Italy's FEMA arrives in L'Aquila within 8 hours

UPDATED

by: Lou Angeli

L’AQUILA, Italy (April 7, 2009) -- Nearly 5 DAYS since a 6.2 magnitude earthquake rocked the Abruzzo city of L'Aquila, rescuers are continuing to search for victims, who may be trapped deep in the debris of a university dorm.

The death toll has climbed past 250, another 50 citizens are missing, and 2000 have been injured, some critically. The Ministry of the Interior reports that 15,000 structures have been completely demolished, and the number of homeless is placed at 30,000.

To make a tragic situation even worse, the area has been hit with dozens of aftershocks, the most recent registering a 5.6 magnitude.

Unlike disasters here in the states, the press won’t be reporting on delays in emergency personnel and supplies. Why? They were on location within hours. How did Italian emergency responders mount such a quick response? Simple. The lack of red tape and a damned good preplan.


According to David Alexander, who teaches emergency planning in Europe, the Italian government designed their Disaster Response plan around a "key component found in every province and locale"…the Fire-Rescue service or the Vigili Del Fuoco.

The Vigili Del Fuoco is much different than fire departments here in the states. In Italy, the fire-rescue service is a single, national entity and is paramilitary in design.. So whether a firefighter is assigned to a small station in the Alps, or working a big city like Naples, tactics, command and apparatus are identical.

Comapre that to the states where we have 31,000 agencies with 31,000 different commanders. And even though most of America's Fire-Rescue-EMS service have integrated Incident Command into the operations, our system continues to focus on mitigation of the incident, then followed by caring for those who are homeless.

“In America, we instruct our citizens to be prepared to remain self sufficient for at least 72 hours.” say Dr. Francis Howard of Columbia University. “That concept proved itself to be a disaster during the hours and days following Katrina.”

“When the disaster presents itself in Italy,’ says Howard, ‘the unified response system kicks in immediately.”

The Italian system, known as the Augustus Plan, takes our Incident Command system a step further by automatically integrating municipal emergency agencies – like police and EMS – into the Fire-Rescue system.

The most interesting component of the entire system is Augustus’ ability to place thousands of well-trained, disaster responders on the scene in just a few hours. When the quake struck the Abruzzo region early Monday morning, the Italian goverment declared a national emergency thus authorizing the Civil Protection Department to mobilize a substantial -- and immediate -- response. More than 100 volunteer search and rescue teams were deployed, some of whom assisted in the search and rescue effort, but most of whom began to erect temporary housing, provide meals and tend to the immediate needs of the citizens.

On the Vigili del Fuoco national website you can follow emergency operations in L’Abruzzo with updates on an hourly basis. As of 0600 hours 9 April 2009, the following resources and staffing were operating at dozens of disaster scenes.

- Command has divided the disaster region into four sectors, from 4 base camps.
- 169 senior officers
- In addition to 1000 firefighters on scene, another 2650 are responding.
- 90 specialized recovery teams from 6 surrounding regions
- 48 Volunteer First-Responder Teams of 100
- 6 Urban Search and Rescue Teams
- There are 1,000 Engines or Tankers on scene.
- 24 Ladder Trucks
- 30 Rescue Vehicles
- 6 Cranes
- 4 Bell 412 helicopters
- 6 Agusta EMS helicopters
- 3 Satellite Transmission Vehicles

You can keep track of the progress online at the National Corps of Vigili del Fuoco website.

------

Learn more about Italian Emergency Management

Why America Still Burns!

A History Lesson
by: Lou Angeli

Organized chaos. That's how the fire scene is often described. The adrenaline charged atmosphere feels like a battleground. But in this war zone there's no time to develop a battle plan. For the firefight to be successful action must be immediate. Firefighters have only a few precious minutes to defeat their opponent.

Back in the day, Firefighting was all about racing to the scene, donning a tin helmet and aiming the nozzle at the flames and smoke. And that's pretty much how the general public still perceives the job. But times have changed, and today there’s an art, not to mention a science, to fighting fires.

In terms of extinguishing blazes, today’s firefighters are trained to go face-to-face with the beast, inside the burning building for an "offensive" attack. Some fire training experts say that the trick is to tame the fire, before extinguishing it, and there are dozens of tactics for doing so. But these strategies often come with extreme risk. Bottom line -- firefighters must make crucial life and death decisions quickly.

During the past 30 years, annual civilian fire deaths have been reduced by 50%. But firefighters deaths continue to rise, with 112 being lost in the line of duty last year alone. Even more disturbing are OSHA and the National Fire Protection Association’s predictions that fully one-third of the current firefighting force of 1,100,000 will be injured on the job during they year 2009. Of those who will be injured, it is estimated that over half do not have adequate insurance coverage to attend their needs. Is this any way to treat the Bravest?

Change Comes Slowly to America's Firehouses

Our firefighting counterparts of just 50 years ago were leather-lunged old salts who were overworked, under trained and poorly equipped. Without adequate personal protection, or proper equipment, a "career" in the fire service back then was a sure fire invitation to an early grave.

Thankfully, our job as firefighters has evolved into a high-tech profession. During the last generation alone, the fire-rescue service has seen more change than it did in its first 250 years. In the years immediately following World War II, some of the technology that had been made available to the armed services was brought home to fire stations by the soldiers and sailors who actually used it.

Tools and equipment like Chem-Ox masks, fog nozzles, even 1.5 inch hose were all born from military uses during the War. Imagine the culture shock that existed among veteran 1950's firefighters, when these "wet behind the ears" probies introduced their new toys. Hell, the old-timers we're just growing accustomed to motorized apparatus.

But the post War techno-revolution was short-lived, and our counterparts of the late 50's and early 60's found themselves falling way behind the rest of society. The World was changing, and so were our first-alarm districts. In homes and businesses, wooden furniture and cotton products were replaced by plastics and hydrocarbons, which changed the way we did business at fires. The DuPont slogan, "Better Living Through Chemistry," brought new meaning to America's Bravest.

Without proper equipment and training, fighting these "new wave" fires was a tough game. By 1965, we'd lost possession of the ball and our forward momentum had stalled. Our coaching staff was perplexed and the spectators were beginning to lose their interest.

The Fire Act of 1972

President Richard M. Nixon (a Republican) made a bold move by appointing a special commission to study the fire problem here in the United States. His directive was simple -- determine the fire problems, and make suggestions on how to fix them. Nixon was determined to make the Commission succeed, and he did so by enlisting and recruiting the nation's movers and shakers of the fire-rescue services.

Once together, theirs was no small task. The commission took on some very controversial issues including rising civilian deaths, firefighter safety, the high-rise dilemma, and fire prevention. Their report "America Burning" was a harsh, and very critical review of the fire situation here in America.

"It is appalling,' the report began, 'that the most technologically advanced nation in the World, reports the highest per-capita fire deaths and monetary fire loss." They pulled no punches in their treatment of the issues, and those of us who serve today, owe a great deal to the men and women who recommended the changes most of us take for granted.

35 Years Later

Now 35 years later, the fire problem here in the United States has once again raised its fiery head. And according to fire administrators, the situation seems to be getting worse, instead of better.

“To a great extent, the fire problem in America remains as severe as it was 30 years ago.” That’s the very first sentence in the updated report, “America Burning Recommissioned.”

Even with the introduction of the smoke detector, the incidence of fire in this nation has increased to an alarming rate. Why? Some say it’s public apathy.

“Americans have always been neglectful of safety and loss prevention,” says investigative journalist Herb Denenberg, He adds, “Perhaps we are more focused on producing wealth than preserving it.” The most recent commission agrees. “The indifference with which Americans confront the subject, which the 1973 Commission found so striking, continues today.”

Fire is the most common of all home disasters and the third leading cause of accidental injury and death in the home. Fires spread very quickly, but it isn’t the fire itself that kills! Deadly smoke and poisonous gases snuff the life out of victims long before the flames reach them. There's no time to stop and think and wonder what's the best thing to do. The situation can change in seconds. Half a minute after the smoke alarm goes off, an entire floor of your house could be filled with dense smoke.

More than 4,500 Americans die each year in fires and over 150,000 are injured. An overwhelming number of these life-threatening fires occur in the home. However, there are time-tested ways to prevent and survive a fire. It's not a question of luck - it's a matter of planning ahead. Too many fires are caused by carelessness and ignorance of fire safety principles that have been, until now, thought to be obvious. Education about the fire hazard should not only reach children, but to the adult community as well – the caretakers.

But one of the problems for fire departments is finding necessary funding to conduct adult oriented public education programs. Fact is, there are few fire safety informational programs designed for secondary education and adults.

Do you know what you should do if there's a fire? Are you sure? Does everyone who lives in your home know? If you're not able to answer these questions, ask your kid.

In a recent early morning row home fire in Baltimore, a news helicopter arrived before the fire department. Hovering above the scene, the camera reveals a fire that's moving rocket fast through the center of the block, spreading quickly to homes on either side through common cocklofts.

What struck me most about the chopper coverage was the evacuation of the two attached homes -- both led by children. In one scene, a youngster is shown taking his parents and siblings by the hand and moving them to a safer spot further up the block.

Now, that kid deserves a medal.

------

Death Toll from Aussie Blazes Now at 200

VICTORIA, Australia (February 9, 2009) -- Victoria's bushfire death toll has hit 200, as major blazes continued to menace many country towns and a massive relief operation gathered pace. 52 major fires are still burning with some firefighters having worked 3 days with no sleep. More than 700 homes have been destroyed and 330,000 acres have been scorched.

Blazes have been burning for weeks in the southeastern state of Victoria but turned deadly on Saturday when searing temperatures and wind blasts created a firestorm that swept across the region. A long-running drought in the south, the worst in a century, had left forests extra-dry and Saturday's fire conditions were said to be the worst ever in Australia.

Evidence of heart-wrenching loss abounded. From the air, the landscape was blackened as far as the eye could see. In at least one town, bodies still lay in the streets. Entire forests were reduced to leafless, charred trunks, farmland to ashes.

The bushfires have been moving across the terrain with lightning speed, which has made it impossible for firefighters to build firebreaks in order to separate the blazes from tinder dry fuel. Much of their time is spent going into burned towns in an attempt to recover burned corpses.

The Kinglake area remains the worst hit by a fierce 220,000 acre firestorm, which ripped through the region on Saturday, killing 103 people, so far, and destroying over 550 homes. Nearby Marysville was annihilated and is one of dozens of towns that have been declared major crime scenes as police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon confirmed some fires were deliberately lit.

An emotional Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the firebugs responsible were nothing short of mass murderers.

"What do you say about anyone like that? There are no words to describe it other than mass murder," Mr Rudd said.

Country Fire Authority (CFA) volunteers have been traumatized by many of their gruesome discoveries and the job of searching for bodies has been taken over by specialized police Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) teams.

As refugees flooded down the mountain from Kinglake and surrounding townships into Whittlesea, emergency relief workers headed the other way, taking desperately needed food, water and fuel supplies to firefighters and those who have remained behind.

"We’ve been making the area safe for firefighters to work in but (we’re) also getting supplies and resources to people on the mountain who decided to stay and protect their properties," CFA spokesman Dave Wolf told AAP.

Many firefighters stood helpless as firestorms roared through communities consuming their own homes and those of their colleagues. While responding to fires in the Yarra Valley on Saturday, Fire Lieutenant Drew Adamson's strike team was stopped just outside Yarra Glen to extinguish an overturned burning car. When he opened the door of the wreck a body fell out.

"It's just like a bomb blast, like street after street is just no longer there.” Adamson said. “You see fireplaces and remnants of tin roofs still there and car bodies, cars that are half alight still."

-----

In A Word: California’s Disaster Response Was "Smooth."

Commentary By: Lou Angeli

San Diego County, CA (October 26, 2007) – If you find yourself trapped somewhere during a major disaster – pray that you’re in California, because when it comes to disaster response and mitigation, no one does it better than emergency personnel in the Golden State.

It’s no secret that California is a hotbed for disasters. The potential for major emergencies like wildfires, earthquakes, floods and mudslides is high, perhaps higher than any other state in the nation. But other states experience serious natural disasters as well, and with the exception of Florida few are able to ride the wave without wiping out.

Some of my colleagues say that California was just lucky this time around. I say no way, because when the Santa Anas blow hard and the vegetation is tinder dry, it’s like joining in on a crap game in which no one’s brought the dice. There is no luck.

So why is the Left Coast better prepared to deal with Mother Nature’s nasty side? In a word – planning. Starting from the Governor’s office down to the smallest volunteer fire brigade, the state has developed contingencies for large-scale disasters.

Statewide Coordination and Cooperation

The state’s Office of Emergency Services serves as the Governor’s direct connection to all emergency services in California. When it came to this week’s wildfire disaster, OES is what FEMA wishes it could be -- an agency that is on the street within hours of a disaster, and well-organized under a common Incident Command System.

The response to the 2007 Firestorm wasn’t a knee-slap reaction but rather the implementation of a long-established plan that has long been administered by Cal OES. It’s a dynamic plan, one that is updated as each disaster is critiqued and recommendations made.

The current working plan was ordered by the Governor back in the Spring. Signed on May 9, 2007, Schwarzenegger’s Executive Order S-07-07 essentially instructed agencies like the OES, Cal Fire, the CDC and the National Guard to beef up their response capabilities. According to the order, additional OES strike teams were to be created, Cal Fire staffing was to be increased, better coordination between state agencies and the military was mandated, and a reciprocal firefighting arrangement was to be established with Mexico

The order also reaffirmed how the state’s automatic mutual aid system would function under the California Fire Assistance Agreement. S-07-07 was presented in such detail that the Governor even indicated a minimum staffing level for fire engines. (1)

Take Charge Governor

When the situation went from bad to worse, Schwarzenegger made certain that he was front and center. While flying to speak at a conference in Long Beach, he learned that a major evacuation was taking place in San Diego County. He diverted his helicopter directly to the firefront, where he took command as if he were a 30-year firefighting salt. (If it counts, he did play the role of a firefighter in a 2002 motion picture.)

Schwarzenegger launched each press conference by crediting the state’s firefighters, always making note of the dangerous conditions under which they were working. While agency directors tended to hour-to-hour operations, much of the Governor's focus this past week was on the plight of the evacuees, saying he didn’t want anyone to feel abandoned. He personally toured evacuation centers like Qualcom, where he conducted his own assessments, some of which dealt with the nitty-gritty.

“Do we have enough toilet paper, do we have enough toilets?" Schwarzenegger said at a press conference after his tour. "Do we have everything we need for the people here so they can stay overnight?"

So, without any ceremony, the title of Master of Disaster was quietly handed over this week from former New York City Mayor Rudy Guliani to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The California governor’s handling of the 2007 Firestorm, and the state’s largest evacuation ever has brought him praise from around the World. Even ultra-liberals offered admiring remarks.

“How about Schwarzenegger…he was certainly in control this week,” said HBO’s Bill Maher on his Friday night broadcast. “It’s a shame that he can’t run for president,’ Maher added, “…he’d probably have my vote!”

During a satellite feed beamed to the participants of the conference that he was unable to attend, Schwarzenegger offered this explanation of the importance of his personal response.

“The most important thing is you jump into action as quickly as possible," he said. The public needs to see "that you are a hands-on governor," that you "take care of the firefighters" and feel the pain of people who have lost their homes. (Time.com)

The Question of Early Aircraft Intervention

In an earlier blog I made note of criticism leveled against Schwarzenegger by Chief Chip Prather, the boss of the very large Orange County Fire Authority. Chief Prather, a well-known national fire administrator, chastised the Governor and the state for banning firefighting aircraft from the skies during the early stages of the fire.

Of course pilots and fire officials agreed that sending flight crews on low level sorties, buffeted by hurricane force winds, would have been a suicide mission. My suggestion at the time was that perhaps Prather was exhausted, and didn’t realize that he was speaking to a hastily assembled press conference – rather than his chiefs and crews at the command post. As it turned out, that was partially the case.

By Wednesday, Time.com reports, Prather had nothing but accolades for Schwarzenegger.

His "personal attention" to firefighters battling the blazes "is inspiring - knowing the guy at the top is there with them," Prather said at a news conference near Los Angeles.

FEMA goes 0 for 6.

On Thursday, the situation was still very serious, but sunlight was beginning to peak through the constant haze of chocking smoke. With the Santa Anas dying down, and tankers dousing the flames, firefighters were making remarkable progress. Many evacuees were permitted to return to their neighborhoods, and for those families who lost their homes, the process of re-establishing their lives was beginning.

Following the Katrina debacle, FEMA’s David Paulison promised better and more immediate response to large-scale disasters. His plan did, in fact, take place. The agency immediately deployed the Federal Incident Response Team (FIRST) out of Atlanta aboard a Coast Guard C-130. The advance team hit the ground running and began to coordinate emergency support for the thousands of evacuees at the Qualcomm shelter.

However, a quick visit to FEMA’s website reveals that the agency was taking credit for the hard work of others. The website suggests that FEMA had been coordinating the military response to San Diego County, which is far from the truth.

The military is a major presence in San Diego County, with some 300,000 of its personnel and dependants living there. Like any good neighbor would do, the NAVY, Marines, Reserves and National Guard stepped up to assist state government in the early stages, while FEMA was still watching the disaster play out on CNN.

Then there was FEMA’s fake press conference. Yes – like a parody from The Colbert Report, America's favorite federal agency staged a phony briefing on Tuesday with FEMA employees posing as legitimate members of the press. Real-life reporters were given just 15 minutes notice of the press conference, however for those who weren't able to make it, the agency offered a toll-free 800 listen-only line.

It's an unfortunate situation for FEMA. The good work that Paulison accomplished in the early stages of this disaster will never be remembered. The 5th Estate will scrutinize everything that the agency does from this moment on, regardless of its merit. And David Paulison, a good man with fine intentions, will take the fall and likely lose his position.

Lessons Learned

The campaign in California is still in disaster mode, so it's a bit early to be critiquing the operation. But there is one thing that I'd like to share. In my mind there are two ways to fix FEMA. Immediately turn the agency over to the US Coast Guard -- or sub-contract national disaster response to Governor Schwarzenegger’s Office of Emergency Services.

-----

Sources:

(1) OES

(2) Time.com