HomeMy WebLinkAboutStudy Session Presentation by the Fire Department Re: Weapon V%
CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH
INTER-DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATION q
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Via: Penelope Culbreth-Graf , it Administrator ~"
From: Duane Olson, Fire Chi D 17T
Date: August 3, 2004 .�
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SUBJECT: WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION PROGRAM °r 2'
The Huntington Beach Fire Department, with support in the form of funding from the Federal
Government, has aggressively pursued development of a Response Capability to Weapons of
Mass Destruction.
Since we received our first grant from the Office of Domestic Preparedness in 2001, we have
received nine other grants totaling approximately $3,122,577. Grant funding has been used to
provide sophisticated equipment for all of our First Responders including Fire, Police, and Marine
Safety. Critical pieces of equipment include complete new Hazardous Materials and
Decontamination Units; a SWAT Tactical Vehicle; technical Chemical Detection equipment for our
Haz Mat Team; improved technology including video conferencing and automated data systems for
the Emergency Operations Center; and, for the safety of our Fire, Police, and Marine Safety field
personnel, full chemically protective suits including air purifying respirators. This equipment not
only makes responding to a WMD event safer, but makes our day-to-day emergency operations
safe as well.
With the addition of this new technology, training becomes mandatory to ensure a safe, effective
response. As a result, all Huntington Beach Police and Marine Safety Officers are currently
receiving 16 hours of specially developed WMD Force Protection Training at the Sheriff's Katella
Training Facility. This specialized WMD training is being conducted on a countywide basis to
include all law enforcement officers within the County (approximately 5200). In addition, all fire
officers from our City and throughout the County are currently receiving 16 hours of WMD Incident
Command Training to standardize response capabilities throughout the County of Orange. All of
this training, including overtime costs, instructor costs, and course materials, is being funded by the
Department of Homeland Security 2003 Grant.
In December of 2002, the City's WMD committee was established to ensure that all Departments were
represented and to develop a City-coordinated action plan. The Committee is comprised of personnel
from Fire, Law, Marine Safety, Public Works, Water Operations, and Emergency Services. Special
Alerts from the Orange County Terrorism Early Warning Group (TEWG) are shared with these
members to ensure proper distribution of critical information.
The city of Huntington Beach also actively participates in the decision-making levels with our County,
State, and Federal partners. Monthly meetings with the County's Terrorism Working Group (TWG),
Equipment and Training Committee, and TEWG provide our local input, while constant written and
verbal communications and quarterly meetings with State and Federal representatives reaches out to
those groups that provide funding and direction to our WMD program.
I hope that this background provides an understanding of the proactive stance that our City has taken in
the development of our WMD and day-to-day response capabilities. We will continue to train, to review
our existing systems, and to develop new capabilities based on new technology or threats. We are
now, and will remain, prepared for the possibility of a terrorist act.
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