Robert Chacon
La Canada Flintridge was one of dozens of cities in Los Angeles
County this week "attacked by terrorists" in mock exercises held by
the county's Office of Emergency Management.
Operation Trident is a countywide drill held for municipalities to
communicate with the Los Angeles County Emergency Operations Center
through its computerized Emergency Management Information System, or
EMIS. All cities are connected to the county through EMIS, Project
Manager Ian Whyte said.
Through the system, cities can inform the county about what sort
of disaster transpired and request emergency services and other
resources.
Cities can also receive updates on disasters in other cities in
the county.
"We don't live in a bubble. By knowing what is going on throughout
our area, we can formulate ideas for action and figure out where we
go from here," said Andrew Pachon, emergency services coordinator for
La Canada Flintridge.
Each city carries out Trident exercises differently, Whyte said.
Fire and police departments at some cities respond; at others, like
La Canada Flintridge, city staff conduct tabletop exercises.
At City Hall on Tuesday, 15 staff members from different
departments gathered in the council chambers, the city's emergency
operations center in case of a disaster.
"We went through the motions of what protective steps we would
take. This gave us an opportunity to learn what we would do," Pachon
said.
The city staged a situation in which a bomb was found in City
Hall. Staffers practiced notifying emergency services, evacuating the
building and the surrounding area and drew up plans to work with the
media. An alternate City Hall location was established at the
Lanterman House in the 4400 block of Encinas Drive.
All the while, staff updated the county on its decisions and
requests, and learned about developments in other cities.The exercise
allowed the city to reinforce emergency procedures in a controlled
environment, Pachon said.
The information sent through EMIS is collected and will be used in
a report the county will publish in January, Whyte said.
"We can see how cities used the system, if they were able to
communicate effectively," he said. "The report will tell us what
worked and what didn't and what we could improve in case of a
disaster."
