CHESTERFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONSE TO SEVERE STORM
EMERGENCIES
EXECUTIVE ANALYSIS OF FIRE DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS IN EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT
BY: Robert P. Avsec
Chesterfield Fire Department
Chesterfield, Virginia
An applied research project submitted to the National Fire Academy
as part of the Executive Fire Officer Program
January 2000
2
ABSTRACT
The United States experience some of the most severe weather in the world. Every year
storms unleash strong winds, torrential rains, lightning, and hail that kill hundreds of people,
injure thousands more, and cause property losses in the billions of dollars. Chesterfield County,
Virginia experiences severe weather every year in the form of strong thunderstorms during the
spring and summer months. The county also has a pertinent history of small tornados,
hurricanes, and the remnants of tropical weather systems passing through the county with
significant adverse impact. When such weather does strike, it creates a rapid escalation in
emergency calls for service that put a severe strain on the emergency response resources of
Chesterfield Fire Department. Presently, the department does not have a comprehensive
response policy that enables its personnel to manage the extraordinary problems and demands for
resources that severe weather can cause.
The purpose of this applied research project is to develop a model policy and standard
operating guidelines for the department using the information presented in the Executive Analysis
of Fire Department Operations in Emergency Management course. This study used the
historical, evaluative, and action research methods to answer the following questions:
1.
How vulnerable is Chesterfield County to severe weather, i.e., thunderstorms, hurricanes,
tornados, etc.?
2.
How does severe weather affect the number of calls for service received by the
department?
1.
What policies and procedures does Chesterfield Fire Department currently have in place
for response and emergency operations during severe weather?
2.
What training do Chesterfield Fire Department officers receive for response and
emergency operations before, during, and after severe weather and how well prepared do
they feel they are for such operations?
3
3.
What are benchmarks for response to severe storm emergencies exist that could enable
Chesterfield Fire Department to make its operations more safe, effective, and efficient?
This study used a survey to assess the attitudes of company officers (lieutenants and
captains) and middle managers (senior battalion chiefs, battalion chiefs, and senior captains)
regarding their ability to manage problems and resources during severe weather operations. The
survey was distributed to 86 fire officers of those ranks.
The study findings indicated that a majority of officers have a high level of confidence in
their training and ability to manage the consequences of severe weather. Those findings seem to
be at odds with the department’s lack of a policy, and the necessary training, that covers such
key area of severe storm response as: (1) situational assessment, i.e., “windshield surveys”; (2)
development of formal incident objectives; (3) comprehensive resource management; (4) safety
issues related to severe storms; and (5) an expanded ICS structure.
The recommendations of the research were for the department to: (1) adopt a
comprehensive and systematic policy for emergency operations at severe storm emergencies; (2);
(2) provide severe storm response policy training to all personnel; (3) provide basic training on
the use of Doppler Radar imagery and visual weather forecasting techniques to all personnel; (4)
identify a better methodology for the recall of off-duty personnel; (5) make improvements to the
department’s current ICS policy; and (6) equip reserve fleet apparatus for rapid deployment
during storm response when off-duty or staff personnel have been recalled.
4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT 2
INTRODUCTION
8
BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE
LITERATURE REVIEW
PROCEDURES
RESULTS
25
69
74
DISCUSSION 92
RECOMMENDATIONS
REFERENCES
109
107
10
5
APPENDICES
Appendix A - Chesterfield Emergency Communications Center - Fire Codes
115
Appendix B - County of Chesterfield Emergency Operations Plan, Part I 119
Appendix C - Storm Readiness Survey of Chesterfield Fire Department Officers 121
Appendix D - Chesterfield Fire Department, Operational Policy #13
122
Appendix E - Chesterfield Fire Department, Operational Policy #13, Addendum D
125
Appendix F - Preliminary Assessment Plan, Myrtle Beach, SC, Fire Department 128
Appendix G - Windshield Survey Form, Redmon, WA , Fire Department 131
Appendix H - Priority 1 Call Types Recommended for Revision to Priority 2
132
Appendix I - Proposed Severe Storm Response Guidelines for Chesterfield Fire Department
133
Appendix H - Incident Command System Forms 201-220 168
FIGURES
Figure 1. Risk/Frequency Analysis of Policy and Procedure (Graham, 1997).
Figure 2. Risk Management to ensure proper conduct at incidents (Graham, 1997)
Figure 2. Risk Management to ensure proper conduct at incidents (Graham, 1997)
Figure 3. Incident Complex Organization (FEMA, 1994, p.3-22) 51
Figure 4. Area Command Organization (FEMA, 1994, p. 3-22). 51
Figure 5. Battalion Command Team. (Palm Beach Fire Rescue, 1999). 53
Figure 6. Department Command Team. (Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, 1999). 53
41
41
42
Figure 7. Tornado of August 6, 1993. Comparison of calls for service vs. 6-day average for time
period 1330 hours to 1730 hours.
76
Figure 8. Micro-burst of March 8, 1995. Comparison of calls for service vs. 6-day average for
time period 1730 hours to 2330 hours.
77
Figure 9. Tropical Storm Fran, September 6, 1996. Comparison of calls for service vs. 6-day
average, 0100 hours to 1900 hours. 78
TABLES
Table 1. Incidents of Damaging Wind, 1/1/55 through 12/31/95 12
Table 2. Incidents of Hail-Producing Storms, 1/1/55 through 12/31/95
13
Table 3. Tornado Segments, 1/1/50 through 12/31/95
13
Table 4. Severe Weather History, Chesterfield County, 1969-1999
14
Table 5. Call Activity for Selected Severe Weather Events, Chesterfield County, 1989-1999
15
Table 6. On-duty Career Platoon Staffing, November, 1999.
20
Table 7. Fujita-Pearson Tornado Scale (FPP Scale), www.stormfax.com/fujita.htm, 199933
Table 8. Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Damage Potential Scale
34
Table 9. Rainfall from Hurricane Opal, 1995, http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu, 1999
34
Table 10. Comparison of calls for service per hour received. Selected storms vs. 6 day-average
for same time period. 79
Table 11. First-Line Supervisor Responses to survey
84
Table 12. Middle Manager Responses to Survey
85
6
INTRODUCTION
Fire Departments in the United States form the backbone of the nation’s ability to
respond to emergency incidents caused by severe weather and other natural phenomena. From
earthquakes in California, to tornados in the Midwest, to hurricanes in Florida, firefighters are
there to manage the consequences of severe weather. Even before the wind stops blowing or the
rain stops falling, firefighters begin working on the tasks necessary to help their communities
recover from the devastation wrought by “Mother Nature.” From searching destroyed buildings
for survivors, to clearing streets and roads of trees and debris, to treating the injured, firefighters
start taking care of the critical tasks long before other resources can arrive.
Though the fire service has accepted this role, and the public has come to expect such
disaster response from fire departments, most departments receive very little additional resources
to help meet the extraordinary challenges presented when severe weather strikes. In most
communities, the same level of resources, that are in most cases only adequate for daily response
requirements, must somehow be “stretched” to meet demands for services that encompass an
entire community at once.
Severe weather does not need to be of the magnitude of a tornado or hurricane to have a
significant impact on a fire department’s operation. Spring and summer thunderstorms packing
strong winds, lightning, torrential rains, or any combination of the three, can create a significant
increase in calls for service in a short period of time. This rapid influx of calls puts a severe
strain on a fire department’s resources as fire officers and firefighters try to manage multiple
incidents occurring simultaneously, or several significant incidents.
Severe weather can create conditions that make response too hazardous for responders (strong
winds, lightning, downed powerlines, etc.); block ordinary response routes with trees and
building debris.
Experience has shown that fire departments must recognize the special operations that
they must employ when responding to emergencies caused by severe weather. Departments that
respond safely, effectively, and efficiently to emergencies brought on by severe weather do so
because of preplanning, specialized training, and standard operating guidelines that clearly
delineate the different methodologies that will be used to manage hazards and resources.
The problem examined in this Applied Research Project is that Chesterfield Fire
Department has no system for managing the extraordinary demands for service that a severe
storm can enact upon its resources. The department’s present adverse weather policy is
inadequate and provides no strategic direction to the department’s middle and upper managers to
aid them in conducting fire department operations during such events. The purpose of this
applied research project is to develop a model policy and standard operating guidelines for the
department using the information presented in the Executive Analysis of Fire Department
Operations in Emergency Management course. This study used the historical, evaluative, and
action research methods to answer the following questions:
1.
How vulnerable is Chesterfield County to severe weather, i.e., thunderstorms, hurricanes,
tornados, etc.?
2.
How does severe weather affect the number of calls for service received by the
department?
1.
What policies and procedures does Chesterfield Fire Department currently have in place
for response and emergency operations during severe weather?
7
2.
3.
What training do Chesterfield Fire Department officers receive for response and
emergency operations before, during, and after severe weather and how well prepared do
they feel they are for such operations?
What are benchmarks for response to severe storm emergencies exist that could enable
Chesterfield Fire Department to make its operations more safe, effective, and efficient?
BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County is a suburban county that borders Virginia's capital city, Richmond,
to the south. The County encompasses 446 square miles and has an estimated population of
260,000 residents. The governing body is a five-member Board of Supervisors with each
member representing one of five magisterial districts. A County Administrator, appointed by
the Board, manages the daily operations of the County.
Chesterfield Fire Department
Chesterfield Fire Department provides emergency and non-emergency services to the
public using a combination career/volunteer system. The Department provides a full range of
emergency responses services to County citizens including: fire suppression, emergency medical
services, hazardous materials response, water rescue, and technical rescue. In addition, the
Department also provides non-emergency services such as injury prevention education, fire
safety inspections, building code reviews, fire brigade training to local industry, etc.
The Department uses a career staff of 370 officers and firefighters and a volunteer staff of
250 officers and firefighters to operate seventeen engine companies and five truck companies
from seventeen fire stations. Six stations are staffed entirely by career personnel, and one by
volunteer personnel; the remaining ten stations are operated by a career/volunteer staff. Each
platoon has eighty-six firefighters and Company Officers assigned for fire station staffing. The
Deputy Chief of Operations provides management and leadership to a three-platoon system that
has a Senior Battalion Chief responsible for each of the three platoons.
Each Senior Battalion Chief has two Battalion Chiefs (North and South Battalions) and a
Senior Captain that make up their battalion staff for daily operations of the platoon. The Senior
Battalion Chief also has battalion level responsibilities for the Central Battalion, the smallest of
the three battalions with three stations.
The Deputy Chief of Support Services is responsible for management of the Training and
Safety Division, the Fire and Life Safety Division, the Maintenance and Logistics Division, the
Information Services Division, and the Administrative Services Division.
Vulnerability
Chesterfield County is in the coastal plain and Piedmont sections of east-central Virginia.
It is bounded on the north by the City of Richmond (the fall line that separates the Piedmont and
coastal sections of Virginia) and Henrico County. The County is bounded on the east by
Henrico and Charles City counties; on the west by Amelia and Powhatan counties; and on the
south by Dinwiddie, Prince George, and Amelia counties. The James River forms the northern
boundary and the Appomattox River forms the southern boundary.
The Central Virginia region, and Chesterfield County, have a history of severe weather.
The presence of two major eastward flowing rivers provides a strong conduit for severe weather
that typically approaches from the west. According to the National Weather Service Office in
Wakefield, Virginia the region has a thirty-year average of 36.5 days per year with thunderstorm
#Injuries
Fatalities
of Incidents
Table
1. Incidents of Damaging Wind, 1/1/55 through 12/31/95
Windspeed
# of Incidents
Fatalities
Injuries
8
activity. The most favorable time of year for thunderstorm development is early spring to late
summer. (William Sampler, personal communication, October 14, 1999). For the Central
Virginia Region, Table 1 illustrates thunderstorm incidents that produced damaging winds
(Chesterfield County Emergency Operations Plan, Basic Plan, Part I, August 5, 1997).
40-49 MPH
2230
9
135
50-59 MPH
278
0
5
60-69 MPH
102
0
15
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a
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l
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0
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8
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m
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hail
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ld County
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0
.
7
5
"
Table 1. Incidents of Hail-Producing Storms, 1/1/55 through 12/31/95
9
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i Table 3 illustrates the number of tornado segments that the region experienced
fromd1950 through 1995 (Chesterfield County Emergency Operations Plan, Basic Plan,
Part eI, August 5, 1997). A tornado segment is a term used to describe the often
n or “segmented” path that a tornado may take. Each time the funnel cloud
“spotty”
t down” and creates damage constitutes another segment. Each segment may
“drops
s damage that falls into a different category on the Fujita-Pearson Tornado Scale
create
usedFto rate 0the destructiveness of a tornado (Tim0Armstrong,
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21
Totals
* - Indicates Fire Station that staffs a volunteer EMS ambulance from its maximum
staffing complement Monday-Friday, 0800 hours to 1800 hours.
1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
(Engine,
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10
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*
11
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12
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14
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Battalion
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22
notification of incapacitating defibrillators, are
de
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m
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Policy #13 provides
deployment asse
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Th
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for resource Fire apparatus,Ba
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no
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devoid of any Em
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c
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re
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The a reserve fire un
of
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re
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process for thenecessary
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equipment must
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if it is replacin
th
declining number
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when off-duty
This practice ma
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duty. This lack
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Addendum
complicated bypossible
the
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fact that the either before an
Se
Policy #13 does
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Ch
fair job of outlining
system of tracking
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di
fire station level
where reserve storm.
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re
storm response,
throughout
but
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m
its major focuscounty.
is
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an
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response to normal apparatus,
th
Responsibilities
emergencies created
pieces of the reserve
EM
Disaster
by severe winter
fleet are housed
Th
Response-Respo
weather. Thisacross the county in As
on
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University
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isstatus of
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Illinois
downward.
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Cloud
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others.
not take the necessary
Service’s
precautions.
publication,
tropical
thunderstorm.
in
origin,
Urbana-Champaign,
Spotter's
project
They
will
wrote
usually
focus
that
1999,
its
reach
east
beyon
term
July 11, 1990 - Denver, CO,
Many departments
Guidehave
for
Identifying
probably
i.e.,
of
tropical
the
Rocky
and
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu).
storms
analysis
Mountains
and
feet.
supercells
indiv
the worst hailstorm in U.S.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
24
Tornados
Winds exceeding 57 miles per hour
Hail ¾" in diameter or greater
Rainfall capable of local and flash flooding
Dangerous lightning
High Precipitation Supercells produce m
Precipitation Supercells. Rain and hail m
updraft. These types of cells are often
The advent of WSR-88D Doppler (also
Precipitation supercells are more preval
U.S. High Precipitation storms are now
(Vavrek et al., p.6)
Some supercells persist for several hours and track over hundreds of miles while
producing severe weather. In contrast, ordinary thunderstorms last less than one hour
and cover shorter distances.
Meteorologists catagorize supercells as Classic, High Precipitation, and Low
Precipitation Supercells. Classic Supercells have a well-defined area of precipitation
just northwest of the cloud tower or main updraft. Beneath the main updraft, and a
short distance southwest of the precipitation, is a rain-free cloud base. A lowering or
rotating wall cloud is evident beneath this base. The Classic Supercell is usually
isolated.
Low Precipitation Supercells are usually found on the High Plains of the U.S. As a macroburst or some non-severe gu
where moist air from the Gulf of Mexico meets dry air from the north and west. These concaved-shaped underside of the shelf
produce little rain and are rather small. “Although they look less threatening than
winds at the ground. Although some ro
other supercells, they can produce severe weather” (Vavrek et al., p.7).
likely to be short-lived and without vert
(DAS, 1999).
Outflow Phenomena-Downbursts
Information from the WW2010 website, of the Department of Atmospheric
Sciences (DAS) at the University of Illinois at Urbanna-Champaign,
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu, describes a downburst as a strong downdraft which
includes an outburst of potentially damaging winds on or near the ground. Downdrafts
with a diameter greater than 2.5 miles are classified as a macroburst; smaller
downdrafts are referred to as microbursts.
Downdrafts, both macrobursts and microburst, are thought to be less significant The development of tornados requires se
than tornados. In reality, they are just as lethal, if not more so in some circumstances. thunderstorms. These strong thunderst
Many aircraft crashes in recent years have been caused by either macrobursts or
convectional storms, or they may form a
microburst that occurred as pilots were making their critical landing approach (DAS, fast-moving mid-latitude cyclones. In e
1999). On January 3, 2000, a severe storm front that moved through the Ohio Valley contain high levels of moisture with larg
uprooting trees, knocking down powerlines, and ripping roofs from structures.
81).
National Weather Service investigators determined that the damage was caused by
straight line winds from microbursts, some of which had winds clocked in excess of
130 MPH (Weather Channel, 2000, www.weather.com/weather_center).
Tornados
Ebert (1988) wrote that tornados occur in just about any part of the world, but
are most numerous in North America, especially in the central and southeastern regions
of the U.S.
The total varies from year to year, but it is estimated that about 90 percent of the
world’s tornados occur in the U.S.
25
26
F
0
R
a
t
i
n
g
27
F
1
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2
M
o
d
e
r
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o
28
F
4
F
5
29
Table 7. Fujita-Pearson Tornado Scale (FPP Scale), www.stormfax.com/fujita.htm, 1999
S
c
Hurricanes
a
Ebert (1988) describes a hurricane as the most powerful
storm in nature.
l
power is never more evident then when a hurricane makeselandfall. A hurricane
1
That
making landfall does so with tremendous winds and torrential rainfall. Coastal regions
are also susceptible to the storm surge, a wall of water being
# “pushed” ashore ahead of
,
the offshore winds.
Areas inland also experience tornados spawned by the outer thunderstorm bands.
C
Strong winds are the most common means of destruction
associated with
a
hurricanes. Their sometimes continuous barrage can uproot
trees,
knock over
t
buildings and homes, fling deadly debris around, and sink eor ground boats. The
intensity of a hurricane is measured by the sustained wind gspeed found within it. The
relative strength of a hurricane is also measured on a scaleobased on its greatest wind
r
speed. Table 8 on the next page shows the Saffir-Simpsony scale, named for the men
who invented it, which measures the damage potential of a hurricane based on its
greatest wind speed.
2
30
3
4
5
Table 8. Saff
31
Rainfall from Hurric
Ellyson, FL
15.45"
32
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9
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several decades.
1
creased urbanization.9 When concrete replaces soil, rain water will run off rather than soak in. Flash flood producing
popular mountain camping
9
spots (DAS, 1999, http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/svr/dngr/flood.rxml).
5
,
h
33
34
35
only be estimated since it is impossible to get measuring devices into the vortex of a tornado, unlike the eye of a hurricane where
mercury, or about 60 percent of normal atmospheric pressure.
c pressure, caused by the passage of a hurricane, would drop anywhere from one to five inches of mercury, the net excess pressu
nation with the force exerted by the high winds, can lead to a total disintegration of the structure (Ebert, 1988, p.84).
36
37
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(
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eT
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m
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t
.
41
r
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p
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42
n
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.
8
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t
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43
r
o
p
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r
l
y
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t
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a
t
I
n
F
i
g
u
r
e
H ig h R isk, H ig h
Fr eq uency
y T ime
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Low R isk, H ig h
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Frequency
1
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44
n
t
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45
e
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t
h
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46
w
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F
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cti
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p
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e
Consequences
(Lawyersville)
M
a
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(
1
9
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1
)
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c
a
n
b
e
47
e
g
i
v
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m
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h
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h
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n
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d
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o
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s
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a
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t
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l
.
T
h
o
s
e
c
r
i
t
i
c
a
l
c
o
m
p
o
n
e
n
t
s
a
r
e
i
d
i
e
s
;
a
n
d
e
n
t
i
f
i
e
d
(
3
)
a
s
:
a
p
p
l
y
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n
g
l
i
m
i
t
e
d
r
e
s
o
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r
c
e
s
t
o
t
h
e
48
n
p
r
o
b
l
e
m
s
t
h
a
t
a
r
e
a
l
s
o
a
p
p
l
i
c
a
b
l
e
e
v
e
n
t
s
”
(
A
u
f
d
e
r
H
e
i
d
e
,
p
.
2
5
)
.
I
n
t
o
t
h
e
l
a
r
g
e
r
c
o
u
r
s
e
49
r
c
h
e
d
w
e
r
e
o
f
t
h
e
a
n
e
c
d
o
t
a
l
o
r
h
i
s
t
o
r
i
c
a
l
n
a
t
u
r
e
–
t
h
e
y
d
e
s
c
r
i
b
e
d
w
h
a
t
h
a
p
p
e
n
e
d
,
b
u
t
p
r
o
v
i
d
e
d
50
e
r
a
t
i
o
n
s
a
t
N
a
t
u
r
a
l
a
n
d
M
a
n
m
a
d
e
D
i
s
a
s
t
e
r
s
,
a
n
d
E
x
e
c
u
t
i
v
e
A
n
a
l
y
s
i
s
o
f
F
i
r
e
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
O
p
e
r
a
t
i
o
n
51
e
d
e
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
’
s
p
o
l
i
c
i
e
s
a
n
d
p
r
o
c
e
d
u
r
e
s
f
o
r
r
e
s
p
o
n
s
e
t
o
n
a
t
u
r
a
l
a
n
d
m
a
n
m
a
d
e
d
i
s
a
s
t
e
r
s
.
F
o
l
l
o
52
e
a
p
p
r
o
p
r
i
a
t
e
f
o
r
s
e
v
e
r
e
w
e
a
t
h
e
r
e
m
e
r
g
e
n
c
i
e
s
.
1.
Situation
assessment andsize-up
1.
Identifying
incident objectives
2.
Developing
an organization to
53
manage the incident
disaster). This
3.
Develop
component
a
should
system of resource
also address the need
management to provide command
4.
Develop
with information
a
on
communications
what
plan
has happened,
5.
Develop
the scope
an and
incident safetymagnitude
plan
of the
6.
Develop
incident.
an This
incident medical
assessment
plan
has two
(FEMA, 1994,basic
pp. functional tasks
3-5 to 3-6). that must be
completed–the
Situation
impact of the event
Assessment and
on emergency
Size-up
FEMAresources
(1994) and
describes this facilities and the
component as impact on the
necessary direction
community. The
on how to provide
former
forshould be
security of completed as soon
department resources
after the precipitating
and personnel event
(whileas possible.
fulfilling first
Ensure the
responder
safety of yourself and
requirements during
your co-workers.
the initial stageAssess
of a the condition
major incidentof:
or
Yourself and your co-workers
The station and apparatus
Utilities: gas, water, electricity, and phone lines
Move apparatus out of the station to the primary safe area. If the primary area is unusable, move to the secondary safe
area.
Complete a roll call
(Redmond Fire Department, 1998, p. 1)
54
tactics to meet the objectives, resources, organization, communications
use in tactical operations. The use of ICS Forms 201-207, when prop
Plan (FEMA, 1999, ICS Forms Catalog).
The written IAP is the cornerstone of good documentation of th
require some form of documentation, i.e., fire reports, patient care repo
nature of a disaster does not lessen the need for, nor alleviate, requirem
Documentation will be greater in both volume and in scope tha
proportional to the size of the disaster, or greater. This need is driven b
involved; (3) greater cost; and (4) increased possibilities of something
Developing an Organization
Incident
A severe storm can qui
level of devastation in a comm
creates demands for service tha
abilities of emergency respond
The torn
mid-afternoon, tearing along a
Each company will conduct a windshield survey of their preassigned area. Companies will report
wide
via and
radioseven
to operations
kilometers
in long
the Central Station the conditions of their areas. These reports are to include the status of utilities,
estimated
roadways,
$10 million
and pending
in damag
emergency calls. NO COMPANY WILL COMMIT TO A SITUATION UNTIL THEY HAVE
reaching
COMPLETED
approximately
THEIR
270 km
SURVEY (South Trail Fire Protection and Rescue Service District, 1999, p 11).
categorized as a force 3 tornad
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Department (1999) uses the terminology of “jurisdictional
middle
survey”
of atoscale
describe
of 0 to
their
5 esta
assessment of the impact on the community. That department’s priorities are the status of target Environment
hazards, major
Canada.
responseHundre
routes, and housing developments in the county. Redmon Fire Department’s Earthquake Emergency
suffered
Planserious
calls for
damage.
their Thir
personnel to survey the community and categorize hazards using a color-coded designation: red for
approximately
significant damage,
260 families
yellow
had
for moderate damage, and green for little or no damage. (See Appendix G).
completely demolished (Drape
Using the attached check
sheets, and using the designated route, do a
drive-by assessment of the commercial,
multi-family residential, major arterials, shelters
(schools and churches), and high hazard
occupancies in your area. You are expected to
stick to the route as much as possible (Redmon
Fire Department, 1998, unnumbered page).
FEMA (1999) wrote that an Incident Action Plan documents the actions deve
Command and General Staffs during the Planning Meeting. A properly completed ac
1.
55
1.The incidents are close enough to be managed by the same incident management team.
2.Some staff and/or logistical support economies could be achieved through a combined manageme
3.Planning, Logistics, and Finance activities can be adequately provided to the Incident Complex fr
team.
In an Incident Complex where numerous incidents are handled
quickly
and with
only a few resourc
Figure
3. Incident
Complex
named, but handled as tasks within a division or branch (See
Figure 3 on (FEMA,
next page).
Organization
1994, p.3-22)
Provide effective agency or jurisdictional oversight for assigned incidents.
56
BatalionIncidentCommaner
BatalionOperationsOficer BatalionPlaningOficer BatalionLogisticsOficer
Division/BranchDivision/BranchDivision/Branch
Figure 5. Battalion Command
Team. (Palm Beach Fire
Rescue, 1999).
FEMA (1994) wrote
that adding these additional
tools to the ICS was not
sufficient to effectively manage
disaster situations. They
identified a shortcoming in the
management of major
incidents: the inexperience of
officers filling Command and
General Staff positions.
57
response after a storm.
Each task force is
composed of at least: (1) a Public Works
unit capable of clearing a road of debris;
(2) a police unit for traffic control and
other assistance; (3) a fire unit for rescue
and fire suppression; (4) an Electric
Utility crew (Tallahassee, 1999,
www.state.fl.us/citytlh/emergency/hurrica
n.html).
Both wrote that the problems were
exacerbated by: communications
problems (systems being out of service,
radio frequency differences between
agencies, etc.); a lack of rapid
development of an effective
organizational structure; and resources
coming into the disaster area from
surrounding areas.
Tallahassee (1999) identified a
resource management tool for use during
response to severe weather in that city.
The purpose of a “Road Clearing Task
Force” is to disburse equipment and
provide road clearing and emergency
58
The names of those personnel
not accounted for in some manner within
12 hours following the end of the storm
will be presumed to be in need of
assistance and efforts will be made to
reach them at their home or last know
location (Myrtle Beach Fire Department,
1999, p.11).
59
The most crucial
types of information that need to be
shared are those related to:
1. It wasn’t
The “Robinson
of
a trust or familiarity,
1.Term
Crusoe
lack
syndrome,”
of political,
or jurisdictiona
procedu
commu
“we’re
confidence
the onlydisputes.
ones on this informa
importa
island.”
in the
Organizations
2.There is
areno mutual
differen
emerge
accustomed
person towho
operating
has the responsib
become
autonomously
making the
Tcollection
and fail toand respons
dissem
his
change
report,
this approach
butvariouswhere
types of
importa
infor
discrepance
multiple
rather
agencies
thewhom
areit should
during
be dis
caused involved
exactand are
3.Persons
dependent
possessing
situatio
some delays
on one
meaning
another.of
notEach
realize that(FEMA
anothe
in movingperson
his/her
gives priority
needs ittodoesn’t
the have
resourcesinformation
to words needs
4.The
ofinformation
his
the firs
nee
the stricken
own organization
(Castillo,organizations
rather
are
County
not
area
than that
Montes,
of the overallThese are
occurre
cruc
immediately
response
and effort.communication“It’s
thatthn
following1.There
Paulison,
is a hesitancy
radio equipment
to depend
there’s
ison
lik
the storm.other1992,
organizations,
p.10).
(Rosow,
often
1977,
dueatp.to
the
173
lacM
Department, hurricanes. 1.Disciplined, concise message
Coral Gables Included in 2.Clear articulation of situation
Fire
these standard3.An effective understanding ho
Department, and
operating
FEMA (1994) wrote tha
City of Miamiprocedures areIncident Action Plan (IAP).
South Tra
“T
Fire
orders to ceasefor each element of the incident
Departments all
operations at
Salt Lake City Fire Dep
have written fifty miles per(1991) all wrote of the commun
procedures by hour sustainedThe authors all cited lack of int
which these
I
wind speeds that were experienced while ma
n the state of departments (Hughes, 1998,
Florida,
operate duringp. 21).
Metro-Dade Fire
incidents of
60
vehicle had been
washed off thehis component
road in torrential
assures
rains. . . .The personnel safety
fourth firefighter
(by
was evacuatingidentification of
residents of a hazards
coastal area associated with
during a storm.the particular
He ignored type of
orders to put on
incident/disaster.
a life jacket at This information
least four times.
can be
He also had transferred to
been told to ICS Form 202
remove his coat
of the written
and boots since(IAP) and in an
they would actattachment page
like anchors ifto the IAP,
he fell into theusually titled
water (NFPA, “Safety Message
1990, p. 33). (FEMA, 1994,
p. 3-6).
F
our of the
victims were
wearing
structural
firefighting
FEMA
protective
(1994) wrote
clothing when that the
they drowned.development of
One of them was
incident safety
placing flares plan and its
along a roadway
communication
when he
throughout the
apparently fellorganization are
into a drainagecritical for safe
ditch. Another
operations
was assisting aduring disaster
motorist whosesituations.
T
The majority of the technical informatio
and Man-made Disasters, and Executive
obtain and reviewed seven unpublished
addressed hurricane response. The man
this new media is being used extensively
a medium for the sharing of operational
of the City of Tallahassee (FL) site that
dealt exclusively with earthquake respon
Segerstrom
also for
address
The research
procedures
this
waste
time
on
an
alternate
route
response to severe storm emergencies.
RegardlessLearning
of the reason
National Fire Academy’s
Reso
approximately
1,500
pounds.
the course, Executive Analysis of Fire Se
p. 28).
on the term,
“emergency response to thu
(1990) wrote
downtha
on the topic. NFPA a.Wires
rescues (41%)”b.Gas
(NFPA,
leaks
1990, p
firefighting gear.
c.Fires
d.Unsafe structur
e.Flooding
f.Hazardous mate
The
g.Traumatized
severe weat
an
h.HeatServices
stress (My
Co
forecaster w
Tim Armst
telephone o
Operations
Richard Mc
Chesterfield
1999 to obt
memorandu
from Janua
The
information
System (CA
second sear
days after t
61
The author tabulated the survey results manual
graphics software Microsoft Powerpoint to produce th
The author wrote the text of this Applied Resea
and figures for the project were developed using Micro
Explorer and Netscape, were used to conduct on-line c
Limitations
The literature review revealed a very small am
emergencies in the context of training and operational
hazards of severe weather, i.e., hurricanes, thunderstor
respond to those emergencies and how they train their
on-line computer search of the Internet computer netw
National Fire Academy was unable to yield significant
The small size of the officer survey population
number of survey responses, especially for the compan
one of the issues identified in the literature review was
emergencies, and the lack of policy and procedure in o
62
63
64
Chesterfield County is a microcosm of that larger national we
ninety miles west of the county. The Atlantic Ocean lies approxima
Chesterfield County. In the spring and summer this moisture freque
County’s Emergency Operations Plan lists twelve significant inciden
and their remnants; and flooding either from the previously mentione
windstorm/tornado/severe thunderstorm category as the second most
Flooding is a major concern because the county is part of the
through Chesterfield County. Hurricane Floyd, which dropped mor
65
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?
erational policies of several fire departments, indicates that an emergency response to severe weather related incidents require st
incident management organization; (4) efficient and effective resource allocation; (5) addressing incident safety issues.
artment must be able to quickly assess the immediate impact of the storm on emergency resources and facilities. The operation
he immediate vicinity of their physical location. This initial assessment information is quickly relayed to the appropriate level
ompleted, emergency resources are directed to systematically assess the condition of their first-due response area through the us
ed on what they can see through the windshield of their apparatus. Supervisors completing the windshield assessment should fo
y Officers are directed to only stop and provide emergency service for obvious life-threatening situations.
94
vening of
95
E
mergenc
y
response
personne
l need to
become
familiar
with
Doppler
Radar
technolo
gy and
how to
interpret
what the
radar is
showing.
The
number
of
Internet
websites
that
provide
Doppler
Radar
imagery
has
increased
dramatic
ally in
recent
years.
One of
the best
found in
this
research
project
was
Intellicas
t.Com,
www.inte
llicast.co
m, which
offers
Doppler
Radar
views for
entire
United
States.
It also
offers all
three
major
Doppler
Radar
products:
base
reflectivi
ty,
velocity,
and
precipitat
ion.
The
Intellicas
t site also
gives the
viewer
the
ability to
see all
three
products
in
motion
over a
six-hour
time
lapse.
E
mergenc
y
responde
rs should
also
develop
a
working
knowled
ge ofStrong
identifyi
winds
ng present
approach
a
ing physica
severe
l
weather
hazard
based
to on
visual
personn
cluesel and
suchvehicle
as
cloud
s just
formatio
from
n, the
changes
force of
in the
windspee
wind
d and
that can
direction
blow
, andvehicle
the
direction
s off
fromthe
which
road
severe
and
weather
overtur
approach
n even
es their
large
locality.
vehicle
Airline
s such
pilots
as
receive
pumper
extensive
s and
training
aerial
in such
apparat
weather
us.
observati
Additio
on for
nally,
use in
winds
theircause
approach
trees to
es for
fall,
landings.
utility
Thiswires
allows
to
themcome
to
confirm
down,
theAstructur
technical
pes to
informati
r disinteg
on i rate,
provided
l etc.,
to them
creatin
by 1g
instrume
, “missil
nts such
es”
as radar,
1from
and9the
to
react
9resultin
appropri
8g
atelydebris.
when
aThe
condition
nreviewe
s change
dd fire
faster
depart
than
Fments
the
instrume
3all
nts can
stipulat
react
t e to
in
theotheir
changes.
r policies
Emergen
nat what
cy awindsp
responde
deed
rs can
oemerge
findncy
themselv
t respons
es in
oe will
similar
ucease
circumst
cuntil
ances,
hwindsp
especiall
eeeds
y when
ddiminis
theyhare
to
in the
daccepta
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oble
and
do w
not
levels.
have
n
access
Torrent
to
technical
nial
informati
erains
on afrom
associat
sources
r ed with
suchsevere
as
Doppler
t weather
Radar.
h,
A sound
eespecia
understa
lly
nding
t hurrica
of
weather
ones,
dynamic
wcan
s can
npresent
helpa
field
onumber
comman
f of
derssafety
make
Chazards
more
oincludi
appropri
ang: (1)
ate t localize
decisions
ed
to sfloodin
protect
vg; (2)
thei road
safety
l washou
of
their
l ts; (3)
personne
emudsli
l. des; (4)
i persons
ntrapped
in swift
Hwater:
aand (5)
npersons
otrapped
vin
evehicle
rs
trapped
Cby
oswift
uwater.
nFire
t depart
yment
. vehicle
operato
. rs need
to be
. especia
lly
. cogniza
nt of
Athe
hazard
Sof road
ewashou
vts
eparticul
r arly
egiven
the
Tgross
hvehicle
uweights
nof
dtoday’s
efire
r apparat
sus.
t Person
onel
r need to
mbe
familiar
W
with
aareas in
r their
nrespons
i e area
nthat are
gprone
to
wflo
ag
she
ra
i an
sav
sdr
uth
em
dw
un
ath
t st
y
6ro
: ca
4es
5he
pPe
. an
mve
.s
tra
ain
nw
dpr
a
usi
pan
glif
r et
aha
dto
eth
dvi
an
t re
oA
re
aer
sh
Tbe
otra
r in
96
(
N
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
W
e
a
t
h
e
r
S
e
r
v
i
c
e
,
1
9
9
8
,
h
t
t
p
:
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/
t
g
s
v
5
.
n
w
s
.
n
o
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.
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t
m
)
.
97
Sammler, personal communication, October 14, 1999).
Tornados or micro bursts accounted for five of the 12
significant severe storms that the county has
experienced since 1969 (Chesterfield County
Emergency Operations Plan, Basic Plan, Part I, August
5, 1997).
The county also lies in a storm track followed
by hurricanes, or their tropical storm remnants, that
make landfall in the southeastern United States. Since
1969, seven of the 12 significant severe storms that the
county has experienced were hurricanes, tropical
storms, or their remnants (Chesterfield County
Emergency Operations Plan, Basic Plan, Part I, August
5, 1997).
Chesterfield Fire Department personnel would
benefit greatly from training about the characteristics of
severe weather and its potential for adverse
consequences in the county. That training would
develop a greater awareness of the types of damage that
could occur and the safety hazards that they would face
while responding to emergencies during severe
weather. Such training would also enable Middle
Managers (Senior Battalion Chiefs, Battalion Chiefs,
and Senior Captains) to make better decisions about
when conditions are too hazardous for response
operations to continue.
The historical data for severe storms in
Chesterfield County correlates with that information
from the literature review. The county’s geographical
position on the Virginia Piedmont, between the Blue
Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, provides a
conducive atmosphere for the development of
thunderstorms. The Central Virginia region, which
includes Chesterfield County, has a thirty-year average
of 36.5 days per year with thunderstorm activity. The
most favorable time of year for thunderstorm
development is early spring to late summer. (William
98
99
Training
observation and
“forecasting” w
officers to reco
potential for se
that proper plan
operations coul
especially when
in the field and
to radar techno
Situation Asse
Fire dep
provide EMS fo
communities ha
many years the
assessment whe
and managing,
incidents (MCI
objectives iden
a MCI is the ne
systematic triag
number and sev
and to prioritize
transportation o
severity (Burkl
Wolcott, 1984,
care resources a
those patients w
severe injuries
100
receive the minimum amount ofl
resources to accomplish the task.
s
The incident management focus is
on balancing the available
t
resources and the patient care h
needs so that the greatest number
a
of patients get an acceptable level
t
of patient care (Aud der Heide,
1989, p. 166).
t
h
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p
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105
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p
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9
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A
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P
l
a
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(
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o
m
i
t
i
g
106
107
The company officers of the
department need training in how to operate
in the more decentralized command and
control environment that is required to
effectively respond to severe storm T
devastation. Those tactical level resource
h
managers will have to make many i
decisions normally reserved for theirs
superior officers. They will also have to
direct a specified amount of resources
a in a
larger geographical area to achieve control
c
of multiple problems. For example,t an
engine company officer may be assigned
i
an
engine, a brush truck, and a front-endo
loader, and be directed to assess andn
manage the problems in a subdivision of
fifty homes (Eichelberger, 1991, p. 32).
w
The department’s middle managers
o
need to become skilled and practiceduin
receiving situation status reports from
l
company officers in the field, processing
d
that information for their area of
responsibility, and then allocate the a
appropriate resources within their area.
l
l
o
w
B
a
t
t
a
l
i
o
n
C
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.
T
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s
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o
In s
dec
ope
Chi
how
stru
reso
con
and
to e
the
rece
eme
ava
ope
reso
not
wea
pers
199
man
how
reso
revi
Cou
situ
“wi
nec
mag
the
gen
peri
(Re
mem
batt
199
108
e
r
s
o
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i
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o
t
a
d
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q
u
a
t
e
a
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Palm Beach
Department. County emergency
hurricane annex.
FL: Author. Sharp,
E.L., D.
(1983).
Times-Dispa
(2000,em
Ja
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(1999). Palm Beach
operations plan:
Palm Beach County,911
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is danger
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car
R
123
New York, NY:
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www.state.fl.us/citytlh/eme
Vavrek, R.J., Holle
Davies, J.M., and Hoadley
Supercells-nature’s most v
The Earth Scientist, 12, 3-1
Weather Channel, (
weather: Tuesday, January
Center. [Website]. Availab
www.weather.com/weather
includes all alarm ac
flow, be sure to n
truck company.
con
I
GA
includes all aircraft type
BUSINESS
emergencies
BE S(
motor problems, unknown
VISIBLEproblem
potential crashincludes
all fires
crash)
for
Iand
44 actual
124
a
includes all recovery
includes
gas calls any
where
vehicle
there
inc
involved
leakout
includes
in
all woods, g
the out on arrival this
includes
inter
all yard stor
ior
incidents where structures/buildings
of a
this
h
with the possibility
includes
buil of injury
standby
orfor
tra
dingstrikes with no fi
includes calls where
includes
you know
trash you
andincludes
have
dumpsters
a hazardous
fires thatinc
are
m
not cause damage
should be coded
includes structure fires in area of county that get mutual
Powhatan, Petersburg)
incidents where trench
includes
or excavations
overturned,
construction requires
10-50
special
only sheet
incidents where people
incidents
are trapped
mayincludes
in
also
commercial,
require
callsatmosph
where
indu
construction or farm
rescue
machinery
to recover
which
is
victim(s);
evidence
may require
also
of me
ms
stabilization, lifting
which
and amanipulation;
victim cannotthese
exit;inciden
also m
require the specialized
wherecutting,
the victim
distorting
includes
is in an
all
and/or
unshored
calls disa
whe
equipment components
any situation
to rescue
whereor
person(s)
natural
recovergas
visible
a victim
leaksa
includes all mutual aid
orcalls
on anoutside
ice covered
of thelake,
county
pond,
(i.e.:rivP
Powhatan - Fire and EMS type includes
calls included)
illegal burni
includes any fire not classified
unattended)
in othe
includes all structure electrical
fires where
poles,
a reduced
includes
porta-johns,
assignment
water shut
etc.) oi
includes all structures other than comm
2.
5.
Review
Normal
and update plans and procedures, as
Operations
time permits
1.
2.
Increased Readiness
Develop
- A natural or
and maintain plans
man-made
and procedures
disastertoisprovide
threatening
fire the local area
services in time of emergency
a.
Alert
on-duty
personnel
b.
Identify
status of
vehicles and
equipment.
1.Emergency Chief or his
Operations
representative
should report to
1.Mobilization
Phase
Conditions
continue
to the EOC and
worsen
requiring
full-scale
mitigation
and assist with
preparedness
emergency
activities
operations
1.Check
1.Alert
personnel
to 3.As the
stand-by status
firefighting
and situation
communications worsens, alert
equipment.
and assign
2.The Fire
duties to all
personnel. Fire
department
personnel may
be requested to
assist with
warning and
evacuation
1.Response
Phase
1.Begin
Disastertofires or incidents e to assist with
strikes.implement
An
hazardous
and
evacuation as
emergency
record
materials
continue required
response
keeping
is
ofincidents
for the
requiredallto
duration
protect incurred
lives and
of
2. the
property.
expenses
emergency
For
for fire other disasters:
1.Follow
and
established
hazardous
procedures
materials
in
a.
responding
related
to
Continu
125
2.Assist with
ground search
and rescue, if
requested
el the
org
ani
zati
on
has
a
pla
n
for
safe
,
effe
3.
my ARPdamaged
for the course,
questions, and return the
Record
facilities,
if
Executive Analysishard
of Fire
copy survey to me at
disaster-related
applicable.
Department
Operations
the AO
in Office, Fire
expenses for
Emergency Management.
Station 15, before
fire serviceThe topic of my e.
ARP
is,
November
15, 1999.
functions. “Chesterfield
Compile
and
Fire
submit
records
Department
Response
What
to is your current
4.
of
Severe Storm
position in the
Recove
disaster-related
Emergencies.”
One
organization?
of my

ry
expenses for
goals for this project is to First-line
fire service
develop a model policy
Supervisor
and (Lieutenant,
a.
functions.
operating guidelinesCaptain)
to
Continue to
improve our organization’s

Middle Manager
provide
EOP Appendix
essential ability to5 manage (Sr. Battalion Chief,
Battalion Chief, Senior
services asemergencies and resources
Captain)
As
required. during severe
5-2 storms.
Appendix C
- Storm
Readiness
Survey of
Chesterfield
Fire
Department
Officers
TO:
All
Chesterfield
Fire
Department
Career
Officers
part of my researchPlease
for thisrate your response
project
I
am
surveying
to
all statement using the
b.
August 5, these
senior career
following scale:
Continue junior and
1997
officers
gain
their
search and
assessment of how well 1-You strongly
FROM: rescue
Senior Captain
disagree with the
they and the
operations,
if
Robert P.
Avsec prepared
statement.
required. department are to respond
2-You disagree
severe weather
DATE: October 28,to1999
c. emergencies. (Forwith
this the statement.
Assist with
survey,
SUBJECT:
Survey
forsevere weather is 3-You have no
cleanup
defined
as severe opinion regarding the
Executive Fire Officer
operationsthunderstorms, tropical
statement.
Program Applied Research
storms and hurricanes, and 4-You agree with
Project (ARP)
d. tornados.) Please the
statement.
print
Assist withthis
thee-mail attachment, 5-You strongly
I am currently working on
inspectionanswer
of
agree with the statement.
the following
ctiv
e,
and
effi
cie
nt
res
pon
se
to
sev
ere
stor
1
2
3
4
5
m
em
erg
enc
ies.
2. I am
trained and
prepared to
manage
emergency
response
resources at
my level in
to storm
Disasters
the I have completedrelated
National Fire
organization.
the following emergencies.
Academy,
training pertinent
Executive
3. I to storm related 4. I receive
Analysis of Fire
understand
emergency
adequate
Service
the hazards
response:
training
Operations
for
in
and special
National Fire response
Emergency
to
operations
Academy,
storm
Management
related
and resource
Command and emergencies.
Emergency
management
Control of
Management
necessary
Natural and
Institute, IEMC:
for response
Man-Made
All
126
Hazards-Prepare
dness and
Response
Emergency
CHESTERFI
ELD FIRE
DEPARTME
NT
CHESTERFI
ELD,
VIRGINIA
OPERATIO
NAL
POLICY #13
SUBJECT:
Floods
and
Storm
Relate
d
Emerg
encies
DATE:
Septe
mber 20, 1996
PURPOSE:
Guidel
ines
are in
place
to help
manag
e
floods
and
other
unusua
l storm
related
emerg
encies
such
Management
Institute, IEMC:
Hurricane-Prepa
redness and
as
severe
thunde
rstorm
s,
hurrica
nes,
and
tornad
oes.
The
Senior
Battali
on
Chief
on
duty or
the
Emerg
ency
Incide
nt
Coordi
nator
is
respon
sible
for the
overall
operati
on.
SECTION 1
The
Senior
Battalion
Chief
or
Emergency
Incident
Coordinator
will:
1.
Monit
or and
evaluat
Response
e
Nation
al
Weath
er
Servic
e,
water
levels,
and
the
State
Office
of
Emerg
ency
Servic
es
inform
ation.
2.
Keep
Emerg
ency
Comm
unicati
ons
inform
ed and
have
them
mainta
in a 24
hour
log to
record
all
contact
s,
pertine
nt
inform
ation,
and
action
taken.
3.
Imple
ment
the
Cheste
rfield
Count
y
Emerg
ency
Operat
ions
Plan
and
activat
e the
Emerg
ency
Operat
ions
Center
per
Emerg
ency
Servic
es
Operat
ing
Instruc
tion
#4.
Cheste
rfield
Emerg
ency
Servic
es has
previo
us
docum
entatio
n on
flood
gauge
Appendix D Chesterfield
Fire
Department,
readin
gs for
floods
that
have
occurr
ed in
Cheste
rfield
Count
y.
4.
Coordi
nate
with
other
county
and
outside
agenci
es
such
as the
Red
Cross,
State
Police,
Nation
al
Guard,
etc.
5.
Activa
te
docum
entatio
n and
request
TSU if
photo
or
video
docum
entatio
Operational
Policy #13
n
is
necess
ary.
6.
Prepar
e
a
written
report
of the
shift's
activiti
es,
conditi
ons,
prepar
edness
,
contact
s,
proble
ms
encoun
tered,
and
actions
taken
for the
Fire
Chief
by
0900
hours
each
day.
Give a
verbal
report
at
1630
hours
and as
needed
during
the
incide
nt.
7.
Immed
iately
followi
ng a
flood
or
storm
related
emerg
ency
of
signifi
cant
damag
e,
compil
e
a
damag
e
assess
ment
report
(see
Adden
dum
B).
Report
s
should
contai
n all
pertine
nt
damag
e
inform
ation,
names
of
occupa
nts,
127
and
monet
ary
value
estimat
es.
8.
Keep
station
s
update
d and
ensure
compl
ete
prepar
edness
.
9.
10.
Notify
the
Duty
Deput
y
Count
y
Admin
istrator
when
approp
riate
per
Admin
istrativ
e
Policy
#7.
Notify
the
private
residen
ces
and
industr
ies
along
the
James
River,
Appo
mattox
River,
and
Swift
Creek
areas
affecte
d by
the
weathe
r and
offer
the fire
depart
ment's
assista
nce.
See
the
attache
d
addend
ums.
SECTION 2
The Assistant
Emergency
Services
Coordinator
will also:
1.
Monit
or and
evaluat
e
Nation
al
Weath
er
Servic
e,
water
levels,
and
the
State
Office
of
Emerg
ency
Servic
es
inform
ation.
2.
Coordi
nate
with
other
county
and
outside
agenci
es
such
as the
Red
Cross,
State
Police,
Nation
al
Guard,
etc.
SECTION 3
Environmenta
l Engineering
will:
1.
Monit
or
Swift
Creek
and
the
Appo
mattox
River
during
workin
g
hours
per
their
emerg
ency
plan.
This
will be
turned
over to
the fire
and
police
depart
ments
during
non-w
orking
hours,
weeke
nds,
and
holida
ys.
2.
Respo
nd
person
nel
from
Enviro
nment
al
Engine
ering
to the
scene
of
a
potenti
al
floodin
g
proble
m that
could
be
allevia
ted by
remedi
al
action,
provid
ed
that:
phone
numbe
rs of
residen
ts
affecte
d.
(703)
967-2445
Fire
and
police
have
checke
d out
the
scene
and
determ
ined
remedi
al
action
can be
taken.
They
are
called
in the
followi
ng
order
by the
Emerg
ency
Comm
unicati
ons
Center
(after
hours
only):
They
are
given
the
basic
nature
of the
proble
m, and
the
names,
addres
ses
and
Jerry
Duffy
Direct
or,
Env.
Engineering
Dick
McElfish
790-1293
Note:
VDOT
handles roads
and roadside
ditches.
Note:
Draina
ge Foreman
Bill
Earp
590-9054
Draina
ge
Superintenden
t
During
normal
workin
g
hours,
just
contact
the
Enviro
nment
al
Engine
ering
office
for
respon
se.
SECTION 4
Government
agencies
to
contact
for
weather and
water
flow
information
are
listed
below:
Corps
Engineers
(Norfolk)
of
Lane Killam
(804)
441-7562
National
Weather
Service
(Wakefield)
Bill Sammler
(804)
899-4200
or
(800)
697-3373
National
Weather
Service
(Sterling)
Barbara
Watson
(703)
260-0209
National
Weather
Service
(Richmond)
Rick Winther
(804)
222-2126
National
Weather
Service
(Blacksburg)
(800)
221-2633
SECTION 5
Weather event
reporting to
the National
Weather
Service is as
follows:
1.
If
person
nel
have
questio
ns
regardi
ng
potenti
al
severe
weathe
r, they
should
call
(800)6
97-337
3.
2.
If
severe
weathe
r
reports
are
receive
d by
agenci
es
other
than
the
Nation
al
Weath
er
Servic
e, the
Senior
Battali
on
Chief
will
have
Emerg
ency
Comm
unicati
ons
relay
this
inform
ation
as
soon
as
possibl
e
to
the
Nation
al
Weath
er
Servic
e
at
(800)7
37-862
4.
The
followi
ng
examp
les of
severe
weathe
r
should
be
reporte
d:
time,
or any
indicat
ion
that
floodin
g may
occur
-
-
Tornad
o
or
funnel
cloud
Damag
e from
winds,
tornad
oes,
hail, or
floods.
If trees
or
branch
es
have
fallen,
try to
estimat
e size
and
type of
tree.
Storm
rotation
or
rotating wall
cloud
Hail
and its
size
and
depth
on the
ground
Wind
if 50 mph or
greater
Heavy
rain 1" or
more
in
a
given
amoun
t
of
Ice
accumulation
on surfaces.
Snow
accumulation
of 4" or more
on road and
grassy
surfaces.
3.
After
the
event,
person
nel
should
relay
any
docum
entatio
n
of
severe
weathe
r to the
Nation
al
Weath
er
Servic
e by
teleph
one or
fax at
(804)
899-36
05.
F.
Wesley
Dolezal
Chief
of
Department
CHESTERFI
ELD
FIRE
DEPARTME
NT
128
Appendix E Chesterfield
Fire
Department,
Operational
Policy
#13,
Addendum D
ADDENDU
M D TO
OPERATI
ONAL
POLICY
#13
d By
On-Du
ty
Senior
Battali
on
Chief
Engine
Company
(2 personnel)
Truck
Company
(2 personnel)
a.
PROCEDU
RE FOR
EMERGE
NCY
OPERATI
ONS
DURING
INCLEME
NT
WEATHE
R
The procedure
described in
this addendum
should be
implemented
when severe
weather, such
as significant
winter
precipitation,
hurricanes,
flooding, etc.,
is forecasted
to have an
adverse affect
on Emergency
Operations
staffing and
service levels.
1.
Depart
ment
Level
Action
s
Initiate
Direct
Admin
istrativ
e
Officer
(AO)
to
ensure
that
station
s have
suffici
ent
resour
ces to
staff
any
first
out
appara
tus
respon
ding
from
their
respect
ive
station
s with
minim
um of
two
person
nel.
For
examp
le:
-
Utility
Vehicle
(1 personnel)
Ambul
ance
(2 personnel)
b.
Assign
availab
le staff
to
four-w
heel
drive
vehicle
s for
those
station
s that
do not
have
four-w
heel
drive
brush
trucks.
Where
possibl
e, use
utility
vehicle
s
instead
of
brush
trucks
for
ALS
respon
ders to
protect
ALS
equip
ment.
This
will
enable
the
depart
ment
to
reduce
engine
and
truck
respon
ses
during
advers
e
conditi
ons.
These
assign
ed
vehicle
s will
carry
the
radio
design
ation
of
“UTIL
ITY”
follow
ed by
the
respect
ive
station
numbe
r.
Whene
ver
possibl
e,
utility
vehicle
s and
brush
trucks
should
be
staffed
with at
least
one
ALS
firefig
hter or
officer
and
ALS
equip
ment
at ALS
station
s.
Fourwheel
drive
vehicle
s will
respon
d in
place
of
engine
s or
trucks
to
assist
ambul
ances,
and for
Priorit
y3
calls
for
service
.
When
respon
ding to
calls
for
service
,
four-w
heel
drive
vehicle
s
should
procee
d, if
possibl
e,
ahead
of
other
vehicle
s as
“scout
s” to
assess
conditi
ons
and
help
avoid
other
vehicle
s
becom
ing
stuck.
c.
Direct
Logisti
cs to
distrib
ute
tow
straps
and
linch
pins to
129
all
four-w
heel
drive
units.
Such
equip
ment
should
be
used to
assist
ambul
ances
and
other
similar
sized
fire
depart
ment
vehicle
s that
becom
e
stuck.
d.
Consid
er
staffin
g the
Chain
Repair
Shop
with at
least
one
Chain
Repair
Techni
cian
dedicat
ed
solely
to
repairi
ng
chains
for
Fire
and
EMS
units.
In
additio
n,
special
arrang
ements
need
to be
made
for
disburs
ing
spare
chain
saws
and for
servici
ng all
chain
saws
to
assure
their
availab
ility.
e.
Direct
Emerg
ency
Comm
unicati
ons to
begin:
ency
appara
tus to
calls
for
service
;
Suspen
ding
Flexibl
e Unit
Deplo
yment
of
ambul
ances
equipp
ed
with
tire
chains;
Limiti
ng
numbe
r of
Priorit
y3
EMS
calls to
no
more
than 3
at a
time;
Reduci
ng
respon
se of
emerg
Limiti
ng
numbe
r of
Priorit
y 3 fire
calls to
no
more
than 3
at a
time
due to
ice
storm,
wires
down,
etc.
f.
For
snow
emerg
encies,
initiate
snowpl
owing
operati
ons
with
assign
ed
staffin
g,
using
Utility
North
and
Utility
South
as
soon
as
possibl
e to
stay
ahead
of
accum
ulation
.
Vehicl
es
should
have
plows
mount
ed and
be
loaded
with
sand
the
day
prior
to
expect
ed
inclem
ent
weathe
r.
Give
priorit
y to
plowin
g those
fire
station
s
staffin
g
ambul
ances
and
rescue
squad
units.
g.
Direct
the
Admin
istrativ
e
Officer
to
initiate
emerg
ency
minim
um
staffin
g
proced
ures
and
suspen
d use
of
compu
terized
minim
um
staffin
g
rotatio
n for
mornin
g
staffin
g
needs.
The
AO
should
attemp
t to fill
vacanc
ies
using
person
nel
from
the
off-goi
ng
shift at
the
station
where
the
vacanc
ies
exist.
If
unable
to do
so, use
the
next
closest
station
and so
forth.
130
due to
severe
weathe
r.
h.
i.
Initiate
Flexibl
e Shift
Chang
e to
allow
short
notice
traded
time
arrang
ements
and
allow
person
nel
extra
time to
reach
their
duty
station
.
Allow
short
notice
annual
leave,
if still
availab
le in
the
Staffin
g
Book,
for
those
person
nel
unable
to
report
for
duty
If the
Emerg
ency
Operat
ions
Center
(EOC)
is
activat
ed, fill
the
depart
ment’s
represe
ntative
positio
n with
an
off-dut
y
Battali
on
Chief.
The
on-dut
y
Senior
Battali
on
Chief
should
go to
the
Emerg
ency
Comm
unicati
ons
Center
to
coordi
nate
all
county
resour
ces.
If the
EOC
is not
activat
ed, and
if
benefi
cial,
assign
an
off-dut
y
Battali
on
Chief
to the
Emerg
ency
Comm
unicati
ons
Center
, to
coordi
nate
comm
unicati
ons
and
resour
ce
allocat
ion,
while
allowi
ng
on-dut
y
Battali
on
Chiefs
to stay
operati
onal in
the
field.
The
Senior
Captai
n in
charge
of
Emerg
ency
Comm
unicati
ons
can
also
serve
in this
positio
n.
or ice.
k.
The
Senior
Battali
on
Chief
should
notify
rescue
squad
operati
ons
officer
s of
the
imple
mentat
ion of
Sectio
n 1,
Part B
throug
h
Sectio
n 1,
Part E
above,
as
soon
as
possibl
e.
j.
For
snow/i
ce
conditi
ons,
consid
er
establi
shment
of
staged
ambul
ances
not
equipp
ed
with
tire
chains,
for use
during
long
transp
orts
once
main
roads
are
clear
of
snow
2.
Fire
Station
Level
Respo
nsibilit
ies Compa
ny
Officer
s will
be
respon
sible
for the
followi
ng
once
the
Senior
Battali
on
Chief
declare
s that
this
policy
is in
effect.
a.
Snow
emerg
encies
assure
that
the
primar
y and
spare
sets of
snow
chains
are
ready
for
each
piece
of
appara
tus
that is
equipp
ed in
their
station
.
Ambul
ances
should
have
two
spare
sets of
chains.
Test
the
operati
on of
the
insta-c
hains.
b.
Assure
that all
portabl
e
power
equip
ment
is
service
able
and
has
adequa
te fuel
availab
le.
This
includ
es, but
is not
limited
to:
Portabl
e
power
saws,
particu
larly
chain
saws
Portabl
e
genera
tors
Rescue
equip
ment,
i.e.,
Hurst
tool
power
plants
and
access
ories.
c.
Assure
that
the
station
emerg
ency
genera
tor is
tested,
operab
le and
that
adequa
te fuel
is on
hand.
d.
Assure
that
four-w
heel
drive
131
units,
either
perma
nently
or
tempor
arily
assign
ed to
the
station
, are
equipp
ed for
first
respon
se
duty.
Such
units
shall
be
staffed
and
respon
d as in
Sectio
n 1,
Part B
above.
e.
Assure
adequa
te
diesel
fuel
and
heatin
g fuel
supplie
s are
on
hand.
132
Appendix F Preliminary
Assessment
Plan, Myrtle
Beach, SC,
Fire
Department
133
Appendix G -
Windshield
Survey Form,
Redmon, WA
, Fire
Department
Appendix H -
Priority 1 Call
Types
Recommende
d for Revision
to Priority 2
PRI
DESC
RIPTI
ON
2
ALAR
M
ACTI
VATI
ON/N
O
FIRE
includ
es all
alarm
activat
ions
(i.e:
alarm
compa
ny
reporti
ng); if
water
flow,
be sure
M
to 59
note
in
comm
ents
and
radio
operat
or will
add a
truck
compa
ny. IF
CALL
ER IS
AT
ACTU
AL
RESID
ENCE
OR
BUSI
NESS
BE
SURE
TO
ASK
IF
ANY
SMOK
E OR
FIRE
R
01
IS
VISIB
LE
2
MAC
HINE
RY
ENTR
APM
ENT
incide
nts
where
people
are
trappe
d in
comm
2ercial,
01
industr
ial,
constr
uction
or
farm
machi
nery
which
may
require
special
ized
stabiliz
ation,
lifting
and
manip
ulation
; these
incide
nts
may
also
require
the
special
ized
cutting
2, 13
distorti
ng
and/or
disasse
mbly
of
equip
ment
compo
nents
to
rescue
or
recove
ra
victim(
s)
UAL
AID
includ
es all
mutual
aid
calls
outside
of the
county
(i.e.:
Peters
burg,
Powha
tan Fire
and
EMS
type
calls
2includ
15
ed)
SPEC
IAL
(FIRE
ONLY
)
includ
es any
fire
not
classifi
ed in
other
section
s (i.e.:
teleph
one
poles,
electri
cal
2poles,
41
porta-j
ohns,
etc.)
2
REDU
CED
STRU
CTUR
E
includ
es all
structu
re fires
2where
40
a
reduce
d
assign
ment
is
warran
ted
2
VEHI
CLE
FIRE
includ
es any
vehicle
fire
outside
of a
structu
re or
vehicle
fires
reporte
d out
2 214
MUT
2
2
BRUS
H
FIRE
includ
es all
woods,
grass,
trees,
field
fires
and
fires of
same
nature,
or out
on
arrival
134
standb
y for
downe
d
power
lines,
transfo
rmers,
lightni
ng
strikes
with
no fire,
hazard
control
(not
involvi
ng
10-50)
etc.
2
2
OUTD
OOR/
REFU
SE
includ
es all
yard
storage
,
fences,
etc.
2
HAZA
RDO
US
CON
DITI
ONS
includ
es
CHIM
NEY
FIRE
includ
es fires
that
are
contai
ned
compl
etely
within
a
chimn
ey and
does
not
cause
damag
e to
structu
re. If
damag
e
occurs
135
to
structu
re, this
should
be
coded
as
structu
re fire
2
EXCE
SSIVE
HEAT
includ
es
calls
where
there
is no
eviden
ce of
flame
produc
tion,
but
there
is
eviden
ce of
meltin
g or
excessi
ve heat
2
SMO
KE
INVE
STIG
ATIO
N
includ
es all
calls
where
smoke
or
smell
are
present
(outsid
e only)
and
fits no
other
catego
ry
Appendix I Proposed
Severe Storm
Response
Guidelines for
Chesterfield
Fire
Department
PURPOSE
The Severe
Storm
Response
Guidelines are
intended to
provide an
organized
system for
Chesterfield
Fire
Department to
protect the
citizens and
visitors from
adverse
effects of a
severe storm..
These
guidelines are
designed to
assign
responsibilitie
s and establish
procedures for
the
coordinated
effort
necessary to
provide for
the safe,
effective, and
efficient
response to
emergencies
resulting from
severe storms.
The
Chesterfield
County
Emergency
Operations
Plan should be
utilized for
additional
direction with
respect to
incident
management,
government
intervention,
and the
Federal
reimbursemen
t process.
Chesterfield
County is
vulnerable to
a full range of
severe
weather.
Severe
weather is
categorized
as: (1)
straight-line
wind storms
(severe
thunderstorms
, microbursts
and
macrobursts);
(2) storms
with rotational
winds
(tornados);
and (3)
tropical
systems
(tropical
storms and
hurricanes).
The entire
geographic
area of
Chesterfield
County is
subject to the
destructive
force of
severe storm
winds.
Because of its
location
between two
major rivers,
the County is
subject to
rapid local
and small
stream
flooding
caused by
intense severe
storm-associat
ed rainfall.
Severe storm
winds do
much damage,
but drowning
is the greatest
cause of
severe storm
deaths.
PREPARE
DNESS
In Central
Virginia, the
conditions for
severe
thunderstorm
development
are most
favorable
during the
early spring
and summer
months.
Hurricane
season, that
time most
favorable for
the
development
of tropical
storm
systems, is
June through
November.
Tropical
systems that
affect Virginia
occur most
frequently in
August and
September.
The month of
March is
designated for
Severe Storm
Season
Preparation.
By March
31st of each
year the
department
will ensure
that the
following
activities are
completed:
Each
Operational
Battalion
Chief will
ensure that
each of the
stations for
which they
have
operational
responsibility
have
completed the
following:

Update
d their
listing
of
target
The
Ensure
that
each
Battali
on
Headq
uarters
Office
has a
full
catalog
of ICS
forms,
status
boards
, extra
Each


Each
emplo
yee’s
person
al
inform
ation
is
current
and
correct
with
the
depart
ment’s
Huma
n
Resour
ces
Unit in
Fire
Admin
istratio
n.
Adequ
ate
hazard
s that
have
the
potenti
Operational
Senior
portabl
e
radios,

radio
batteri
es,
office
supplie
s, etc.,
to
functio
n as a
Battali
on
Comm
and
First-line
Supervisor
The
Superv
isor
prints
out a
copy
of the
Depart
ment’s
Person
nel
Roster
and
Phone
Numb
er list
and
keeps
in the
station
.

All
emplo
yees
The Chief of
bulk
supplie
al for
multi-c
asualty
incide
nts.
Battalion
Chiefs will
Center
.
Condu
ct a
pre-sea
son
briefin
g with
their
respect
ive
Battali
on
Staffs
coveri
ng
and Middle
Manager will
have
receive
d
trainin
g on
the
Severe
Storm
Respo
nse
Guidel
ines
and
unders
tand
their
roles
and
respon
sibiliti
es.
This
trainin
g will
Maintenance
s of
items

136
first-d
ue
district
.
Update
d
listing
of
routes
ensure that the
following
these
guideli
nes to
ensure
that
they

unders
tand
their
roles
and
respon
sibiliti
es for
operati
ons
ensure that:
for
units
to use
for
“winds
items are
completed:
during
severe
storm
emerg
encies.
Ensure
that
the
Emerg
ency
Comm
unicati
ons
Center
has a
full
hield
assess
ment”
of
their
catalog
of ICS
forms,
status
boards
, office
supplie
s, etc.,
to
functio
n as a
Battali
on
Comm
and
Center
, or
Depart
ment
Comm
and
Center
if the
EOC
has not
been
activat
ed.
be
docum
ented
and
record
s
forwar
ded to
the
Traini
ng and
Safety
Divisi
on.

The
Prepar
edness
Sectio
n of
the
Severe
Storm
Respo
nse
and Logistics
such
as
Checkl
ist
that’s
approp
riate
for
their
work
locatio
n has
been
compl
eted.
(See
Appen
dix A)

Each
station
has a
Severe
Storm
Respo
nse
Box
will ensure
plastic
sheetin
contai
ning
copies
of all
forms,
assess
ment
route
map
books,
spray
paint
cans,
etc.
(See
Appen
dix B)
Each
emerg
ency
respon
se unit
is
properl
y
equipp
ed
with
person
al
protect
ive
equip
ment,
and
rescue
equip
ment
necess
ary for
operati
ons in
floode
d
areas.
g,
staples
, nails,
portabl

that:
e saw
supplie
s, etc.,
are in
stock
and
ready
for
Severe
Storm
Watch
When the

Regula
rly
check
the
Doppl
er
Radar
images
for
inform
ation
regardi
ng
storm
strengt
h,
move
ment,
anticip
ated
The Senior
Battalion

Cancel
lation
non-es
sential
staffin
g
assign

During
a
severe
storm
Watch
all
First-L
distrib
ution
to fire
station
s.

The
divisio
n has a
National
Weather
Service issues
a severe storm
watch for
Chesterfield
County,
precipi
tation,
and
wind
speeds
.

Closel
y
monito
r for
physic
al
indicat
ors of
severe
weathe
r such
as
“anvil”
cloud
Chief will
increase
ments
(traini
ng,
TQI
group
activit
y, etc.)
Initiate
ine
Superv
isors
(career
and
volunt
eer),
current
plan to
safely,
effecti
vely,
and
efficie
ntly
Chesterfield
Fire
Department
will activate
the
appropriate
sections of
format
ions,
cloud
fronts,
“wall”
clouds,
wind
directi
on,
develo
pment
of
lightni
ng,
etc.,
using
the
Nation
al
Weath
Emergency
Operations

Imple
mentat
ion of
Signal
15-Bra
vo,
Signal
Documentatio
and
each
Battali
on
Staff
memb
er
distrib
ute
supplie
s to
fire
station
s, and
emerg
these
guidelines.
Severe
weather can
strike quickly
and without
adequate
er
Servic
e
Spotter
's
Guide
for
Identif
ying
and
Report
ing
Severe
Local
Storms
(Appe
ndix
D).
These
indicat
Division
staffing
15-Ch
arley
to
recall
volunt
eer
person
n Process
should
begin
compl
eting
the
Unit
Log
ency
scenes
that
does
not
rely on
the
resour
warning - - be
Proactive.
Monitor
Weather
Conditions The on-duty
ors
may
be
present
in
local
areas
of the
county
before
they
appear
on the
Doppl
er
Radar
image.
(Keep
in
mind
resources
through one,
nel

Reassi
gnmen
t of
staff
officer
s and
ces of
the
Emerg
ency
Operat
ions
Divisi
on for
Battalion Staff
and all
First-line
Supervisors
should begin
to closely
monitor
the
Doppl
er
Radar
origina
tes in
Wakef
ield,
Virgini
a, a
signifi
cant
distanc
e away
from
the
county
)

First-li
ne
or all, of the
following
civilia
n
emplo
yees

Imple
mentat
ion of
(ICS
Form
214).
The
Unit
Log
should
contai
n
inform
ation
relatin
g to
work
137
its
imple
mentat
ion.
weather
conditions.
Superv
isors
should
report
signifi
cant
local
weathe
r
conditi
ons to
their
respect
ive
Battali
on
Comm
and
Team.
means:
Recall
of
off-dut
y
person
nel
hours
of
person
nel,
equip
ment
utilize
d,
items
purcha
sed,
and all
inform
ation
and
orders
given.
Docu
mentat
ion
during
RESPONS
E
Severe Storm
Conditions
When actual
severe storm
conditions
exist, every
attempt will
be made by
the
Chesterfield
Fire and EMS
continue its
primary

Status
of
person
nel (no
injurie
s,
minor
injurie
s,
serious
The First-line
Supervisor
will document
this
information
on the
“Snapshot
Assessment”
Form. The
Battalion
a large
emerg
ency
situati
on is
often
difficu
lt, but
necess
ary.
Writte
n
docum
entatio
n is
essenti
al for
federal
reimbu
rsemen
t and
must
be
done
contin
uously
throug
hout
mission of
protecting the
lives and
property in
Chesterfield
County.
However, it
should be
remembered
that Fire and
EMS
personnel are
subject to the
same
environmental
limitations as
are the
members of
the public.
injurie
s)

Status
of
equip
ment
and
appara
tus (in
service
Command
Team (BCT)
Planning
Officer for
each battalion
will collect
the results of
this survey
during the
Fire/EMS
Station Roll
the
manag
ement
of the
severe
storm
emerg
ency.
Identify
locations and
status of
reserve Fire
and EMS
apparatus

Ensure
that
units
are
equipp
ed for
emerg
ency
respon
se and
ready
for
service
either
as
replace
ment
for
front-li
ne
appara
tus
that
may
becom
e
Situational
Assessment
shall be
completed
through a
rapid survey
conducted in
two phases:
the
“Snapshot”
Survey and
the
“Windshield
Assessment”.
(See
Appendix C
for forms).
The purpose
of situational
assessment is
to complete a
brief rapid
assessment of
the overall
situation, not
a thorough
detailed
assessment of
each situation.
The
information
obtained from
the impact
assessment
process will
be evaluated
to develop
incident
strategies
based on
identified
priorities.
, in
service
but
need
repairs
, out of
service
)

Status
of
Call. The
Roll Call will
be conducted
via telephone
if telephone
service has
not be
compromised.
If telephone
service is not
available, the
structu
ral
damag
e to
station
(none,
low,
moder
ate,
high,
BCT Planning
Officer will
conduct the
Roll Call
using the
Information
Radio Tac
assigned to
their
respective
battalion. (See
extensi
ve)

Visual
observ
ations
made
by
First-li
ne
Superv
Communicati
ons Section of
these
Guidelines)
isor
makin
ga
360
degree
“scan”
of the
immed
iate
area
area affected
by the severe
weather will
conduct a
“Windshield
Assessment”
of their
first-due
response area
using the
pre-defined
Situational
Assessment
Following the
Roll Call, the
BCT Incident
Commander(s
) will direct
units in the
As soon as
possible after
the passage of
severe
weather,
environmental
conditions
permitting, the
Senior
Battalion
Chief will
direct all
Fire/EMS
stations in the
138
unserv
iceable
, or to
be
staffed
by
recalle
d
person
nel.
county to
conduct a
“Snapshot”
Survey of
their staff,
station,
apparatus, and
area adjacent
to the station.
The
“Snapshot
Survey should
evaluate:
around
their
worksi
te
routes for
their district.
Areas known
to be affected
by the severe
weather
should be
given highest
priority.

Status
of
target
hazard
s,
especi
ally
The emphasis
is to complete
the
“Windshield
Assessment”
as soon as
possible. Do
not stop to
provide
emergency
services
except in
cases where
there is a
clearly
evident
life-safety
issue that
needs your
resources, i.e.,
a victim
visibly in need
of immediate
rescue, a fire

Form
201
(Incide
nt
Map)

Form
202
The IAP

Object
ives to
be
accom
plished
county
-wide
Operational

The
initial
IAP
those
with
potenti
al for
multipl
e
casualt
that can be
quickly
knocked down
with a
mounted
master stream
device to
prevent spread
to an occupied
structure, etc.
Avoid
commitment
of the
resources of
your unit that
will prevent
you from
completing
the survey as
quickly as
possible.
Without the
information
(Incide
nt
Object
ives)

Form
203
(Organ
should be
strategic in

Comm
and
and
control
structu
res for
the
Periods-Opera
tional periods
should
addres
s the
ies,
(none,
low,
moder
ate,
high,
extensi
gathered
during the
“Windshield
Assessment”
the Battalion
Command
Team will not
know the true
size and
magnitude of
the incident
and will be
unable to
develop a
comprehensiv
e Incident
Action Plan.
Significant
findings
concerning
damage to
target hazards
(Impact
Estimate
ization
Assign
ment
List)
or
Form
207
nature and
address the
incide
nt

Person
nel
resour
ce
assign
should not
exceed twelve
first
twelve
-hour
ve)
Status
of
major
respon
se
routes
Score of 4)
and
infra-structure
(Impact
Estimate
Score of 4)
should be
reported to the
BCT Planning
Officer using
the
Information
Radio Tac
assigned to
their
respective
battalion. All
other findings
should be
documented
on the
“Windshield
Assessment”
Log for
(Organ
ization
al
Chart)

Form
204
(Divisi
following
issues:
ments

Resour
ce
require
ments,
allocat
ion,
hours.
(none,
low,
moder
ate,
high,
extensi
ve)
communicatio
n to the
Battalion
Command
Team
Planning
Officer after
the entire
survey has
been
completed.
operati
onal
period.
An
update
d IAP

While
conducting
the
“Windshield
Assessment”
record
non-life
threatening
medical
situations on
the “Non-life
Threatening
on
Assign
ment
List)

Form
205
(Com

and
manag
ement
Comm
unicati
ons
and

Status
of
develo
pments
(none,
low,
moder
Medical Log”.
(Appendix C).
Communicate
the
information
on this log to
the Battalion
Command
Team
Planning
Officer upon
completion of
the
“Windshield
Assessment”.
Incident
Objectives
The Senior
Battalion
Chief is
responsible
for the
munic
ations
Plan)

form
206
(Medic
al

139
ate,
high,
extensi
ve)
creation and
dissemination
of the Incident
Action Plan
(IAP) for
county
Fire/EMS
emergency
operations.
The Senior
Battalion
Chief should
begin
preparing the
IAP using the
following ICS
Forms:
Plan)
inform
ation
manag
ement
Incide
nt
Safety
issues
should
be
compl
eted
for the
next
twelve
-hour
operati
onal
period
prior
to the
current
IAP’s
expirat
ion.
If the
next
operati
onal
period
will
involv
e the
on-co
ming
shift,
then
the
new
IAP
should
be
compl
eted
by the
on-co
ming
Senior
Battali
on
B
atalionIncidentC
om
m
ander
Organization
B
atalionO
perationsO
ficer B
atalionP
lanningO
ficer B
atalionLogisticsO
ficer
The Senior
Battalion
Chief will
determine the
appropriate
Battalion Command Team Structure
level of ICS
for their
authority and
organization
battalion and
responsibility
needed for the
is responsible
for the IAP
incident based
for the
and resource
on conditions
Operations,
allocation
reported
Planning, and
county-wide.
during the
Logistical
The BCT
Situational
functions in
structure is
Assessment.
their battalion. designed to
This is the
facilitate
Battalion
basic
better
The BCT
Command
command and implementatio should operate
Team - The
on-duty
DepartmentIncidentComander
Battalion Staff
should
prepare to
DepartmentOperationsChief DepartmentPlaningChief DepartmentLogisticsChief DepartmentFinanceChief
operate their
respective
battalions as a
BatalionIncidentComanderBatalionIncidentComanderBatalionIncidentComander
Battalion
Command
Department Command Team Structure
Team under
control
n of the IAP,
from the
the scope of
structure for
and better
appropriate
the
those severe
information
Battalion
department’s
weather
and resource
Headquarters
expanded ICS. incidents that
management
station, or
Each
affect a single at the
other physical
Battalion
battalion.
battalion
location that
Chief is the
The Senior
level.
provides
Incident
Battalion
sufficient
Commander
Chief has the
working
S
m
alIncident S
m
alIncident S
m
alIncident
B
ranch/S
ector B
ranch/S
ector B
ranch/S
ector
Delivery of
Emergency
Services
The ECC will
continue to
dispatch
Priority 1 calls
for service
unless
directed to
discontinue so
by the Senior
Battalion
Chief due to
environmental
hazards such
as excessively
high winds.
After the
initial needs
of the impact
assessment
room, radio
access,
telephone
access, and
computer
access, i.e.,
the Public
Safety
Command
Vehicle. (See
Position
Description
activated for
those
situations that
involve
multiple
battalions, or
the entire
county. The
Senior
Battalion
Chief is the
Incident
Sheets in
Appendix E)
Commander
for the DCT.
The DCT
should operate
from the
Emergency
Communicati
ons Center
Tactical
Control
may resume
the delivery of
emergency
services. The
ECC and the
DCT Planning
Department
Command
Team - The
Department
Command
Team (DCT)
should be
surveys and
search and
rescue
missions are
completed, the
department
140
Chief
and
their
staff.
Room, or
other physical
location that
provides
sufficient
working
room, radio
access,
telephone
access, and
computer
access.
See Appendix
E for Position
Job
Descriptions
Chief will
coordinate the
delivery of
services,
through a
priority basis,
141
to those on the
existing
"waiting list."
The DCT
Operations
Chief will

Begin
using
“reduc
ed
respon
se”
dispatc
h
protoc
ols for
Priorit
y1
emerg
ency
calls

Suspen
d the
dispatc
hing of
any
Priorit
y3
emerg
ency
calls.
The
ECC
will
contin
ue to
enter
the
calls
into
CADS

Fire
and
Life
Safety
Divisi
on Reinfo
rces
the
North
Battali
coordinate
and announce
any
modifications
to the normal
incident
for
assign
ment
to the
Battali
on
Comm
and
Teams
.

Suspen
d the
dispatc
hing of
any
Priorit
y2
emerg
ency
calls.
The
ECC
will
contin
ue to
enter
the
calls
into
CADS
for
assign
ment
to the
Battali
on
Comm
and
Team
at Fire
Station
16

Traini
ng and
Safety
Divisi
reporting
system.
When the
threat of
on
Comm
and
Teams
.
Resource
Assignment
When
volunteer
personnel
respond to
Signal 15
Bravo and
Signal 15
Charley
recalls, the
officer in
charge of each
staffed piece
of apparatus
will notify the
Battalion
Command
Team
Planning
Officer for
their battalion
of their
available
status. The
BCT
on Reinfo
rces
the
South
Battali
on
Comm
and
Team
at Fire
severe
weather
striking the
county is
imminent, or
has struck the
Operations
Officers may
deploy a
staffed
volunteer
resource from
a station that
has multiple
units to a
station in need
of resources.
The career
Officer-in-Ch
arge of a
station should
utilize
volunteer and
career
personnel in
their station to
achieve
maximum
staffing levels
on all units.
Split crews
are an
acceptable
option, i.e.,
moving a
career
driver/operato
r to a
volunteer unit
that lacks a
driver,
Station
14

Fire
Admin
istratio
n Staff
(exclu
ding
Deput
y
Chiefs
county, the
Senior
Battalion
Chief has the
authority to
direct the
increasing
staffing on a
career unit
with volunteer
firefighters,
etc.
The Senior
Battalion
Chief has the
authority to
cancel annual,
holiday,
personal and
compensatory
leave unless
the employee
is physically
out of the
state/area and
return to
Chesterfield
County is not
feasible. The
Senior
Battalion
Chief may
waive this
requirement in
cases of
personal
hardship.
Off-duty
personnel who
)Reinfo
rces
Centra
l
Battali
on
Comm
and
Team
at Fire
Emergency
Communicati
ons Center to
do the
following:
live any area
of the county
that is affected
by severe
weather
should contact
the BCT
Planning
Officer for
their assigned
station to
report their
welfare and
that of their
family.
If off-duty
personnel are
recalled to
duty, those
personnel
should notify
the BCT
Planning
Officer for the
battalion they
are normally
stationed in,
and report to
their assigned
duty station.
If they are
unable to
reach their
assigned duty
Station
15.

Mainte
nance
and
Logisti
cs
Divisi
on Reinfo
rces
station, then
they should
notify the
BCT Planning
Officer for the
closest station
where they
will be able to
report for
duty..
Staff Officers
and other
personnel not
assigned to
the
Emergency
Operations
Division will
be assigned to
a Battalion
Command
Team or the
Department
Command
Team. Those
assignments
are as follows:
the
Depart
ment
Comm
and
Team.
Personnel
should report
to their
assigned BCT
when recalled
while off
duty, or if
directed while
on duty. If
Communicati
ons Plan
The Senior
Battalion
Chief will
implement the
Communicati
ons Plan as
quickly as
possible
before severe
weather
strikes so as to
avoid losing
channels

When
sustain
ed
winds
reach
50
MPH
all
small
vehicle
s (staff

Heavy
rains
can
quickl
y turn
local
stream
s and
creeks
into
raging
water
ways.
personnel are
unable to
reach their
assigned BCT,
because of
escalating
calls for
service.
North
Battalion Tac
Channels - C,
D, E

Tac C
North
Battali
on
Operat
ions
Tac D
Inform
ation
channe
l for
use to
vehicle
s,
ambul
ances,
etc.)
will be
directe
d to
cease
operati
ons
Person
nel
should
avoid
driving
throug
h high
water
unless
they
are
certain
as to
they should
notify the
nearest BCT
Planning
comm
unicate
situati
onal
assess
ment
inform
ation
to
Battali
on
Comm
and
Planni
ng
Tac E
Availa
ble as
a
tactical
channe
l


and
return
to
quarter
s
When
sustain
ed
winds
reach
60
the
structu
ral
integrit
y of
the
road
surface
.
Person
nel
operati
ng
Officer for
reporting
instructions.
Personnel will
Central
Battalion Tac
Channels - F,
G, H
Tac F North
Battali
on
Operat
ions
Tac G
Inform
ation
channe
l for
use to
comm
unicate
situati
onal
assess
ment
MPH
all
large
vehicle
s
(engin
es,
trucks,
crash
trucks,
etc.)
near
movin
g
water
must
wear
the
approp
riate
person
al
protect
ive
be placed into
positions on
their
respective
inform
ation
to
Battali
on
Comm
and
Planni
ng
Tac H
Availa
ble as
a
tactical
channe
l
team, or
assigned to
staff existing
emergency
Battalion
Operations
Tac J Information
channel for
use to
communicate
situational
assessment
information to
Battalion
Command
Planning
Tac K Available as a
tactical
channel
South
Battalion Tac
Channels - I,
J, K
Command
Staff Tac
Channel - O
Tac I - North
will be
directe
d to
cease
operati
ons
and
return
to
quarter
s.
equip
ment
and
person
al
floatati
on
device.
Structu
ral
firefig
hting
PPE is
142
apparatus, or
reserve
apparatus.
Personnel
should be
cognizant of
the safety
issues that can
accompany
severe
weather.
High winds,
torrential
rains,
lightning, and
hail present
significant
physical
hazards to the
public and
responders
alike.
High Winds
Incident
Safety

Person
nel
should
wear
their
helmet
and
eye
protect
ion at
all
not
approp
riate
and its
use
should
be
avoide
d
when
at all
possibl
e when
times
due to
the
potenti
al for
flying
debris.
Torrential
Rains
workin
g
around
movin
g
water.
Lightning

All
incide
nt

operati
ons
should
cease
in any
area
where
visual
Downe
d
utility
Search and
Rescue
Missions
Based on
degree of
structural
damage
reported
during the
jurisdictional
survey, Field
Operations
personnel may
be directed to
complete
search and
rescue
missions. No
search and
rescue
mission will
take place
prior to the
MUTUAL
AID
ASSISTANC
E
During
the
response
phase of a
disaster,
it
may become
necessary to
request
the
assistance of
fire/EMS
providers
from outside
the affected
143
resume
operati
ons.
weathe
possibl
in the
shelter
Incide
r
e,
area.
until
nt
pattern
especi
Person
the
Comm
s
ally if
nel
danger
ander
indicat
lightni
should
has
issues
Other Safety
e that
ng has
seek
passed
the
Concerns
lightni
been
approp
and
order
ng is
spotted
riate
the
to
lines

Unsafe 
Hazard
als
animal
stress

Gas
structu
ous

Traum
s
leaks
res
materi
atized

Heat
completion of Command
distribution
assessment,
throughout the Each USAR
a systematic
Team.
site if
locate surface nation. All
Task Force
recon and
established. In victims and
US&R Task
team is
safety survey. In areas where areas where
identify points Force
comprised of
The main
minor
moderate
of immediate
activities
62 persons
concern of the structural
structural
access. In
coordinate
specifically
recon and
damage is
damage is
areas where
through the
trained and
safety survey
noted, search
noted, search
structural
state
equipped for
is the safety of and rescue
and rescue
damage is
Department of large or
both the
missions will
missions will
classified as
Emergency
complex
rescuers
usually
be performed
destroyed,
Services
USAR
assigned to
involve a
in accordance
search and
(DES) who
operations.
the search and door-to-door
with the
rescue
serves as the
Each USAR
rescue
search to
standard
missions will
primary point
team is able to
mission and
determine the
USAR
be limited to
of contact for
deploy within
the victims.
status of each
procedures
the USAR
FEMA. A
6 hours of
The results of
occupant.
(Appendix F). marking
USAR Task
notification
the search and Occupants
The objectives system only.
Force is also a and is
rescue
should be
for these
state resource
self-sufficient
missions will
instructed as
search and
FEMA has
which can be
for the first 3
be reported
to the location rescue
established
requested
days.
to the
of an
missions is to
several
without a
Operations
emergency
perform
State/National request for
Officer at the
shelter and
damage and
USAR Task
federal
Battalion
mass care
hazard
Force teams
assistance.
Personnelarea, agreements.
Target Hazard Lists
 Update
Information
Update listwith
based on potentialAppendix
for life B disaster
Appendix
A - Personal
hazards
in Fire
in a mutual
SevereHuman
StormResource Unit
Severe Storm
Administration
“Windshield Assessment”
Routes
 Ensure that route maps are current
 Revie
aid approach.
Response
Response Box
Severe Storm
Guidelines Preparedness
 Deliver continuing education class on  Conduct
review of comp
The
SeniorResponse
forofWorksites
Severe Storm Response
Box
and
Station
has a containing
copies
all plan
 Place
plan
with
personnel
send
operations
under
Battalion
Checklist
forms,
assessment
route
map
books,
aboard e
documentation to Training and Safety
Chief
is
Every
spray
paint
cans,
etc
Division
responsible
Fire/EMS
Fire/EMS
emergency response
unit
is
Station Generators Water Rescue Equipment Ensure that unit 
hasEach
received
 Start
generator
and ensur
for
Station
station
will
properly
equipped
with
personal
preventive maintenance
circuits are operating proper
authorizing
:_____
have
a
Severe
equipment, and
Propane Supplies
 Maintain at 40%protective
level
rescue
Ensure supply is at 40%
equipment necessary for operations
in
the use of
_____
Storm
areas.
Diesel Fuel aid
Supplies
_____
Maintain tank atflooded
80% level
 Ensure
that supply is at 8
mutual
Response
assistance
and
_____
Box provided
Facilities and Grounds
 Ensure that any outstanding exterior
 Secure or store any exter
executing
__
Date:_________________
for or facilities
each
work orders are completed
equipment
prior
emergency
Station Supply Inventories
 Ensure that all inventories of
 Verify
levels of supplies
approved
response
consumable supplies are at maximum
mutual
aid
vehicle in that
Item
Prepardeness
Watch Phase
levels.Phase
144
station. The

List of
target
hazard
s with
potenti
al for
multipl
e
casualt
y
situati
ons
box

will
Map
book
of
“Wind
shield
Assess
ment”
routes
for the
station

Supply
of
Appendix C Situational
Assessment
Forms
contain

the
“Snaps
hot
Assess
ment”
Logs
Supply
of
“Wind
shield
Assess
ment”
Logs
following

Supply
of
“Non-l
ife
Threat
ening
Medic
al
Record
” Logs

Copies
of the
items:


“Impa
ct
Estima
te
Guide”
2Forms
Clipbo
ards
A
copy
of the

USAR
“Struct
ural
Triage,
Assess
ment
and
Marki
ng
Syste
m”
Pens

and
pencils
3-Cans
of
Interna
tional
Orang
e
Spray
paint
“Snapshot
Assessment
” Log
1.
Status
of
Perso
nnel
Equipment
and
Apparatus
Name
Assignment/Shift
II. Status of
II.Target
“Windshiel
d
Assessment
Station:
” Log
Status
Hazar
ds
Address
Date:
Statio
n
III.
Status
Address
S
of
Struct
Equipment/Apparatus
No Injuries
Minor Injuries
Serious Injuries In Service
ural
Dama
ge to
Status
III.
of
Status
of
Major
Subvis
Route
ions
s
Flooding and In
Structural Damage
Roadway None-0
Target Hazard
Cross
Low-1Street
Development Name
Mod-2None-0
of
IMPACT
ESTIMATE
GUIDE
DIRECTION
S:
The Damage
Estimate
should
be
considered
from
a
jurisdictional
standpoint.
Station:
Level
of
damage
should
be
identified by
the numerical
value which
best describes
the level of
damage
suffered
by
the majority
of
the
Date:
structures
and/or
infrastructure
within each
station’s
primary
response zone.
1
2
3
4
Structural
Damage
Flooding
Damage
Low
1
Minor
None
damage
2 to Some
roofLow
coverin
minor
awnings, etc.
2
Low 3
Random
Moderat
str
Moderate
Structures are basically intact
3
Flooding ab
etc.,Moderate
missing or damaged
4
Extensiv
High 4
Portions
of roof missing
and
Extensive
Flooding
ab
of openings, extensive damag
Extensive
Roof and/or walls missing an
Infra-structu
re Damage
1
None
Minor debri
145
NON-LIFE
THREATENING
MEDICAL
RECORD
DATE
:___________
TIME
LOCATION: ______________
NAME
LAST, FIRST, M.I.
SEX
AGE
UNIT: _______________
MEDICAL PROBLEM
COMPLAINT
TREATMENT
RENDERED
DISPOSITION
146
Appendix D National
Weather
Service
Spotter's
Guide
for
Identifying
and Reporting
Severe Local
Storms
PLEASE
NOTE: THE
FIGURES
REFERRED
TO IN THE
TEXT ARE
NOT
AVAILABLE
AT
THIS
TIME....WE
ARE
WORKING
ON IT! Use of
this
Guide:The
information
which
is
contained in
this guide is
not sufficient
to qualify you
as
a
SKYWARN
spotter.
Rather, it is
provided as a
reference
source
to
supplement
the National
Weather
Service's
spotter
training film
and
slide
series. It has
been compiled
for use by
trained
spotters in the
field
and
communicatio
ns specialists
who receive
and relay the
reports. It is
not a general
handout
for
the public. As
a result of its
specialized
subject matter,
a number of
technical
terms
are
used.
Their
meanings are
explained in
the text or in
the glossary.
I.
Severe
Thundersto
rms
All
thunderstorms
are capable of
producing
tornadoes. In
coastal areas,
waterspouts
and
weak
funnels
frequently
form in areas
of
weak
shower
activity.
While these
are dangerous
and should be
reported, they
usually are not
preceded by
the
cloud
structures
described in
this
guide.
Strong
to
violent
tornadoes are
usually
associated
with what we
shall call the
Tornadic
Thunderstorm
.
Other
significant
tornadoes do
occasionally
occur
with
Squall
Line
Thunderstorm
s.
In
the
following
sections, we
will
review
the extremely
important
cloud features
which
commonly
precede
tornado and
severe
weather
events.
A.
The
Tornadic
Thunderstor
m:
These
thunderstorms
are
usually
separated
from
other
thunderstorms
or may even
be
isolated.
This
separation
allows them to
feed
upon
warm moist
air from miles
around. Figure
1
is
a
representation
of a tornadic
thunderstorm
as a spotter
might see it
when located
east of the
storm, looking
west.
The
storm
is
generally
moving from
the left to the
right.
The
main updraft
of warm moist
air is entering
the storm at
cloud
base
below
the
Main Storm
Tower. Strong
winds
aloft
are blowing
from
the
southwest to
northeast. Air
in the upper
portion of the
updraft
eventually
becomes
colder
than
the
surrounding
air. At this
level the cloud
spreads
out
rapidly,
forming
an
Anvil Clould.
As
precipitation
begins
to
occur,
downdrafts
are created.
Figure 2 is a
view of the
same
storm
and
its
associated
weather from
above,
looking down.
The intense
updraft, which
is rising out of
the drawing,
is
located
within
the
main
storm
tower
as
shown by the
scalloped
lines in a
semicircle
surrounding
the medium
blue
areas.
The
downdraft air
sinks to the
ground in the
area
where
precipitation
is
falling,
mainly to the
north
and
northeast of
the updraft. A
second
downdraft
forms
just
southwest of
the
updraft.
This is the
area, near the
intersection of
the
updraft
and
this
"rear-flank"
downdraft,
where
the
tornado
is
most likely to
occur. Large
hail is likely
to fall just
outside
the
updraft core,
mainly
northeast of
the
updraft.
Tornadoes
may also form
along the Gust
Front
and
Flanking Line,
these
are
usually weak
and
short-lived.
Looking back
at Figure 1,
we can see the
primary
features
to
look for at the
cloud
base.
The Flanking
Line Towers,
Collar Cloud,
and Tail cloud
are explained
in
the
glossary.
The
three
features
of
primary
importance
are the Rain
Free
Base,
Wall Cloud,
and
Precipitation
Area.
In
Figure 3, we
are west of the
storm looking
east-southeast
and the storm
147
is moving to
the left.
The
heavy
rain area to
the left tells us
where a main
downdraft is
located. The
Rain
Free
Base extends
from
under
the
Main
Storm Tower
(which
is
tilted slightly
to the left by
the
upper
level winds)
to
the
Flanking Line
Towers. The
lowering of
the cloud base
near the center
is a Wall
Cloud.
The
Wall Cloud is
usually in the
southwest
portion of the
storm within
several miles
of the rain
area. Not all
Wall Clouds
rotate.
Nevertheless,
a
rotating
Wall
Cloud
usually
precedes
significant
tornado
development
from minutes
to over an
hour. Be alert
to the fact that
some
tornadoes may
develop from
the Rain Free
Base itself.
B.
The
Tornado:
Tornadoes
vary greatly in
appearance
and intensity,
ranging from
the
violent
type (pictured
on the cover)
to the very
weak
and
short-lived
ones that last
only a few
seconds.
In
addition,
a
tornado's
appearance
frequently
changes
during its life
cycle. Figure
4 shows a
multiple
vortex tornado
which
is
composed of
several small
but
intense
vortices which
revolve
around
a
common
center. These
small vortices
may develop
and dissipate
very quickly.
At
times,
rainfall
is
drawn into the
tornado's
circulation,
making it very
difficult
to
see.
While
this
is
common
in
the southeast
United States,
it
is
not
limited to that
area
as
illustrated by
the
Kansas
tornado
in
figure 5. In
Figure 6, we
see a tornadic
dust whirl. It
should no be
confused with
a dust devil
which usually
occurs
on
nearly
cloudless and
warm
days
having light
winds.
The
first stage of
tornado
development
is often a dust
whirl at the
ground with
or without a
funnel aloft.
The tornadic
dust whirl in
Figure 6 did
not develop
beyond
this
initial stage. It
is common for
flanking line
dust whirls to
form along the
gust
front;
these
generally
remain weak
and
short
lived.
C. The Life
Cycle of a
Tornado:
In Figure 7,
we
are
looking west
and can see
the
typical
pattern: Rain
Free
Base,
Wall Cloud,
and
Precipitation
Area.
The
Wall Cloud is
located in the
southwest
quadrant
of
the storm, and
formed
30
minutes prior
to the tornado.
In Figure 8,
what appears
to be a funnel
cloud
is
visible under
the
left
portion of the
Wall Cloud.
In fact, this is
a
tornado
because
damage was
occurring at
the
ground
even though it
is too far to
see the surface
debris. In such
a
situation,
you
should
properly
report this as a
funnel cloud,
along with the
fact that it is
too far away
for you to
determine if it
is
on the
ground.
Report what
you see, along
with
any
additional
remarks
which would
make
the
report more
useful.
In Figure 9,
the circulation
becomes
visible all the
way to the
ground. The
thin,
"needle-tipped
" shape is
common for a
tornado in this
early
stage.
The tornado
reaches
its
mature stage
in Figure 10,
with its width
at the surface
expanding to
1/4 mile. Note
the Tail Cloud
forming to the
right.
We
have changed
position
in
Figure 11 and
are
looking
southeast as
the
tornado
moves away
from the town
of Union City,
Oklahoma.
The tornado is
shrinking
rapidly into
the
"rope
stage," but is
still
very
destructive.
During
the
latter portion
of a tornado's
life,
it
is
common for it
to decrease in
size
(not
necessarily in
intensity) and
become
increasingly
tilted.
D. The Squall
Line
Thunderstor
ms:
Figure 12 is a
view of a
squall line as
seen
from
above.
Precipitation
is shown in
the diagram's
central area,
the gust front
is the white
line
with
teeth, and the
anvil edge is
in light blue.
While any hail
which
may
occur
is
usually
smaller that
occurring in
the tornadic
thunderstorm
and
considerably
148
fewer
tornadoes
result, strong
straight-line
winds
are
common with
squall lines.
The strongest
winds usually
occur a few
minutes after
the gust front
passage, just
before or just
after rain and
hail begin. If
tornadoes
occur,
they
are generally
weak,
short-lived,
and are found
along the gust
front.
Occasionally,
a
tornadic
thunderstorm
will develop
in association
with a squall
line. The most
distinctive
cloud
associated
with the squall
line is the
Shelf Cloud,
shown
in
Figure 12. It is
usually
located above
the squall line
gust front. An
individual
tornadic
thunderstorm
or even an
isolated
non-severe
thunderstorm
may at times
develop
a
shelf
cloud
associated
with its gust
front. Before
we look closer
at the shelf
cloud,
let's
take a look at
a
vertical
cross section
of the squall
line
from
point A to B
in Figure 12.
This is shown
in Figure 13.
Note that the
squall
line
thunderstorm
has
a
significantly
different
structure than
the tornadic
thunderstorm.
In Figure 13,
the squall line
is
moving
from left to
right. Updrafts
form a nearly
continuous
curtain along
the
leading
edge
above
the gust front.
Downdrafts
are located in
the
precipitation
area to the
rear. Thus the
updraft-rainy
downdraft
orientation is
reversed from
that of the
tornadic
thunderstorm.
In Figure 14,
we
are
looking west
at 3 layers of
cloud near the
south end of a
gust
front.
The
lowest
band of cloud
is a shelf
cloud.
This
cloud
is
wedge-shaped
and smooth
and
sometimes
appears
layered.
As
the squall line
passes
overhead,
shown
in
Figure
15,
gusty winds
and a sharp
drop
in
temperature
can
be
expected.
Upward
motion
is
along
the
leading edge
and
downward
motion along
the
trailing
edge of the
shelf cloud.
Cloud
base
behind
the
gust front is
often
very
turbulent, as
shown here.
Less common
than the shelf
cloud is a Roll
Cloud.
In
Figure 16 it is
seen as the
detached tube
shaped cloud.
It can often be
seen to rotate
slowly about a
horizontal
axis. Like the
shelf cloud, it
may indicate
the
leading
edge of a zone
of
strong
straight-line
winds.
Because of its
horizontal
rotation,
it
may
be
mistaken for a
tornado. Let's
look at some
other
structures that
are frequently
falsely
reported
as
tornadoes.
E. Tornado
Look-Alikes:
Virga or rain
shafts
are
often reported
as tornadoes.
In figure 17,
we see a
developing
rain
shaft,
which is fuzzy
in appearance.
An
intense
rain column,
as in Figure
18, can be
more difficult.
Although
it
looks similar
to the violent
tornado on the
cover of this
guide,
its
edges
are
much
less
distinct.
Mammatus
clouds,
as
seen in Figure
19, are often
mistaken for
tornadoes.
While
mammatus
often
accompany
severe
thunderstorms
(see figure 1),
they are not
severe
in
themselves
and may also
accompany
non-severe
thunderstorms
.
cloud
or
tornado.
In
this example,
and for all
tornado
look-alikes,
the key is to
LOOK FOR
ORGANIZE
D
AND
SUSTAINED
ROTATION
ABOUT
A
NEARLY
VERTICAL
AXIS.
tornado is a
scud
cloud.
These
are
ragged, low
cloud
fragments
which usually
are
not
attached to the
cloud
base.
When
the
scud
is
attached to the
cloud base as
in Figure 20,
it is very
difficult
to
distinguish it
from a wall
The first sign
of a tornado
may not be a
funnel at the
cloud
base.
Your first clue
may be debris
or dust at the
surface, so be
alert to events
at
ground
level, as well
as
in
the
clouds.
At
night,
lightning
flashes can aid
in identifying
the Rain Free
Additional
for
The
feature Tips
most
often Skywarn
mistaken for a Spotters
149
Base,
Wall which they are from
the
for
Frequently
is often heavy
Cloud,
and operating.
tornado
development
used as a
and the usual
55-72
Damage
to
chimneys
and
TV
antenna;
pushes
over
shallow
rooted
trees
Precipitation
safely.
In
and
synonym for a occurrences of
When
Area.
continuance.
wall cloud
lightning and
available, use urban area this
is
usually
not
Accessory
although
it
thunder with
binoculars to
Peels surface
roofs; windows broken; light trailer
clouds
houses pushed
actually
or overturned;
is a
these clouds
for offpossible
Although 73-11
a look
moving
automobiles
pushed
off
roads
because
of
associated
generally
leads to the
loud roar 2 is rotation and traffic
with the
circular ring
popular names
other
cloud
frequently
thunderstorm
of cloud
of
features. Once congestion.
associated
include
roll,
surrounding
thunderhead
spot a Spotter Aids
with
a you
thelarge
uppertrees or
Roofs torn off houses; weak buildings and trailershelf,
houses destroyed;
tornado, 113-1 funnel,
Estimating
mammatus,
portion
of a
thundercloud.
snapped and
tornado,
or uprooted
strong
Hail
Size:
and wall
wall cloud.
See also
57
wall cloud, be
straight-line
clouds.
Cumulonimb Thunderstorm
winds can also alert for the
.
Anvil
us Cloud
pea size
1/4 inch
produce such formation of
The spreading The parent
Cumulus
158 &others
Severe in
damage:cars
lifted off ground
the
a sound.
marble size
1/2 inch
of
the
upper
cloud
of
a
Cloud
up area.
portion of a
thunderstorm. A column of
If you spot
dime size
3/4 inch
If
you
find
cumulonimbu
The
rising air that
from a fixed
yourself
in
quarter
size
1
inch
s cloud into an cumulonimbu has condensed
location, use a
*Adapted
large
hail,
anvil-shaped
s cloud towers into a dense,
map
to
golf ball size
1.75 inch from the
remember
you
plume
usually
above
nonfibrous
determine
Beaufort and
are
in
or
near
baseball
size
2.75
of fibrous or
ordinary
cloud with
distances and
Fujita Wind
the
area
where
smooth
cumulus
distinct
directions to
Scales.
tornado
appearance.
clouds, with
outlines,
known
formation
is
Strong or
stronger or
appearing
landmarks
ESTIM
National
severe
severe
storms
much like a
such as water most likely in
Weather
ATING
a
tornadic
thunderstorms often having a rising mound,
towers,
TV
Service
WIND
often have
more sharply
a dome, or
towers,
etc. thunderstorm.
Storm
cauliflower.
This will help Always
SPEEDS Spotter's thicker anvils outlined
with the side
"hard"
The base of
you estimate follow
the
*(miles per
Glossary
and bottom
appearance
the cloud is
distance and basic safety
hour)
and
having a
with relatively relatively flat
direction
in rules. In open
and dark,
your reports. country,
a
Supplement cumuliform or rapid rising
slowly boiling motions
while the
5-31Mobile
Large branches spotter
in motion;
heard in telephone
wires
may whistling
be
al Guide
appearance
in
visible.
The
tower is
spotters
able to use his
Accessory
the immediate cloud's upper
usually white
should always knowledge of
Clouds
and sunlit.
the tornado's
-38 have
Whole trees in motion;
inconvenience felt walking against wind vicinity of the portion
Clouds that
parent
includes the
The cumulus
up-to-date
motion
and
are dependent cumulonimbu anvil.
cloud is the
maps and be available
on
a
larger
s.
Accompanyin
first stage of a
withoff escape
routes
-54 familiar
Twigs break
trees; wind
generally impedes progress
cloud system
Collar Cloud g precipitation developing
the area in to drive away
150
thunderstorm,
although most
cumulus do
not form
thunderstorms
.
Downdraft
A column of
generally cool
air that rapidly
sinks to the
ground, most
often
accompanied
by
precipitation
in a shower or
thunderstorm.
Areas of
downdraft
usually
contain little
cloud, and
what clouds
that may be
present are
typically
dissipating.
Flanking
Line
A line of
cumulus
connected to
and extending
outward from
the most
active portion
of a parent
cumulonimbu
s, usually
found on the
southwest side
of the storm.
The cloud line
has roughly a
stair step
appearance
with the taller
clouds
adjacent to the
parent
cumulonimbu
s. It is most
frequently
associated
with strong or
severe
thunderstorms
.
Flash
Flooding
Flooding that
develops very
quickly on
streams and
river
tributaries
usually as a
result of
thunderstorms
. Sometimes
the onset of
flash flooding
comes before
the end of
heavy rains.
There is little
time between
the detection
of flood
conditions and
the arrival of
the flood
crest. Swift
action is
essential to
the protection
of life and
property.
Front
A transition
zone between
two differing
air masses.
Basic frontal
types are (1)
COLD
FRONT
where cooler
air advances
replacing
warmer air;
(2) WARM
FRONTwarmer air
advances
replacing
cooler air; (3)
STATIONAR
Y FRONTwarmer air
meeting
cooler air with
neither air
mass moving
appreciably.
Thunderstorm
s can form in
association
with any of
these fronts.
However,
fronts are not
necessary for
thunderstorm
development.
Funnel Cloud
A
funnel-shaped
cloud
extending
from a
towering
cumulus or
cumulonimbu
s base. It is
associated
with a rotating
air column
that is not in
contact with
the ground.
The cloud is a
tornado if a
ground-based
debris or dust
whirl is
visible below
the funnel
aloft.
Gust Front
The leading
edge of the
thunderstorm
downdraft air.
The gust front
is most
prominent
beneath the
rain-free base
and on the
leading edge
of an
approaching
thunderstorm.
It is usually
marked by
gusty cool
winds, and
sometimes
blowing dust.
The gust front
often precedes
the
thunderstorm
precipitation
by several
minutes. The
shelf or roll
cloud
sometimes
accompanies
the gust front,
especially
when the gust
front precedes
a line of
thunderstorms
.
Hail
Precipitation
in the form of
balls or
clumps of ice,
produced by
thunderstorms
. Severe
storms with
intense
updrafts are
the most
likely large
hail
producers.
Hook Echo
A radar
pattern
sometimes
observed in
the southwest
quadrant of a
tornadic
thunderstorm.
Appearing
like the
number six or
a fishhook
turned in
toward the
east, the hook
echo is
precipitation
aloft around
the periphery
of a rotating
column of air
2-10 miles in
diameter. The
hook echo is
often found in
a local area
favorable for
tornado
development.
However,
many
tornadoes
occur without
a hook echo
and not all
hook echoes
produce
tornadoes.
Lightning
Any and all of
the various
forms of
visible
electrical
discharge
caused by
thunderstorms
. Severe
thunderstorms
usually have
very frequent
and
sometimes
nearly
continuous
lightning.
However,
some
non-severe
thunderstorms
also contain
frequent and
vivid
electrical
displays,
while some
severe storms
are
accompanied
by little
lightning.
Mamma
Clouds
Also called
mammatus,
these clouds
appear as
hanging,
rounded
protuberances
or pouches on
the under
surface of a
cloud. With
thunderstorms
, mammatus
are seen on
151
the underside
of the anvil.
These clouds
do not
produce
tornadoes,
funnels, hail,
or any other
type of severe
weather,
although they
often
accompany
severe
thunderstorms
.
Precipitation
Shaft
A visible
column of rain
and/or hail
falling from a
cloud base.
When viewed
against a light
background,
heavy
precipitation
appears very
dark gray,
sometimes
with a
turquoise
tinge. This
turquoise
tinge has been
commonly
attributed to
hail but its
actual cause is
unknown.
Rain-Free
Base
A horizontal,
dark
cumulonimbu
s base that has
no visible
precipitation
beneath it.
This structure
usually marks
the location of
the
thunderstorm
updraft.
Tornadoes
most
commonly
develop (1)
from wall
clouds that are
attached to the
rain-free base,
or (2) from
the rain-free
base itself.
This is
particularly
true when the
rain-free base
is observed to
the south or
southwest of
the
precipitation
shaft.
River Flood
Usually
occurs on
rivers, after
flash flooding
has occurred
on streams
and
tributaries.
River floods
develop and
reach their
peak more
slowly than
flash floods.
In many cases
the river flood
peak occurs
after the rain
has ended.
Roll Cloud
A relatively
rare,
low-level,
horizontal,
tube-shaped
accessory
cloud
completely
detached from
the
cumulonimbu
s base. When
present, it is
located along
the gust front
and most
frequently
observed on
the leading
edge of a line
of
thunderstorms
. The roll
cloud will
appear to be
slowly
"rolling"
about its
horizontal
axis. Roll
clouds are not
and do not
produce
tornadoes.
Scud Clouds
Low cloud
fragments
often seen in
association
with and
behind
thunderstorm
gust fronts.
These clouds
are ragged and
wind torn and
are not usually
attached to the
thunderstorm
base. Scud
clouds do not
produce
severe
weather. In
some cases,
when scud
clouds are
attached to the
thunderstorm
base they can
be mistaken
for wall
clouds or
tornadoes.
Severe
Thunderstor
m
A
thunderstorm
that goes from
the mature
stage to the
severe stage
before
dissipating.
Severe
thunderstorms
are most
efficient
"machines"
because the
updraft
remains
strong for a
long time.
They also
occasionally
contain
rotations on a
broad scale.
Because of its
structure, the
severe storm
may last for
hours beyond
the lifetime of
a normal
thunderstorm
while
producing
large hail,
high winds,
torrential rain,
and possible
tornadoes.
Officially, a
thunderstorm
is classified as
severe if 50
knot (58
MPH) winds
are measured,
3/4 inch or
larger hail
occurs, or
funnel clouds
or tornadoes
develop.
Straight
Winds
Winds
associated
with a
thunderstorm,
most
frequently
found with the
gust front.
These winds
originate as
downdraft air
reaches the
ground and
rapidly
spreads out
becoming
strong
horizontal
flow.
Damaging
straight winds,
although
relatively rare
themselves,
are much
more common
than are
tornadoes.
Shelf Cloud
A low-level
horizontal
accessory
cloud that
frequently
appears to be
wedge-shaped
as it
approaches. It
is usually
attached to the
thunderstorm
base and
forms along
the gust front.
The leading
edge of the
shelf is often
smooth and at
times layered
or terraced. It
is most often
seen along the
leading edge
of an
approaching
line of
thunderstorms
, accompanied
by gusty
straight winds
as it passes
overhead and
followed by
precipitation.
The underside
is concave
upward,
turbulent,
boiling, or
wind-torn.
Tornadoes
rarely occur
152
with the shelf
cloud.
Squall Line
Any line or
narrow band
of active
thunderstorms
. The term is
usually used
to describe
solid or
broken lines
of strong or
severe
thunderstorms
.
Tail Cloud
A low
tail-shaped
cloud
extending
outward from
the northern
quadrant of a
wall cloud.
Motions in the
tail cloud are
toward the
wall cloud
with rapid
updraft at the
junction of tail
and wall
cloud. This
horizontal
cloud is not a
funnel or
tornado.
Thunderstor
m
A local storm
(accompanied
by lightning
and thunder)
produced by a
cumulonimbu
s cloud,
usually with
gusty winds,
heavy rain,
and
sometimes
hail.
Non-severe
thunderstorms
rarely have
lifetimes over
two hours. A
typical,
non-severe
thunderstorm
life cycle
consists of
three stages:
(1)
CUMULUS
STAGE-warm, moist
air rises
(updraft) and
condenses
into tiny water
droplets
which make
up the visible
cloud. (2)
MATURE
STAGE-- the
cloud grows
above the
freezing level;
precipitation
forms and
becomes
heavy enough
to fall back to
earth. This
precipitation
generates cool
air which also
sinks back to
earth with the
precipitation.
(3)
DISSIPATIO
N STAGE-Cool rain and
downdraft
spread
throughout the
storm
replacing the
updraft which
is the
lifeblood of
the
thunderstorm.
The visible
cumulonimbu
s cloud
becomes
softer in
appearance,
less distinctly
outlined or
"fuzzy" and
dissipates,
sometimes
leaving only
the high anvil
cloud, as the
storm rains
itself out.
Tornado
A violently
rotating
narrow
column of air
in contact
with the
ground and
extending
from a
thunderstorm
base. The
tornado is
most often
found in the
southwest
quadrant of
the storm,
near the
trailing edge
of the
cumulonimbu
s cloud.
Tornadoes
and funnel
clouds are
usually
pendant from
(1) wall
clouds, or (2)
directly from
the
thunderstorm
base, within a
few miles to
the southwest
of the
precipitation
shaft. The
spinning
motion of a
tornado is
most often left
to right on the
front side and
right to left on
the backside
(counterclock
wise).
Tornadoes
have been
called twisters
and cyclones,
but these
words are all
synonyms for
the most
violent storm
on earth, with
estimated
wind speeds
up to 300
mph.
Updraft
Warm moist
air which rises
and condenses
into a visible
cumulus or
cumulonimbu
s cloud. Once
the cloud
forms, it
depends on
the updraft for
continuance
and further
development.
Virga
Wisps or
streaks of rain
falling out of
a cloud but
not reaching
the earth's
surface. When
seen from a
distance, these
streaks can be
mistaken for
funnels or
tornadoes.
Wall Clouds
A local and
often abrupt
lowering of a
rain-free
cumulonimbu
s base into a
low-hanging
accessory
cloud, from 1
to 4 miles in
diameter. The
wall cloud is
usually
situated in the
southwest
portion of the
storm below
an intense
updraft,
marked by the
main
cumulonimbu
s cloud and
associated
with a very
strong or
severe
thunderstorm.
When seen
from within
several miles,
many wall
clouds exhibit
rapid upward
motion and
rotation in the
same sense as
a tornado,
except with
considerably
slower speed.
A rotating
wall cloud
usually
develops
before
tornadoes or
funnel clouds
by a time
which can
range from a
few minutes
up to possibly
an hour.
Spotters
should key on
any lowering
of the
cumulonimbu
s base as
suspect wall
cloud,
particularly
when it is
located
southwest of
the
precipitation
shaft. Wall
clouds should
be reported.
NOTE:
Sometimes
other
low-hanging
153
accessory
clouds are
mistakenly
identified as
wall clouds.
Warning
(Issued for
tornadoes,
severe
thunderstorm,
flash flood,
river flood.) A
warning is
issued when
severe
weather has
already
developed and
has been
reported by
spotters or
indicated by
radar.
Warnings are
statements of
imminent
danger and are
issued for
relatively
small areas
near and
downstream
from the
severe storm
or flood.
Watch
(Issued for
tornado,
severe
thunderstorm,
flash flood.) A
watch
identifies a
relatively
large area in
which flash
floods or
severe storms
might occur.
Watches are
quite often
issued before
any severe
weather has
developed.
Severe
thunderstorm
and tornado
watches
usually
include an
area 140 miles
wide by about
200 miles
long. The
watch is only
an indication
of where and
when the
severe
weather
probabilities
are the
highest, and
should not be
confused with
a warning.
Appendix E Expanded ICS
Structure
Position
Descriptions
Battalion
Command
Team
The Incident
Commander
will:
154




Develo
p the
Battali
on
Action
Plan
(ICS
Form
202)
for
each
operati
onal
period
in
concer
t with
the
Imple
ment
the
Battali
on
Action
Receiv
e
situati
onal
assess
Make
recom
menda
tions
The Logistics
Officer will:
county
-wide
Incide
nt
Action
Plan.

Identif
y
person
nel
within
each
Battali
on that
will be
assign
ed to
the
Plan
for the
battali
on

Coordi
nate
The Planning
ment
reports
from
units
in the
for
alterati
on of
the

Identif
y battalion
logistical
needs in
concert with
Operations
and Planning.
Battali
on
Comm
and
staff.

Distrib
ute the
inform
ation
packet
indicat
ing the
assign
ment,
functio
n and
respon
sibiliti
the
allocat
ion of
resour
ces to
incide
Officer will:
Battali
on

Begin
docum
entatio
Battali
on
Action
Plan

Begin
docum
entatio
n of
logisti
cal
request
s and


es to
each
memb
er of
the
Battali
on
Comm
and
Team.
Each
individ
ual
will
review
this
inform
ation
nts
within
the
battali
on
Docu
and
report
via
phone
to their
counte
rpart at
Depart
ment
Comm
and.
(i.e.:
Battali
on
Logisti
cs
Officer
will
ment
assign
ments
and
allocat
ion of
n of
the
incide
nt
organi
Update
to the
Situati
on/Stat
arrival
of
resour
ces
using
ICS
Form
211.
zation
and
resour
ce
deploy
us
Report
each
operati

Reque
st provisions
for basic
necessities
(i.e.: cots,
water,
portable

report
to the
Logisti
cs
Chief
at
Depart
ment
Comm
and).
Develo
p the
Comm
unicati
ons
Plan
for the
Battali
resour
ces
using
ICS
Form
204
ment
using
ICS
Forms
201
onal
period
using
ICS
generators,
portable
toilets,
additional
maps, etc.)
from the
Logistics
Chief.
on
using
ICS
Forms
205
and
216.
The
Operations
Officer will:
and
203
(or
207)
Form
209.
Coordinates
emergency
purchasing
agreements
with Finance
Chief.
The Finance
155
Officer will:

Ensure
all work sites
authorized
with petty
cash shall
maintain the
full limit
($200).
The

The

Develo
p the
Coordi
nate
allocat
ion of
emerg
ency
respon
The Planning
Chief will:

Receiv
e
status
reports
from
the
Battali
on
Comm
and
Planni
ng
Officer
s and
mainta
Information
Officer will:

Coordi
nate with
Information
Chief for the
release of
information.

Relay
pertinent
Comm
unicati
information to
personnel
within the
battalion
regarding the
status of
severe storm
and actions
taken by the
department.
Operations
se
resour
ces in
concer
t with
the
Battali
in
current
situati
on
status
inform
ation
for the
county

Begin
docum
entatio
n of
the
incide
nt
organi
zation
and
resour
Chief will:
on
Comm
and
Team
Operat
ions
Officer
ce
deploy
ment
using
ICS
Forms
201
and
203
(or
207)

Make
recom
menda
tions
for
alterati
on of
the
county
ons
Plan
Department
Command
Team
The Incident
Commander
will:

Condu
ct a briefing
for those
for the
county


s
Work
toward
s
imple
mentat
ion of
-wide
Incide
nt
Action
Plan
Update
to the
Situati
on/Stat
us
Report
each
operati
onal
period
using
ICS
Form
209.
personnel
assigned to
the
Department
Command
Team and
distribute the
organizational
chart
identifying
assignments.
using
ICS

the
county
-wide
Incide
nt
Action
Plan
The Logistics
Chief will:


Respo
nd to resource
requests the
Battalion
Command
Logistics
Officers

Coordi
nate
emergency
purchasing
agreements
with Finance
Chief.
Distrib
ute
assignment
packets
outlining
assignments,
functions, and
responsibilitie
s

Forms
205
Develo
p the Incident
Action Plan
for each
operational
period using
ICS Form
202.
and
216.
Docu
ment
assign
ments
and
allocat
ion of
resour
ces
using
ICS
Form
204


Prepar
e resource
contingency
lists using ICS
Form 218.
Revie
w procedures
with County
Finance for
the emergency
purchase of
necessary
items.

Obtain
listing
of
potenti
al
supplie
s and
vendor
s, and
contact
person
The Finance
Chief will:

Distrib
ute to all
Battalions/Div
isions
sufficient
copies of the
Unit Log (ICS
Form 214).
156
s.

Ensure
all work sites
authorized
with petty
cash are
maintained at
the full limit
($200).

Ensure
that the
department
petty cash is
maintained at
the full limit
($500).

Coordi
nate with the
Emergency
Operations
Center
regarding all
requirements
necessary for
future
reimbursemen
t from the
Federal
Emergency
Disaster
Assistance
program.
The Liaison
Chief will:
inter-agency
contacts.

Update
Liaiso
n
Resour
ce List
indicat
ing
potenti
al
assisti
ng/coo
peratin
g
agenci
es and
represe
ntative
s (i.e.:
Ameri
can
Red
Cross,
Nation
al
Guard,
Divisi
on of
Emerg
ency
Medic
al
Servic
es,
etc.)

Respo
nd to requests
from
personnel for
The
Information
Chief will:


Appendix F - building under ard marking
USAR
evaluation
must beOfficer
made (at Emergency Operat
Coordinate with County
PublictoInformation
“Structural
ensure that
somewhat
Triage,
personnel
from
Communicate pertinent
information toremote
work locations
within the departme
Assessment
approaching
the safe
and Marking
the building
entrance.
System
can identify
that it has
The depiction
Structure
been
of the various
Triage,
evaluated and markings as
Assessment
discern its
are follows:
& Marking
condition.
System
Specific
Structure/Haz markings will
ards
be clearly
Evaluation
made inside
Marking
the box to
Personnel
indicate the
conducting
condition of
structure
the structure
searches will
and any
outline a 2' X
hazards at the
2' square box
time of this
at any
assessment.
entrance
Normally the
accessible for
square box
entry into any would be
compromised
made
structure.
immediately
Aerosol cans
adjacent to the
of spray paint
entry point
(International
identified as
Orange only)
safe. An
will be used
arrow will be
for this
placed next to
marking
the box
system. It is
indicating the
important to
direction of
mark all
the safe
normal entry
entrance if the
points into a
Structure/Haz
157

Structu
re is
accessi
ble
and
/
Structu
re is
signifi
cantly
damag
ed.
Some
areas
are
relativ
ely
safe,
but
other
areas
may
need
shorin
g,
bracin
g, or
remov
al of
falling
and
collaps
e
hazard
s.

Structu
re is
not
safe
for

safe
for
search
and
rescue
search
and
rescue
operati
ons
and
may
be
subject
to
sudden
additio
nal
collaps
e.
Remot
e
search
operati
ons
may
procee
d at
signifi
cant
risk. If
rescue
operati
ons are
undert
aken,
safe
haven
areas
and
rapid
evacua
tion
routes
should
be
created
.
Arrow
located
next to
a
markin
g box
indicat
operati
ons.
Damag
e is
minor
es the
directi
on to
the
safe
entran
ce to
the
structu
re,
should
the
markin
g box
need
to be
made
remote
from
the
indicat
ed
entran
ce.
or the
structu
re is
compl
etely
pancak
of
ed
further
with
collaps
little
e.
danger
other
a safe point of indicate
one slash
Structure/Haz entry exists to conditions in
drawn upon
ards
the left of the
separate parts
entry into the
Evaluation
marking
of the
structure (or
markings
(possibility a
building.
room,
made on the
window,
hallway, etc.)
interior of the
upper floor,
Search
And a second
building. In
etc.). The
Assessment
crossing slash
addition, as
single slash
Marking
upon exit.
each
across the box A separate
Single
subsequent
indicates the
and distinct
slash
assessment is
structure is
marking
drawn
performed
not safe for
system is
upon
throughout the search and
necessary to
entry
course of te
rescue
conspicuously
to a
mission, a
operations and denote
structu
new Time,
may be
information
re or
Date. And
subject to
relating to the
area
Unit ID entry
sudden
victim
indicat
will be made
additional
location
es
below the
collapse. The
determination
search
previous
assessment
s in the areas
operati
entry, or a
was made on
searched. This
ons are
completely
July 1, 1999 at separate
current
new marking
1:00 p.m..
Search
ly in
HM
box will be
There is an
Assessment
progre
Indicates
made ifthat
the a hazardous
apparent
material condition
markingexists in or adjacent
ss. to the st
original
indication of
system is
information is natural gas in
designed to be
Cro
Structure/Haz now incorrect. the structure.
used in
ards
This
conjunction
Evaluation
The following evaluation
with the
Search
Marking
illustration
was made by
Structure/Haz Assessment
(continued)
shows the
Chesterfield
ards
Marking
The
various
Fire
Evaluation
(continued)
following
components
Department,
marking
Distinct
information;
of the
Unit 34.
system.
markings will
Time, Date,
Structure/Haz
Personnel
be made
and Unit ID
ards
It should be
performing
inside the four
will also be
Evaluation
noted that
the search
quadrants of
noted outside
marking
marking
function will
the X to
the box at the
system:
boxes would
draw an “X”
clearly denote
upper
be placed in 7/1/99
that
1300
is 2'hrs
X 2'
the search
right-hand
each of the HM -innatural
size with
gas
status and
side.
specific areasCFD-34
International
findings at the
within the
Orange spray
time of this
All personnel
structure (i.e:
paint. The X
assessment.
must be aware
hallways,
will be
The following
of the
The depiction
rooms,
constructed in illustrations
possibility,
above
stairwells,
two
define the
and look for
indicates that
etc.) To
operations Search




158
Assessment
Marks:
separate part
identification
Appendix G of the
Generally, the
is
not
always
Winter Storm
building. If an Search and
possible due
Guidelines
CFD-34
areas is
Rescue
Left
searched
Quadrant
and - FEMA
Branch
& US&R Task
Force
Identifer
(i.e: Chesterfield Fire Department, Engine34)
to site
no victims are Manager, or
conditions. In
Department
found, it must Operations
these
Level Actions
7/1/99
be marked
Section Chief
1300
with an X. It
will be in a
situations, it is Initiated By
hrs
is also
position to
important that On-Duty
important that pass
supervisory
Senior
Top
situation
additional
Quadrant updates be
received on to personnel
Battalion
Time and date noted as they
the
establish a
Chief
that the Task
are available,
appropriate
workable
Force
to reduce
element personnel left
needless
rescue,
identification
the structure
duplication of command,
method for
search efforts. medical,
each specific
Previous
technical, etc.
Rats
search
Right Quadrant - Personnel hazards
structure.
markings
NOTE:
would
Bottom
be
Quadrant - Number of live and dead victims still inside the structure (“X” if no victims)
It is important
2 Live crossed out
to clearly
3 Dead and a new
marking
identify each
Search
would be
personnel
placed next to separate
structure
should use
it with the
International
most recent
within an area
Orange spray
information.
when
paint to mark
important
the exact
Personnel
location of a
using the
information is
victim alert.
marking
In addition,
system will be being
disseminated
surveyor’s
inundated
tape may be
with
to other
used as a flag
additional
operational
to denote the
information
entities. The
appropriate
relative to the
area, in
incident.
primary
conjunction
Extemporaneo
with the spray us information method of
identification
paint marking. needs to be
acknowledged should be the
As with the
and
existing street
Structure/Haz appropriately
ard
disseminated - name and
Evaluation, it
in most cases, building
is important
this
number, if
that the
information
known.
markings are
would not be
specific to
noted on the
Obviously,
each area of
structure
such
entry or
marking.




159
I.
A.
Direct
Admin
istrativ
e
Officer
(AO)
to
ensure
that
station
s have
suffici
ent
resour
ces to
staff
any
first
out
appara
tus
respon
ding
from
their
respect
ive
station
s with
minim
um of
two
person
nel.
For
examp
le
Engine
Compa
ny
(3
person
B.
C.
D.
I.
nel)
Truck
Compa
ny
(3
person
nel)
Utility
Vehicl
e
(2
person
nel)
Ambul
ance
Assign
availab
le staff
to
four-w
heel
drive
vehicle
s for
those
station
s that
do not
have
four-w
heel
drive
brush
trucks.
Where
possibl
e, use
utility
vehicle
s
instead
of
brush
trucks
for
ALS
respon
ders to
protect
ALS
equip
ment.
This
will
enable
(2 personnel)
the
depart
ment
to
reduce
engine
and
truck
respon
ses
during
advers
e
conditi
ons.
A.
These
assign
ed
vehicle
s will
carry
B.
the
radio
design
ation
of
“UTIL
ITY”
follow
ed by
the
respect
ive
station
numbe
r.
Whene
ver
possibl
e,
utility
vehicle
s and
brush
trucks
should
be
staffed
with at
least
one
ALS
firefig
hter or
officer
and
ALS
equip
ment
at ALS
station
s.
Fourwheel
drive
vehicle
s will
respon
d in
place
of
engine
s or
trucks
to
assist
ambul
ances,
and for
Priorit
y3
calls
for
service
.
When
respon
ding to
calls
for
service
,
four-w
heel
drive
vehicle
s
should
procee
d, if
possibl
e,
ahead
of
other
vehicle
s as
“scout
s” to
assess
conditi
ons
II.
and
help
avoid
other
vehicle
s
becom
ing
stuck.
Direct
Logisti
cs to
distrib
ute
tow
straps
and
linch
pins to
all
four-w
heel
drive
units.
Such
equip
ment
should
be
used to
assist
ambul
ances
and
other
similar
sized
fire
depart
ment
vehicle
s that
becom
e
stuck.
I.
Consid
er
staffin
g the
Chain
Repair
Shop
with at
least
one
Chain
Repair
Techni
cian
dedicat
ed
solely
to
repairi
ng
chains
for
Fire
and
EMS
units.
In
additio
n,
special
arrang
ements
need
to be
made
for
disburs
ing
160
spare
chain
saws
and for
servici
ng all
chain
saws
to
assure
their
availab
ility.
I.
A.
The
Senior
Battali
on
Chief
will
direct
Emerg
ency
Comm
unicati
ons
Center
Fire
and
EMS
Dispat
ch
Operat
ions
Superv
isor to
begin:
Reduci
ng
respon
se of
emerg
B.
I.
ency
appara
tus to
calls
for
service
Limiti
ng
numbe
r of
Priorit
y3
EMS
calls to
no
more
than 3
at a
time
Limiti
ng
numbe
r of
Priorit
y 3 fire
calls to
no
more
than 3
at a
time
due to
ice
storm,
wires
down,
etc.
For
snow
emerg
encies,
initiate
snowpl
owing
operati
ons
with
assign
ed
staffin
g,
using
Utility
North
and
Utility
South
as
soon
as
possibl
e to
stay
ahead
of
accum
ulation
.
Vehicl
es
should
have
plows
mount
ed and
be
loaded
with
sand
the
day
prior
to
expect
ed
inclem
ent
weathe
r.
Give
priorit
y to
plowin
g those
fire
station
s
staffin
g
ambul
ances
and
rescue
squad
units.
I.
Direct
the
Admin
istrativ
e
Officer
to
initiate
emerg
ency
minim
um
staffin
g
proced
ures
and
suspen
d use
of
compu
terized
minim
um
staffin
g
rotatio
n for
mornin
g
staffin
g
needs.
The
AO
should
attemp
t to fill
vacanc
ies
using
person
nel
from
the
off-goi
ng
shift at
the
station
where
the
vacanc
ies
exist.
If
unable
to do
so, use
the
next
closest
station
and so
forth.
I.
Initiate
Flexibl
e Shift
Chang
e to
allow
short
notice
traded
time
arrang
ements
and
allow
person
nel
extra
time to
reach
their
duty
station
.
Allow
short
notice
annual
leave,
if still
availab
le in
the
Staffin
g
Book,
for
those
person
nel
unable
to
report
for
duty
due to
severe
weathe
r.
I.
If the
Emerg
ency
Operat
ions
Center
(EOC)
is
activat
ed, fill
the
depart
ment’s
represe
ntative
positio
n with
an
off-dut
y
Battali
on
Chief.
The
on-dut
y
Senior
Battali
on
161
I.
Chief
should
go to
the
Emerg
ency
Comm
unicati
ons
Center
to
coordi
nate
all
county
resour
ces.
If the
EOC
Snow
emerg
encies
assure
that
the
primar
y and
spare
sets of
snow
chains
are
ready
for
each
piece
of
appara
tus
that is
equipp
is not
activat
ed, and
if
benefi
cial,
assign
an
off-dut
y
Battali
on
Chief
to the
Emerg
ency
Comm
unicati
ons
ed in
their
station
.
Ambul
ances
should
have
two
spare
sets of
chains.
Test
the
operati
on of
the
Insta-c
hains.
A.
I.
Ensure
that all
portabl
Center
, to
coordi
nate
comm
unicati
ons
and
resour
ce
allocat
ion,
while
allowi
ng
on-dut
y
Battali
on
e
power
equip
ment
is
service
able
and
has
adequa
te fuel
availab
le.
This
includ
es, but
is not
limited
to:
Portabl
e
power
saws,
B.
C.
I.
Chiefs
to stay
operati
onal in
the
field.
The
Senior
Captai
n in
charge
of
Emerg
ency
Comm
unicati
ons
can
also
particu
larly
chain
saws
Portabl
e
genera
tors
Rescue
equip
ment,
i.e.,
Hurst
tool
power
plants
and
access
ories.
Ensure
that
the
serve
in this
positio
n.
I.
II.
For
snow/i
ce
conditi
ons,
consid
er
establi
shment
of
staged
ambul
ances
not
station
emerg
ency
genera
tor is
tested,
operab
le and
that
adequa
te fuel
is on
hand.
Ensure
that
four-w
heel
drive
units,
either
perma
nently
or
equipp
ed
with
tire
chains,
for use
during
long
transp
orts
once
main
roads
are
clear
of
snow
or ice.
III.
tempor
arily
assign
ed to
the
station
, are
equipp
ed for
first
respon
se
duty.
Ensure
adequa
te
diesel
fuel
and
heatin
g fuel
supplie
s are
Fire Station
Level
Responsibiliti
es - Company
Officers will
be
responsible
for the
following
once the
Senior
Battalion
Chief
declares that
this policy is
in effect.
on
hand.
162
Appendix H Incident
Command
System Forms
201-220
Nati
onal
Fire
Aca
dem
y
ICS
For
ms
Cata
log