US water suppliers face the challenge of responding to
natural disasters and terrorist attacks, situations in which
they are expected to act quickly to save lives and protect
infrastructure. Having a water emergency response plan
as mandated under Bioterrorism Act requirements does
not guarantee that a utility's response will be effective. To
prepare staff for making these important decisions, utility
personnel at all levels must receive training.
This article reports on one- and two-day water
utility emergency response training sessions that
included different types of exercises and involved
water suppliers of all sizes and types as well as military,
local, state, and federal emergency response agencies.
Sessions centered on emergency response instruction
followed by practical exercises and an after-action
review and provided valuable opportunities for collaborative
problem-solving among utility staff, public
works personnel, military commanders and staff, regulatory
agencies, public health officials, and other emergency
responders. Includes 16 references, tables, figure.
| Edition : | Vol. 98 - No. 8 |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 350 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 11 |
| Published : | 08/01/2006 |
