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SAFETY ADVISORY AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE AGENDA April 24, 2007 - 6:00 P.M. - Council Chambers - City Hall - City of Dover Public comments are welcomed on any item and will be permitted at appropriate times. When possible, please notify the City Clerk (736-7008 or e-m ail at Tm cdowell@dover.de.us) should you wish to be recognized. AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS 1. Presentation by Darrel Cole (DelDOT Director of Public Relations) 2. Briefing on MPO Projects (Juanita Wieczoreck) 3. Discussion - Full-time Emergency Management Coordinator (Considered by Committee on 3/27/07) /tm S:\ClerksOffice\Agendas&Minutes\Committee-Agendas\2007\04-24-2007 SA&T.wpd THE AGENDA ITEMS AS LISTED MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED IN SEQUENCE. THIS AGENDA IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE TO INCLUDE THE ADDITION OR THE DELETION OF ITEMS, INCLUDING EXECUTIVE SESSIONS.

Proposal for Emergency Preparedness Coordinator (EPC) Overview The Public Services Group is requesting that City Council give serious consideration to the concept of implementing a Comprehensive Emergency Management (CEM) strategy for the City of Dover. This strategy would reflect a switch in orientation from preparedness for single hazards or narrowly defined categories of hazards toward an all-hazards approach – attack, natural, and man-made – to potential threats to life and property. A CEM strategy will require us to acknowledge and embrace three ancillary concepts which include the following: all types of hazards, an emergency management partnership, and emergency lifecycle. The commonalities amongst all types of man- made and natural disasters suggest strongly that many of the same management strategies will apply to all such emergencies. So in a logical sense, planning for one hazard equates to planning for all hazards. The burdens of disaster management, and the resources to deal with such, require a close working partnership among all levels of government and the private sector since disasters have no boundaries. Disasters do not just appear one day and go away the next. Rather, they display an occurrence cycle. This cycle entails a series of four (4) management phases that include strategies to mitigate hazards and prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and their effects. The Public Services Group is in the best position to develop and implement a CEM strategy as described above; therefore, these functions can best be addressed by reassigning the Emergency Preparedness function that is currently housed in the Police Department to the Public Services Group and authorizing staff to create a new fulltime staff position with the proposed title of Emergency Preparedness Coordinator (EPC). Information Source: FEMA (Basics of Emergency Management – Independent Study Course) Organization The coordination of Emergency Management operations in most cities is a general government operation and the Public Services Group (PSG) is in the best position within our municipal government to develop and implement a CEM strategy since the PSG already has a life safety component as part of its organizational structure. At this time, the Life Safety component is made up of the Fire Marshal’s Office. The Public Services Manager and the Fire Marshal would provide managerial oversight of the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator (EPC) and would oversee the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Emergency Management (CEM). These persons could also assume the duties of the EPC, in the absence of the EPC. Organizationally, the Public Services Manager would be identified as the Emergency Manager. The Emergency Preparedness Coordinator would be located and function as part of Fire Marshal’s Office in support of the Life Safety component of the 1

Public Services Group. The EPC would report directly to the Emergency Manager. Having the EPC under the Life Safety component of Public Services would allow for the EPC to pull resources from the Fire Marshal’s Office when needed. In addition, the EPC position would allow staff to restructure current duties and afford for increased Life Safety plan review thereby further enhancing the City’s Life Safety capabilities. Justification The City of Dover continues to grow at a considerable rate, and the increased urbanization of the city continually increases the challenges related to providing services as cost-effectively as possible. In the aftermath of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina the recognized field of Emergency Management has received increased levels of attention. All departments have a role in this matter; however, the Public Services Group has the most diversity and has the best opportunity to address the needs of the City when it comes to the four (4) phases of Emergency Management: 1) Mitigation 2) Preparedness 3) Response 4) Recovery. Generally, most communities view the threat of terrorism as low. However, this threat cannot be overlooked. In most instances, the true threat is Mother Nature or man made incidents. To understand the importance of a robust Emergency Operations Plan all one has to do is look at the recent railroad tanker car incident in the Dover area to understand the importance of being prepared. When the incident was fully studied, it was found that our reverse 911 did not work as expected and there were other lapses in the planning, preparedness and response to this incident. While this result is not the fault of any one person or organization, it is a reflection of the reality that we face every day in our community. Twice each year, the City of Dover is the host to a NASCAR event that draws more than 200,000 spectators. The camper and vehicle parking that takes place outside of the race track has become a considerable Life Safety operation to ensure this event is as successful as possible from an Emergency Management standpoint. The primary planning for safety of the camping areas around the track is now being done by the Fire Marshal’s Office with assistance from the Inspections staff. In the event of a natural disaster involving the City of Dover, the coordination of resources to assist the citizens of Dover is primarily left up the police, fire and a limited number of department heads. Currently, there has been little or no hands-on training related to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). There are staff members who, because of a lack of training, drills and exercises, have no real understanding of their roles during a critical incident. The Emergency Preparedness Coordinator (EPC) position is needed to properly equip and train staff with respect to their rolls when it is necessary to implement the CEM plan. This will be no small under taking and this function can no longer be served on a part-time basis. It requires a fulltime dedicated staff member with the full support of the City government to be successful. 2

Funding Funding for this new position would need to be provided from general tax revenues related to the General Fund. The estimated salary for this position would likely be targeted between $45,000 - $55,000 plus benefits per year. However, the position will be scored and graded by the Human Resources Department once a formal job description is developed by staff. Job Duties (Examples Only) Emergency Preparedness Coordinator (EPC) would be responsible for the following: ƒ Update and maintain the City of Dover’s Comprehensive Emergency Management (CEM) Plan ƒ Transition all documents to an electronic format ƒ Seek grant funding for equipment and projects related to WMD and Emergency Management. ƒ Work with DEMA and/or FEMA to coordinate emergency operations. ƒ Maintain an inventory of emergency operations equipment. ƒ Conduct training and maintain training records of city employees related to emergency preparedness. ƒ Assist department heads in preparing to meet their departments responsibilities of the EOP ƒ Optional - Oversee the ambulance contract for the City of Dover 3