Area Prepared for Large Disaster, Experts Say

Earthquakes, the Alaska Airlines crash and massive brush fires have prepared local public safety workers for many of the elements of a disaster rivaling the World Trade Center attacks.

That was the opinion Wednesday of police, firefighters and emergency operations experts who attended a two-hour lecture in Camarillo by a search-and-rescue worker who spent two weeks at Ground Zero in New York.

“California is really ready for the big stuff--much more so than many other places,” said Jim Hone, a Santa Monica assistant fire chief who works on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Urban Search and Rescue Team.

In a meeting room at Cal State Channel Islands, Hone used video, slides and his own recollections to share his experience at the chaotic, debris-littered area in Lower Manhattan.

More than 60 city, county and state employees--many of whom worked on the 1994 Northridge earthquake and the January 2000 Alaska Airlines crash--attended the grim but informative talk.

It was the first time area rescue workers have been convened to hear from a person who served on the front line of America’s deadliest disaster, said Laura Hernandez, manager of the county’s Office of Emergency Services. “There’s always something to be learned,” Hernandez said. “We do a lot of proactive work like this so we can continue to improve our system.”

The audience learned California’s buildings are far sturdier than those in Manhattan because of strict construction codes put into place in the wake of several disastrous earthquakes.

And unlike their East Coast counterparts, Hone said, California emergency workers function under a standardized disaster plan that outlines who does what and where. Workers also use a written and oral code system that signals everything from when a building has been searched to when to escape eminent danger.

Experience Dealing With Disaster Teams

State emergency officials also have an abundance of experience in dealing with federal disaster teams sent into situations deemed too large for a single city or state to handle.

“What he [Hone] said reinforced a lot of the things we already know, and a big part of that is having a plan in place,” said Debby Steffen, an administrator with the governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Ventura County Fire Capt. Brian Dilley said he agreed with Hone’s statement that “there’s a world of difference on the other side of the Colorado River.”

“You have to have trained people to handle these situations, and we do,” Dilley said. “We have dealt with them. Just think of some of the big brush fires here.”

While the lecture did not criticize rescue efforts at Ground Zero--Hone praised New York City police and firefighters--the afternoon was meant as a stark reminder of the critical elements of disaster relief. This lesson is particularly relevant in California, Hone said, since experts predict a major earthquake in the state could kill as many as 20,000 people and injure 80,000.

Hone said rescuers need to make carefully thought decisions about entering burning buildings, particularly if fuel is involved; focus on first saving victims and then recovering the dead, and always wear proper clothing and breathing equipment.

Lean heavily on state and federal resources when appropriate, Hone said. For instance, call the Army Corps of Engineers for big cases because the corps is expert in removing large debris.

County officials said there were no immediate plans to make any major changes to the area’s written disaster plans, but several leaders plan to share their experience from the lecture with co-workers and employees.