How emergency responders are getting faster at responding to disasters

March 18--It was winter darkness in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains above Azusa and Glendora when the Colby fire broke out at 5 a.m. on Jan. 16, 2014. Fierce winds began to blast the fire scene as daylight broke and local emergency responders soon realized this fire would surpass their manpower and equipment capabilities.

In a response structure refined by experience and lessons learned, local officials sent out a request for help. Firefighters from Ventura County to San Diego and points in between quickly responded, said Chris Jeffers, Glendora city manager.

"There were 46 outside agencies on the scene within three hours," Jeffers said. These included police and fire responders.

Neverthless, the fire burned 1,952 acres, damaged eight structures and destroyed 15.

As help floods in from far-flung areas, the general rule is "whoever is first on the scene will be in command of the operations," he said.

But helping hands aren't limited to police and fire units or even non-governmental agencies such as the Red Cross, experts say.

After a weather event like a severe windstorm, virtually every department in municipal government becomes involved, said Lt. Tracey Ibarra, Pasadena Police Department spokeswoman.

Public works employees and zoning inspectors are among those in the field for the assessment of damage, she said.

Also part of the intelligence-gathering mix are other city employees who make phone calls. Schools, hospitals, key municipal structures and power plants are among the first places they check in with, she said.

In the deployment of personnel, the top priority is always "the preservation of life," she said.

Protocols dictate how many resources are sent to certain types of incidents, said Daniel Berlant, chief of public information for CalFire.

In a large-scale event, such as an earthquake, there are likely to be multiple, differing events occurring at the same time, he said. There could be several natural gas leaks in one area, people trapped in a building in another, and major structure fires in yet another.

There is a triage of how to respond, he added. While human life is at the top of the list, consideration also is given to the effects of letting fires burn: How much worse will it be to go after them later and what threat does this blaze pose to critical properties and human life?

Mutual aid pacts between fire departments and police departments often resolve fires, explosions, armed assaults and other issues in a well-oiled, almost automatic mode, Ibarra and others say.

While Glendora asked for help in the Colby fire, the city of San Bernardino was "too consumed" by the unfolding events to ask for help on Dec. 2, when terrorists attacked Inland Regional Center, said Police Chief Jarrod Burguan.

Nevertheless, assistance poured to the scene from multiple agencies including the San Bernardino County Sheriff's and Probation departments, and Rialto and Colton police, he said.

Three Fontana detectives, who happened to be in San Bernardino at the time, saw the helicopters, tuned into the department's radio frequencies and sped over to the site, he said.

The detectives entered IRC's conference center with San Bernardino Police officers, Burguan said.

Fourteen people were killed and 22 injured in the attack, which occurred during a holiday party for county health department employees after annual training at that location.

When local, city or county officials see they have a situation that will outstrip their ability to respond and manage it, they open the gates for help with a "Local Emergency" proclamation by their governing body, said Greg Renick, an information officer for the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

"The absence of a state of emergency proclamation does not prevent the state from providing assistance," said Renick, adding that the state doesn't need permission to set up incident command posts.

"The response fits the size of the situation," he said.

Meanwhile, on a less speedy track, if the local government request is warranted, given the damage and cost of recovery, the governor will proclaim a state of emergency, said Renick, who works out of an office in Los Alamitos.

If the governor believes the damage will surpass state financial capabilities, then there will be a request for a Presidential Declaration, he said. The process can range from weeks to months.

Before that request is granted, there needs to be a preliminary damage assessment conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with local and state representatives accompanying them, Renick said.

There also are programs available for individuals, she said.

Copyright 2016 - San Bernardino County Sun, Calif.