Workplace

A photo essay alone would have portrayed a chilling scene: police, fire and emergency response vehicles parked haphazardly around the front perimeter of the Whittemore Center Arena with lights and sirens blaring; bloodied and bandaged bodies lying in the grass just off the arena’s sidewalk with ambulance personnel working feverishly on the victims; a dozen armed, black-clad Tactical Response Team members marching in morose unison into the building in search of a suspected terrorist.

But no need to panic, it is just another normal day at the Whittemore Center Arena — normal in that the security and safety of arena patrons remains a number one priority for management staff and local emergency agencies.

The scene described above is not that of an actual disaster, but of an emergency drill executed at the facility on the campus of the University of New Hampshire on August 22, 2004 by the town of Durham in its first-ever Homeland Security Functional Exercise. The drill was conducted in accordance with the National Homeland Security Exercise Program and was funded through grants from the Department of Safety, the Division of Fire Safety and Emergency Management, and the Bureau of Emergency Management. The chief purpose was to evaluate the Town of Durham’s capabilities for responding to and mitigating the damage surrounding an event of domestic terrorism, and to assess plans, policies and procedures to respond and recover from a Weapons of Mass Destruction attack.

Agencies participating in the exercise included emergency responders from the Durham and UNH Police and Fire Departments, the Durham and UNH Dispatch Centers, the Durham Ambulance Corps, the Seacoast Tactical Response Team, and the Global Spectrum operating staff at the Whittemore Center Arena. Volunteer “victims” were recruited from the University of New Hampshire Athletic Department.

The exercise began in the morning and lasted nearly 2 1/2 hours. Since a simulated act of terrorism was a requirement of the drill’s funding, the model chosen involved a disgruntled employee whose first deranged act was to release a potentially poisonous substance throughout the arena’s air. This kicked off the day and introduced victims into the scenario. Additional elements helped to create a fluid situation throughout the exercise, including the subsequent detonation of a secondary device, followed by the sighting of a perpetrator entering the facility along with the threat of a “dirty” bomb phoned into Dispatch. All of these developments forced the responding agencies to alter their actions on a moment-by-moment basis, creating the realistic element of surprise necessary to the drill.

Each agency had an important role to play in managing the mock crisis. The initial response came from the Fire Department that arrived to assess the damage, treat the victims and search for missing personnel. Once a perpetrator was reported, the search and rescue operation was suspended and extra security was required to treat the injured. Simultaneously, Central Command was officially passed over to the Police Department and the Tactical Response Team was dispatched into the facility to locate the alleged perpetrator and device. The day ended with a hot-wash review amongst each participating department and an overall group briefing from each departmental evaluator and the consultant conducting the exercise.

Upon first learning of the drill, arena managers Global Spectrum seized the opportunity not only to host the exercise, but to implement and assess the facility’s own Emergency Response Plan in the unfortunate event of an incident of this magnitude. While the operating staff is familiar with such plans and procedures, there is rarely the chance to actually practice in a way that is unrehearsed.

Any time we have the chance to implement our emergency procedures, it enhances our staff’s familiarity and ability to act during an actual emergency. This is an invaluable opportunity to practice and improve our plan based on the experience.

As the drill was set in motion, Global Spectrum’s Event Manager Brooke Schoch was playing the role of manager on duty for a mock UNH alumni hockey game. Brooke took the lead in evacuating the facility, sweeping the public and event areas, and taking a head count of personnel. After checking the direction of the wind, Brooke and event supervisors directed patrons to a safe holding area in the upstairs lobby, awaiting further instruction from the Incident Commander. This process was completed comfortably in a timely and efficient manner.

What was discovered after the initial evacuation was less familiar. The role of facility representative became unclear when it came time to report to the Incident Command Center, an established area where supervising officers from all responding agencies, including the Police Chief, Fire Chief, ATF Commander, FBI personnel and others, converge to manage the incident. Authorities were so consumed with managing the crisis that valuable information from the facility representative, such as missing personnel and the name of the ammonia tank maintenance company, became difficult to communicate. During the review session, it was concluded that the role of the facility representative is critical in assisting the efforts of all agencies, and that inclusion of such personnel is necessary at the Incident Command Center.

What also became evident from a facility perspective is the necessity for proper training of all managing staff, promoting less reliance on operations department personnel. For the purposes of this drill, the operations staff was intentionally incapacitated and unable to assist with any emergency decision-making. The gap in knowledge this created was eye-opening, and forced some of the other managers to think outside normal areas of expertise. The need to create emergency information packages placed in strategic locations throughout the arena (called “GO KITS”) became evident. In the likely event that retrieving important data from administrative offices would become impossible during a crisis, these kits would be available for quick access during an evacuation and would be complete with building diagrams, locations of shut-off valves to sprinkler systems, compressors, etc., as well as telephone lists and important contact information for University personnel, facility managers, maintenance contractors, and emergency agencies. The Police Department would also be provided with one of the facility GO KITS.

The last important crisis management tool implemented by Global Spectrum staff during the exercise was the Media Crisis Plan. Obviously an event of this magnitude would result in a swarm of press upon the scene. Untold numbers of reporters and photographers would expect regular briefings on the incident. This in itself could become a logistical and security challenge separate from the demands of the actual incident.

Global Spectrum’s Marketing Manager Christine Sandin took the lead on initiating the plan. Though the University of New Hampshire eventually dispatched their own spokesperson to disseminate information to the press from the Police Department, Christine’s support in managing the media was invaluable to the efforts of various departments. She coordinated with the University Spokesperson and the Chief of Police to gather information, provided input on the actual statement for public release, and monitored the media containment area to insure that the media remained safely out of the way of ongoing operations.

The responding agencies also identified a number of their own issues as well, including the need to bridge gaps in communications between the various authorities. For example, differences in radio technology between the Police and Fire Departments required the Dispatch Center to repeat nearly every message back to Incident Command. This resulted in heavy radio traffic and the slow relay of crucial information. Beyond that, various additional strengths and weaknesses were discussed and a better assessment of the actual number of responders and neighboring community resources required for an event of this magnitude was determined. Mostly, the coordination of services between the participating agencies evolved within a positive spirit of communication and cooperation and the exercise was deemed a success.

In summary, all who participated, especially facility operators Global Spectrum, were able to closely examine where Emergency Response Plans may not be comprehensive and in need of updating. Members of facility management staff left the exercise feeling better equipped to handle an actual emergency. A new understanding was gained of the various agencies’ roles and responsibilities — how they support each other’s operations and where the facility operator fits into the Command Structure. Lastly, critical lines of communication were established with important outside agencies not normally in regular contact with the facility.

Jim Wynkoop is general manager of the Whittemore Center Arena in Durham,
New Hampshire.