In light of the recent earthquake in Haiti, FireRescue is sharing some past articles related to structural collapse, earthquake response and USAR teams.

The following is excerpted from Capt. Larry Collins’ Major Incident Readiness Article “Ready to Shake: Lessons from earthquake exercise can be applied to many regions,” April 2009, p. 58. Photos Courtesy USGS

More than 5,000 firefighters and first responders participated in the nation’s largest disaster exercise Nov. 13–16, 2008. A combined exercise known as the Great Southern California ShakeOut and Operation Golden Guardian 2008, the event involved a simulated 7.8-magnitude earthquake on the southern section of the San Andreas Fault, resulting in catastrophic damage across eight counties.


Lessons Learned
The lessons learned from the Great Southern California ShakeOut are having an impact on preparedness efforts across California, other states prone to earthquakes and even states that would be requested to provide mutual aid into Southern California when the San Andreas Fault ruptures. As a direct result of the exercises, as well as the studies upon which the drills were based, the California fire services are reevaluating and revising urban conflagration strategies, equipment and tactics. They’re reviewing the mutual-aid system and considering strategies that will expedite the response of resources (including out-of-state resources) to help fight fires, locate and rescue trapped victims, treat and remove the injured to definitive medical treatment, confine hazardous materials releases and perform other critical post-quake functions. Additionally, they’re taking a closer look at the civilian role and how first responders can help everyone prepare. This includes improving public education for earthquakes and other disasters, and increasing emphasis on creating and supporting Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs).

Preparation
First and foremost, all emergency responders must be prepared to protect themselves and their equipment, so they are ready to begin immediate life-saving and property-saving operations when the shaking stops. This means use of the “Drop, Cover and Hold On!” protocol advocated by emergency management experts, and passing the message to others. Specifically, drop to the ground, take cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table and hold on to it until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building. The main point is to immediately protect yourself as best as possible where you are. In a fire station, it also includes getting away from apparatus that will literally be bouncing around inside the apparatus rooms and then, once the shaking stops, removing equipment from the fire stations before aftershocks begin.

There would be significant advantages to an Early Warning System. P-Wave detectors are currently available, with potential for future integration of a system that Cal Tech, the USGS and some private companies are working on, which would use the California Integrated Seismic Network and other sensors to provide warning of an incoming earthquake. In places distant to the epicenter, tens of seconds of warning would allow fire station doors to be opened before the damaging waves strike, allowing fire and rescue apparatus to be immediately pulled out of the stations. This is currently being investigated by a number of fire and rescue agencies.

The ShakeOut also showed us that a 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas Fault will be “off the charts” in terms of the experience of most responders today. As Lucy Jones, chief seismologist at the USGS in Pasadena, Calif., explains, responders who are planning for smaller events, like Northridge or Loma Prieta, will be unprepared for the scope of the quake. Thus, firefighters and disaster planners must continue to work hand in hand with seismologists, engineers and others to better define the hazards we face, and to develop effective strategies to deal with those hazards.

Resource Structure
The ShakeOut certainly underscored the significant advantages to having a robust, multi-tiered emergency and disaster response system that allows firefighters to manage a wide range of disasters, including those that require interstate mutual aid.

Earthquakes have had a significant effect on the development of fire service structure over the years. For example, the development of the USAR discipline was a direct outgrowth of the Sylmar, Loma Prieta and Whittier earthquakes (1971, 1989 and 1994, respectively). Local fire departments have developed their own USAR units for disasters, which also serve the role of rescue companies on a daily basis. The development of regional and state USAR programs and teams is also a hallmark of these earthquakes.

And the development of FEMA’s system of federalized USAR task forces should be considered one of the most effective government programs ever devised. This national system of teams ready to deploy anywhere in the country at a moment’s notice was developed and went operational within just 2 years. This program does what it promised and in a very cost-effective way.

The domestic USAR system is further backed up by a system of USAR teams in other nations that can be requested if needed. The United States, under the auspices of the U.S. Agency for International Development (Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance), fields two of those international teams. Note: The two U.S.-based international USAR task forces are from the Fairfax County (Va.) Fire and Rescue Department and the LACoFD.

Even with these systems, the number of structure collapses across Southern California anticipated by the ShakeOut Scenario will challenge all available rescue systems.

In addition to USAR teams, our paramedic and other emergency pre-hospital care systems are among the best anywhere. We enjoy sophistocated systems to care for victims of disasters, including being able to treat people still trapped and quickly move them to the appropriate medical facilities. In disasters, the local systems are backed up by local and federally deployable medical teams, including those from the National Disaster Medical System. Still, the number of injuries may be overwhelming initially and will require a massive response.

Firefighting
Southern California has developed one of the most robust and time-tested systems for managing urban and wildland/urban interface (WUI) fires. Still, even these fire-tested resources and the mutual-aid system will be severely challenged—and in some cases overwhelmed—by 1,600 urban fires igniting within minutes of a 7.8 quake.

This event will certainly challenge local firefighters who will encounter larger fires because of response delays, fewer assisting resources because of simultaneous emergencies, and reduced water for firefighting in some areas because of water main damage and greatly increased demand from other firefighting operations. Consequently, local firefighters and command staffs must be prepared to deal with multiple urban conflagrations, some of which might merge. The use of innovative strategies, unusual tactics (like “indirect attack” and aerial attack in urban firefighting) and massive amounts of mutual aid will be key to limiting the spread of fire.

Civilian Role
The ShakeOut and Golden Guardian highlighted the importance of individual and community readiness. While fire departments are preparing for the potential effects of a San Andreas quake, it’s important for the residents of Southern California to prepare for the short- and long-term consequences of a large local quake. Thus, the fire and rescue services and other public safety organizations have committed significant resources to supporting the new public education efforts—and we must continue to do so. For examples of public education programs that originated from this exercise, visit www.shakeout.org.

We already know that many lightly trapped victims will be rescued by neighbors and family using whatever tools are available, and the fire service strongly supports development of Community Emergency Response Teams and other means of teaching and equipping residents to conduct light rescues. This will allow firefighters and other rescuers to concentrate their efforts on people seriously trapped.

Additionally, in the case of a 7.8 earthquake, it’s going to be important for residents to limit fire ignitions by having earthquake shutoff valves installed at their gas meters, being prepared to manually shut off the gas and having fire extinguishers in their homes, places of work and automobiles (and knowing how to safely use them) in order to extinguish small fires before they spread.

Conclusion
The lessons learned from the ShakeOut are clearly not limited to Southern California. To the contrary, decision makers in any region prone to earthquakes will find important parallels in terms of the need for public awareness of local hazards; improved public education to help improve personal readiness of the affected population; well-oiled and robust, multi-tiered emergency response systems; the use of well-considered construction codes and ordinances to improve the performance of structures and lifelines; and the ability of all levels of government and the military to respond quickly, effectively and in unison during disasters. The fire department is part of the front line of response, and the ShakeOut Scenario reminds us of the tremendous challenges we all will face on the day of such an earthquake and for weeks and months afterward.

Larry Collins is a 28-year member of the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), serving as a captain, USAR Specialist and paramedic assigned to USAR Task Force 103, which responds to technical rescues and multi-alarm fires. He is a Search Team Manager for the LACoFD’s FEMA/OFDA US&R Task Force for domestic and international response, and he serves as an USAR Specialist on the “Red” FEMA USAR Incident Support Team, with deployments to the Oklahoma City bombing, the 9/11 Pentagon collapse, hurricanes Frances, Ivan, Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma, and several National Security Events. He wrote the textbook series titled Technical Rescue Operations (www.technicalrescueops.com).