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One of the more important considerations when managing a drinking water or wastewater system is management or response to an emergency or disastrous event.  It is very important as a “nation of infrastructure systems,” which includes water and wastewater systems, to not let situations deteriorate into “panic” or “crisis” management, since we know there will be fires in the West, hurricanes in the Coastline areas, tornadoes in the Midwest, and ice storms in the Northeast.

There is a certain amount of thought, energy and money that is put into the prevention of attacks and “all hazards” disastrous events, but as a manager or operator of a utility, you can only prevent so much. The only thing left to do, then, is to RESPOND.

Being prepared to respond is not the same as preventing something from happening, but it is something that hopefully will lead to the return of system services without the trauma of panic or crisis management. If the board and employees are calm, cool and collected because they know what to do, then the customers hopefully will be less likely to panic.  The attitude of the utility board and employees should be one of, “We knew this could happen, so let’s start going through our duty roster and get through it.” 

In this special edition of eBulletin, provided by the Rural Community Assistance Partnership’s Northeast partner and national office staff, we provide articles on the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and a special look at Pennsylvania’s Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN).

The NIMS article has information about courses you and your employees can take and why it’s important to obtain certification. The WARN system in Pennsylvania is a good example if you are thinking of getting your utility involved as part of a response network.

Let’s start with NIMS
What is NIMS, and why would you want to be trained in it? NIMS is a system that improves emergency response through the use of the Incident Command System (ICS) and other standard procedures and preparedness measures. It also promotes development of plans that will allow local, regional, state and federal authorities to work together in case of an emergency.

The idea behind NIMS is for federal and local governments, organizations, and businesses to work together to “prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from any emergency or disaster.”

Large-scale disasters such as Katrina, Rita and the tsunami in Southeast Asia have shown us the importance of preparation on many different levels. NIMS compliance must be an ongoing effort as new personnel must be trained and plans must be revised to reflect lessons learned.

You could be the first to respond to a disaster or emergency in your jurisdiction, which means you’ll need to make vital, timely decisions. If all jurisdictions comply with the NIMS then the unique challenges faced during disaster events can be met with an organized framework that involves an efficient collaboration of all affected entities from the individual water system through to the Federal Government. 

That’s why not only is NIMS certification important on the federal level, but on the local level as well. Once compliance and acceptance of the framework is there, it’s easier to make the NIMS a national way of doing things.  

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, NIMS compliance benefits include:
      ? Access to federal preparedness grants,
      ? Strengthened response capabilities by following a nationally adopted, standard practice for emergency response,
      ? Improved mobilization, deployment, utilization, tracking, and demobilization of needed resources,
      ? Established protocols for improved communication with other levels of response, and
      ? Reduced time delay to access mutual aid/assistance.

Compliance with NIMS isn’t required at this time. However, if a city or town wants to be NIMS compliant, then all those who may respond to disasters must become NIMS certified. This includes all emergency services related disciplines such as EMS, hospitals, public health, fire service, law enforcement, public works/utilities, skilled support personnel, and other emergency management response, support and volunteer personnel.

If you’re wondering if NIMS certification is for you, then it might be a good idea to take a peek at the online introduction course offered by FEMA. Even if your jurisdiction isn’t working toward NIMS compliance, this training may help you better prepare to respond to disasters affecting your water or wastewater system. A link is provided below.

While NIMS compliance isn’t mandatory, only those in compliance can apply for certain emergency preparedness grants from the following agencies:
       ? Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
       ? Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
       ? Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
       ? Department of Justice (DOJ)
       ? U.S. Fire Administration (USFA)
       ? Department of Education

Eligibility to receive public assistance funding following a disaster is not based on NIMS compliance. Preparedness funding is used strictly for those activities that would prepare an agency or jurisdiction to respond to an incident. Funds received as a result of a Presidential Disaster Declaration are awarded to assist a community in returning to a pre-disaster state, and are not based on NIMS compliance.

A good contact for questions regarding NIMS is John Whitler from EPA.  Below is his contact information:
John Whitler
US EPA - Environmental Protection Specialist
[email protected] 
T 202-564-1929 
F 202-566-0055
Office of Water, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water,
Water Security Division, Security Assistance Branch

More answers to NIMS questions can be found at:  http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/index.shtm

Additional Resources
Summary of NIMS
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/imp_mtrx_tribal.pdf

FEMA Recommendations for private sector NIMS compliance activities
http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/compliance/ps_implement.shtm

First Responder Status for Public Works citation:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/12/20031217-6.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/deptofhomeland/bill/
 

IS-700: A NIMS Introduction online course:
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is700.asp

PA and the WARN system
Pennsylvania has adopted a system that specifically helps water and wastewater systems get the help they need from regional, state and federal levels. The article below explains all about WARN, what it is, how it works and how you can start such a system in your own area.

Challenges for Small Water and Wastewater Systems In Joining WARN Programs 
I.                   Overview: Pa WARN is a Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN) of “utilities helping utilities.” This concept involves utilities, local, state and federal governments participating in both interstate and intrastate mutual aid and assistance networks. The purpose of these networks is to provide a mechanism for water and wastewater systems that have sustained damage from natural or man-made events to obtain emergency assistance in the form of personnel, equipment, materials, other services and expertise from other water and wastewater utilities. The objective is to provide rapid, short term deployment of emergency services to restore critical operations of the affected utilities. The establishment of mutual aid and assistance networks is a core principle mandated by Presidential Directive and of the National Preparedness Goal developed by the Department of Homeland Security. WARN programs are consistent with National Incident Management System (NIMS) requirements. All water and wastewater utilities are required to attain NIMS certification which establishes management and communications structure for responding to any disaster or event.  

A pre-established agreement among a network of utilities enhances local capabilities to prepare for and respond to a broad range of threats. This increases the response resiliency to natural or human caused disasters to ensure continuity of service to the systems customers. By bringing water and wastewater services back on-line, a community – it’s resident and businesses, experience increased hope that their plight during the emergency is getting better. It is imperative that all systems partner in the water and wastewater community to work together support this program.

By gleaning knowledge from events such as 9/11, the Northridge Earthquake and Hurricane Katrina, it became apparent of the need for water and wastewater systems to create mutual aid and assistance networks. This has been emphasized by licensed operators being designated “first responder” status. This allows operators to be credentialed to enter security perimeters at disaster sites and more importantly, qualifies operators to receive grants from the Homeland Security Department for security training and equipment. Past disaster response and lessons learned show us that:

·        Utility operations are specialized and need specific resources and skills to sustain operations

·        Government response agencies and other critical infrastructure require water supplies to function effectively

·        Utilities must be self-sufficient and fill the gap between the onset of the event and the arrival of government aid. The acronym “Yo-Yo” for first responders implies “You’re ON Your Own” for the first 72 hours of a disaster

·        Large events affect regional areas, making response from local utilities difficult

·        Communities cannot function without water 

II.                 WARN and Small System Utilities.

The WARN program provides many benefits for small water and wastewater systems. There is no cost to participate in the program which is completely voluntary. The member utility is not committed to respond to an event if it cannot do so. It provides increased planning and coordination to emergency situations and expedites the arrival of aid. A single agreement provides access to all member utilities statewide and a pre-established relationship to share resources and specialized equipment.

Despite the many benefits of joining a WARN, there are many issues that makes it problematic for small systems to join and participate in the program. The WARN program was presented to both a very small and a small water/wastewater system with varying backgrounds. The very small system had 284 water and 343 sewer EDU’s and a median household income of $28,571. The largest employers in this rural county are prisons. The small system had 928 water connections and 901 sewer accounts and a median household income of $52,361. This system is in a region experiencing high growth due to it’s proximity with New Jersey and the relatively affordable housing opportunities located in the area. A post presentation interview identified as the following issues:

·        Small systems have limited staff often consisting of a billing secretary, an operator and part-time meter reader that are responsible for all aspects of running a water or wastewater system. This includes achieving permit and regulatory compliance, board meetings, customer issues, line and plant operation and maintenance, budgeting and audit requirements. Because of this workload, small systems often cannot attend functions such as the WARN steering committee meetings and are often not even aware that WARN programs exist. The RCAP Network has served on steering committees as an advocate for small systems and to ensure that WARN program development is not adverse to small system needs.

·        Small systems operate on a limited revenue base. This raises concerns on their ability to reimburse responding systems after the event. Salaries are often much lower than those of large systems. If a disaster declaration is not issued, freeing up federal reimbursement monies, a response to a single event could consume the entire year’s budget.

·        Concerns that participating in a WARN is the beginning of regionalization resulting in loss of control of their system. Small systems by nature are independent, proud of their systems and leery of outsiders – especially those pronouncing “we are the government and we’re here to help you.”

·        Concerns that small systems will only request assistance and not be able to reciprocate by responding to help other utilities due to their limited manpower and resources.

·        Required periodic updating of resource availability lists will be an administrative burden.

·        Many small systems have limited access to the internet and are not comfortable with communications and navigating a web based system.

·        Workers compensation and insurance issues create concerns about liabilities and rate increases.

·        Although membership to WARN is free, small system boards are often uncomfortable in making a decision to join a WARN program without their solicitors approval. As the solicitor inevitability raises questions and concerns about the agreement, joining the WARN can quickly become expensive for the system.

 III.               Recommendations to improve WARN programs for Small System Participation.

The following suggestions are intended to market WARN Programs to small systems in hopes of getting them to join the mutual aid network:

1.      WARN training and outreach programs would be better attended if the WARNS programs were presented in conjunction with other training programs offering Continuing Education Credits for operator license certification. Ideally the training would be free of charge and be within no more than a two hour commute of the targeted systems.

2.      To further expedite the membership process, a non-government organization (NGO) should be identified and funded to follow up the initial presentation with board training to explain the many benefits to small systems of participating in a WARN program. The application process and issues such as indemnification, workers compensation and insurance issues would be thoroughly explained.

3.      Often, emergency services are coordinated at the county level through a local emergency planning coordinator (LEPC). By educating and including the LEPC of WARN programs, small system participation could be accomplished locally via this entity in conjunction with a NGO.

4.      The EPA, in harmony with state primacy agencies, could require system participation in mutual aid programs as part of the permit renewal process. Another strategy would be to require mutual aid agreements and NIMS compliance as part of system emergency response plans. NGO’s would facilitate outreach, education and paperwork for WARN membership.

 IV.              Conclusions:

In order to be successful, it is essential that WARN programs have membership representation from big, medium and small sized systems to be effective at emergency response. The large systems have manpower and resources to be a major player in large regional disasters, capable of assisting many systems come back on line. Meanwhile, not every event requires a statewide response. A broken main creating boil water advisory or a drained storage tank will most likely require a local response for assistance. This is where, small systems are most effective in WARN programs. They have the experience, equipment, similar operating expense ratios to help their neighbor’s get their systems back up and running.

The RCAP Network is fully supportive of the WARN program and strongly encourages all water and wastewater systems to join and participate in this mutual aid network. Being involved in a WARN is the right thing to do for systems to ensure that they can be quickly restored for the benefit of all - especially your customers!! RCAP is presenting WARN in states across the nation and in this process, hopes to determine the best methods of involving small systems in this important program that will be of great benefit to them in an emergency situation.

 – Thomas W. Essig, Jr.Pennsylvania State Lead, RCAP SolutionsArticle is reprinted with permission by the author.