Ever Wonder about JPL's Disaster Preparedness Plan?

William Michael, emergency preparedness administrator, spoke to the La Cañada Flintridge recently about how the facility would ward off a toxic nightmare in the event of a natural disaster.

Located between La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena, is a vast complex that conducts a range of high-tech manufacturing for space program, so the facility houses a significant stock of toxic chemicals that could pose a risk to San Gabriel Valley residents in the event of an earthquake, fire or terrorist incident.

"That is why we staff a fire department full-time, because of the hazardous material threat," Michael said during the commisison's July 25 meeting.

He also told commissioners about procedures for keeping JPL's more than 5,000 employees safe when an unforeseen disaster strikes and noted the close relationship JPL maintains with local public safety agencies.

JPL is a NASA-controlled, federal facility that is also an operating division of the California Institute of Technology, according to Michael's presentation. It covers 177 acres and has 215 buildings and structures that range from nine-story office buildings to research and development laboratories.

JPL employs 32 firefighters with a specialty in emergency medical care and dealing with hazardous materials who work daily in 12-hour shifts, Michael said. Each shift has a captain and five firefighters.

The facility also staffs a security force of 55 sworn federal officers who work daily in three eight-hour shifts. Day and swing shifts have one watch commander and 11 officers, and the night shift has a commander and 10 officers.

The Players

In addition to professional emergency responders, JPL sponsors a volunteer response team made up of employees who work in the complex's various buildings.

Similar in format and command structure to Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, training offered by Los Angeles County public safety personnel to citizens interested in the ways of disaster preparedness and emergency response, JPL provides employees with training tailored to their specific location. Michael used the term "emergency building teams" to describe these employee volunteer units.

"Building wardens" and "floor wardens" provide leadership for their specific location on the JPL campus when emergency mobilization is required, Michael said. A response team for one of JPL's larger nine-story structures has a volunteer response team totaling 25 members.

Michael also described another unit made up of employee volunteers called "urban search and rescue." These more specially trained responders perform technical rescue operations, provide damage assessment and emergency medical care, as well as a team of logistics specialists.

Exercises and Practice Drills

To keep emergency response skills sharp, JPL employees undergo annual "job responsibility training," Michael said. "We do at least two exercises a year off the table top and functional exercise. Every other year we do a first-aid exercise, and that includes the entire plant."

A yearly earthquake exercise also takes place, and the facility's police and firefighters participate in training refresher courses to keep their security and hazardous materials response skills sharp, Michael added.

JPL stocks enough food, water and sanitation for its general employee population to last three days and enough supplies for emergency responders to last a week.