Emergency management not new to county, city officials

By Barbara Brown
Emergency management and homeland security have been getting a lot of attention in the past few months.
But county and city officials have been working for years on emergency plans that will help them remain organized and focused regardless of the emergency ñ whether it be a tornado or a terrorist attack in the area.
Chisago Countyís emergency plan and sheets of paper with additions and addendum ready to be added spill out the sides of a 3-inch thick emergency plan guide in Jim Halstromís office.
Halstrom, the countyís man to head emergency response, said the county has been ready for years if an emergency like a tornado, flood or other disaster might occur in the area.
As the countyís emergency management director, Halstrom is responsible for making sure up to 40 agencies and countless volunteers would be organized and on-track should such a catastrophe occur in Chisago County.
Some of the recognized hazards in Minnesota could include civil disorder, a dam failure, hazardous materials incidents, natural disasters, public utilities failure, transportation accident and now possible terrorist attacks.
Halstrom said the countyís well-tuned plan did not change much after Sept. 11, 2002. He said he and emergency response personnel, along with local, county and state officials tweaked the possibilities to which the emergency plan could apply.
ìThe emergency plan has been around for decades,î Halstrom said during an interview in his office at Uptown Maple Commons on 6th Ave. in North Branch.
ìEver since it was called civil defense, the plan has been around and itís continually updated.î
One of the main concerns the Sept. 11 attacks brought to the forefront is the possibility of a public health outbreak, Halstrom said. That possibility lead to the creation of the public health annex section of the plan.
Halstrom said the keystone to the success of the countyís plan would be the emergency operations center or EOC, which would be initiated in case of a natural or terrorist disaster.
Representatives from fire, police, finance, assessment, medical services, attorneys, the Red Cross and utility companies ñ among others ñ all know their duties in case of a widespread disaster.
Having a board with representatives from areas of life affected by a disaster makes the No. 1 concern ñ communication ñ a little less daunting, Halstrom said.
Another facet of the countyís emergency plan ñ and one Halstrom is particularly proud of ñ is the Amateur Radio Emergency Service or ARES.
ARES would enlist the help of area ham radio operators to keep communication open between response outposts in case cellular and land line communication would be cut off.
The ARES program and Wyoming Townshipís volunteer emergency planning committee both have been recognized by the county and state for their work in emergency planning.
Halstrom said he had a chance to get the best experience he could as emergency manager about three years ago when a severe tornado tore through St. Peter, leaving in its wake a swath of destruction that took months to clear.
He was in St. Peter for four days to see exactly how an EOC would operate in case of an emergency.
Training opportunities are scheduled throughout the year in the form of ìtabletopî discussions that present a scenario to representatives from the area EOC and keeps them sharp in case of a real emergency.
ìThe first concern for the emergency plan is to mitigate, or try to prevent in the first place,î Halstrom said.
Halstromís 23 year Army career helped him prepare for his job as county emergency manager.
ìAny kind of disaster has an aura of war,î Halstrom said. ìItís chaos. But at least youíre better prepared to meet that chaos than you would be without planning and training.î
Halstrom said that for the most part, people in Chisago County can go on living their day to day lives without too much concern about terrorist attacks. But that doesnít mean they can be complacent, he said.
Every family should have an emergency plan and a kit of supplies that could see them through in case of an emergency.
Some of those supplies include battery operated flashlights and a radio, non-perishable food, water, extra clothes, first aid kit and blankets.
Families also should have a communication plan. They should pick a place to meet in the area and out of state if necessary in case of evacuation.
ìDonít hide in your shell,î Halstrom said, ìbut with each elevated threat level, keep yourself aware. Report suspicious activity and just keep your eyes peeled.î
The county is applying for three grants. One could net the county $8,000 to update the emergency plan further, another could bring $40,000 for equipment including hazardous materials suits for fire, police and rescue personnel and up to $40,000 for training.
On the west side of the county, North Branch is the only city with its own police force, and therefore, the city has an emergency plan as well.
Although significantly similar to the countyís plan, the cityís could be applied to a localized emergency that maybe did not affect all of Chisago County.
Two key concerns in Chisago County are the fact that I-35 runs along the western border and Hwy. 95 and Hwy. 8 cut through the area.
Trucks with hazardous materials travel all three roadways every day and I-35 is a direct route from Canada into Minnesota.
With North Branch touched by two of the three ìwatchî areas, city civil defense director and North Branch Police Chief Jules Zimmer has to be ready to head a local emergency response as well as assist in a more widespread disaster.
Zimmer said last week that the plan is a guideline for nearly anyone who would be involved in an emergency response and it lays out some basic steps for a response.
The plan is not a step-by-step guide, however. Zimmer said the chaos of a disastrous situation does not lend itself to being organized on paper and one key point in the plan is following the chain of command established in the plan.
Even the area schools, churches, clinics, veterinarians, construction workers, Public Works department and state agencies would be subjected to some kind of chain of command that would help keep everyone organized, Zimmer said.
Zimmer said since Sept. 11 last year, people in North Branch have not become more nervous or scared, but they maybe have become a little more aware.
ìAwareness is very important,î Zimmer said. Because of the awareness of the people in North Branch , they call in suspicious activity. Weíll check it out and it may not end up being something to worry about, but itís good to know people are watching out for their neighborhoods.
ìWe always knew in the backs of our minds that anyone could come in and do something to us,î Zimmer said. ìBut know weíre just more aware that there is a real possibility.î So far, North Branch has not had to use its emergency plan for an actual event, Zimmer said.
Halstrom reinforced the idea that if people in Chisago County keep their heads about them and prepare for what could happen, the aftermath could be a lot easier to deal with.
ìWe live in dangerous times and we are no longer protected by these vast oceans in this blessed land,î Halstrom said.
ìWe have been attacked. Iím not here to scare anyone. Iím here to make sure we have a plan and that the plan addresses every possible emergency.î

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