Preparedness is a shared responsibility. That was the recurring theme from Colorado Division of Emergency Management Director Hans Kallam at the All-Hazards/All-Stakeholders Summit in
Denver on Thursday, Sept. 16. He referenced the
Fourmile Canyon fire in
Boulder – which destroyed 172 structures, burned more than 6,400 acres and was contained as of Monday night – saying, “It wasn’t one particular entity that provided the capability that led to people being safe and needs being met.”
Colorado is working on numerous initiatives to share the preparedness responsibility, including the Connect Colorado Web-based database that tracks private-sector resources and expertise that may be beneficial to responders during emergencies. Kallam said it was used during the 2008 Democratic National Convention when water was needed for the public and according to FEMA, local companies donated water within 30 minutes of being made aware of the need through the database.
The state’s jurisdictions are working to determine how they can reduce risk to their communities by taking actions to decrease the likelihood of possible disasters. To reduce resource gaps, Kallam said the following capabilities must be addressed: threat hazard and risk assessment; public warning; evacuation; sheltering; fire suppression; mass care; volunteer and donations management; damage assessment; restoration of lifelines like water; and community and economic recovery.
However, he said, disasters cannot be prevented from happening –
Boulder promoted wildfire mitigation through initiatives like a community protection plan that included creating defensible space. Although it’s impossible to completely eliminate risks, it’s important to continually plan for the next disaster. Kallam said this can be done by planning, organizing, equipping, training and exercising.
Leadership is another key aspect of emergency preparedness and response. “Anybody who's in the business has to be a leader, especially during response,” Kallam said. He referenced the
Fourmile Canyon fire as a good example of leadership: After having problems with the 911 callback system, responders went door to door telling residents to evacuate. About 3,000 people evacuated and 169 families returned to find their homes destroyed. “It takes serious leadership to stand by and make those decisions,” Kallam said.
Increasing National Preparedness
Working to build the nation’s resiliency, Kallam is a member of the 35-person National Preparedness Task Force, which is charged with assessing and making recommendations about the
U.S.’s disaster preparedness. The task force is composed of emergency management, homeland security, public health, public safety and public works officials as well as elected officials. They’re working to make recommendations for all levels of government and collectively devise a plan that increases public preparedness, which Kallam said is shared responsibility that must be implemented vertically and horizontally through all levels of government to citizens.
Another point he stressed is that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FEMA haven’t been able to tell Congress how well preparedness grant money has helped prepare citizens. To obtain grants in the future, departments will have to justify how the money is increasing preparedness, he said. The task force is working to identify grants that have an impact and which need improvement. Another challenge is that the federal departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services all have grants for preparedness, Kallam said, and Congress wants agencies to start working together on these efforts. The bottom line is: Preparedness is a shared responsibility.
