions or from State and Federal sources upon approval of the City Manager and Mayor.

5. The City of Garland shall not be responsible for financial obligations incurred by a volunteer or other non-municipal organization during any type of disaster function unless agreed to in writing.

VIII. Administration of Severe Weather Response Plan

1. The Office of Emergency Management, and senior officials of Police, Fire, Health, Street and all other departments participating in this plan will be responsible for maintaining up-to-date their department plans for responding to occurrences of severe storms in the City of Garland.

2. Officials of public utilities will be responsible for maintaining up-to-date their organizational plans for responding to occurrences of severe weather in the City of Garland.

3. All departments will submit changes to this plan to the Office of Emergency Management who will reproduce and distribute the changes to this plan.



ACTIVATION OF SEVERE WEATHER SIRENS

Upon receipt of reliable information that a tornado has been sighted and is a threat to Garland, the following personnel have warning authority, as explained below:

Emergency Management Coordinator – EMC
Assistant Emergency Management Coordinator – Asst EMC
City Manager and Assistant City Managers
Police Captain (day) or Lieutenant (evenings / deep nights) on duty
Fire Battalion Chief on duty
Communications Center Supervisor on duty (when prior authority has been granted and the Emergency Operations Center has not been activated)

These persons may:

1. Authorize the sounding of warning sirens in the City

2. Concurrently with the sounding of the sirens, notify the media over the Emergency Alert System (EAS) that the warning sirens are sounding and request the media to immediately broadcast the following information as related to the type of emergency at hand:

“A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND AT (LOCATION) MOVING TOWARD (GENERAL AREA OF THE CITY)”,
or
“DANGEROUS TORNADIC ACTIVITY HAS BEEN SPOTTED OVER THE CITY AND COULD DEVELOP INTO A TORNADO”;
and;
“MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY AND KEEP TUNED TO A LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR FURTHER SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION”

In general, warnings will be issued concurrently with the National Weather Service (NWS). However, when a perceived threat exists to life and property, authorized personnel will issue a warning as soon as possible from the EOC.

Authorized personnel may activate severe weather sirens if any of the following conditions exists:

1. The NWS issues a TORNADO WARNING for the City of Garland or any other location in Dallas County or adjacent cities where there is a perceived threat.

2. A tornado is sighted by police, fire or other city personnel. Confirmation is recommended.

3. EOC personnel determine that a perceived threat exists to life and property in the City.

Severe Weather Response – Snow & Ice

A severe winter storm may necessitate the city to declare a disaster or emergency and commence emergency operations. Implementation of the City of Garland CEMP may be required. When emergency operations are declared all city employees with assignments and responsibilities within the plan will be expected to report according to the plan. Departments will implement procedures developed in accordance with department operating procedures (SOPs).

Coordination of the City’s response to a major snow or ice event will be coordinated from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) by designated city officials and the Crisis Action Team (CAT).

Operations to keep city roads, bridges and other thoroughfares passable and clear of ice and debris will be under the direction of the Street Department, utilizing department and other city resources as necessary.

Winter Storm Pre-Event Planning Meeting

When the National Weather Service (NWS) issues a warning that a significant winter storm event is likely for the area, the Office of Emergency Management will convene a Winter Storm Pre-Event Planning Meeting for the purpose of coordinating the City’s response to the event. The meeting will be attended by:
City Manager / Asst. City Manager(s) or designee (EOC Manager)
Emergency Management
Fire
Police
EOC Planning Section
Water and Electric Utilities
Street
Transportation
Health (Solid Waste)
PIO
Parks and Recreation & Community Relations
Fleet Services
Facilities Management
RACES Radio Officer
Others, as determined by EOC Manager

I. Situation

North Central Texas is prone to winter storms that can affect the entire region. These storms can produce strong winds and precipitation in the form of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and ice combined with extended periods of sub-freezing temperatures. Heavy accumulations can bring down trees, electrical poles and wires, telephone poles and lines, and communications towers. In addition, the effects of a winter storm can immobilize the region, stranding commuters, stopping the flow of supplies, and disrupting emergency and medical services.

II. Assumptions

1. Critical services will be severely affected by a major winter storm that produces accumulations of snow or ice.

2. Because a winter storm will generally be regional in nature, relief for critical service failures may be delayed for an extended period.

3. The loss of electrical power would severely hamper the continuation of critical services. These services would include emergency communications, traffic control, water distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, critical facility operation, and many other services.

4. City departments have developed contingency plans for departmental operation during emergency situations.

5. Specific procedures regarding Fuel & Generators, City Employee Call-back/Standby, EOC staffing & Operations, 911 Backup, Debris Management, and Traffic Control will be implemented to mitigate any potential problems.

III. Loss of 911 / Telephone Communications Plan

1. The overload, loss, or degradation of the 911 telephone system will necessitate a backup reporting system. In order to keep emergency services available throughout the community, personnel from the Fire / Police Communications Center and Fire Department on-duty staff will be assigned to Emergency Information Reception Locations to receive reports from the public. These reports will be passed to the Fire / Police Communications Center via radio communications systems to the appropriate dispatch.

2. 911 Emergency Information Reception Locations are:
· Police Department Front Desk
· Fire Station #1
· Fire Station #2
· Fire Station #3
· Fire Station #4
· Fire Station #5
· Fire Station #6
· Fire Station #7
· Fire Station #8
· Fire Station #9

· Control Location – Fire / Police Communication Center
Emergency Operations Center (Backup)

3. Plan Implementation Criteria

a. Widespread loss of power for greater than 1 hour due to a winter storm with subsequent loss of 911 and / or telephone services.

b. At the direction of the City Manager or designee.

c. Pre-implementation activities may be implemented based on the probability of a significant winter storm affecting the area.




4. Pre-Implementation Activities

a. Designated Fire / Police Communications Center employees and on-duty Garland Fire Department personnel will be used at 911 backup locations in the event of 911 system loss. Fire and Police CAT members will report to the EOC when a winter storm disaster is declared.

b. Designated RACES volunteers will report to 911 backup locations in the event of 911 system loss and a RACES Radio Officer(s) will report to the Communication Center and to the EOC.

c. Two-way radios will be tested prior to a unit being assigned to a 911 backup location to ensure a good communications link with the Communications Center and / or EOC.

5. Plan Implementation

a. The EOC will use all means available to announce that disaster operations have commenced.

b. Designated personnel will report to the Communications Center and will be assigned a 911 backup location.

c. The Fire Department will make an attempt to keep the Fire Stations 911 backup locations staffed until relieved by designated Communications personnel

d. Requests for emergency assistance will be passed from the 911 Backup Location via two-way radio to the Communications Center. The Communications Center will forward the request for assistance to the appropriate Fire Station or Police unit via radio or telephone. CAT members in the EOC will monitor all requests for emergency assistance.

e. Requests received for non-life or property-threatening assistance will be forwarded to the appropriate EOC CAT member for review and disposition.

IV. Lift Stations Overflow Plan

Refer to Garland Water Utilities Emergency Operations Plan

V. Emergency Water Distribution Plan

Refer to Garland Water Utilities Emergency Operations Plan

VI. Other Contingency Activities

A. Fuel and Generators

1. Fuel

a. The City of Garland fuel locations and storage capacity:

For information concerning fuel storage locations and storage capacity, contact Fleet Services.

b. Every effort will be made to ensure that fuel supplies are “topped off” prior to the onset of a potential long-term severe winter storm event.

Note: In the event of a loss of power at the fuel pumps, Fleet Services has a SOP to operate the pumps using generators, or by supplying fuel using a fuel truck.

2. Generators – Inventory and Capacity: Refer to Attachment – Electrical Generator Inventory – Kept on file in EOC / Office of Emergency Management.

In the event of a widespread power loss, generators will be re-fueled and checked every 4-8 hours by Fleet Services personnel

B. City Employee Call-Back / Standby Procedures

Refer to individual department SOPs / Continuity of Operations Plan.


LINK TO STORM OUTLOOK SITE: