Echoing praises for Portland’s ECHO
The disaster drills that Portland, Ore., conducted in April and September of last year [see “Portland Fire Bureau Disaster Drill,” Fire Engineering, April 1987] has earned kudos from the Chemical Manufacturers Association.
The CMA presented its Level Two Award to the Emergency Communication for Hazardous Operations Group, or ECHO. Three volunteer groups, 13 government agencies, and 29 private corporations that are members of the two-state group participated in the Portland drill.
ECHO thus became one of 27 recipients of the highest honor the CMA can bestow on a local emergency organization. To qualify for the Level Two Award, government, industry, and the community must develop emergency plans and use them as the basis for a major disaster exercise involving all members.
ECHO’S secretary, Louis Wiedewitsch (right), passed the plaque on to Portland City Commissioner Dick Bogle to be displayed in city hall. (Photo by Don Mayer)
