Emergency Communications
THE NORTHRIDGE EARTHQUAKE
After the Northridge Earthquake was felt at the LAFD Operations Control Division (OCD)-its emergency communications center, located in City Hall East-the department went into Earthquake Mode. This action required that each fire station move all its apparatus to a predesignated safe earthquake area, provide its battalion commander with a personnel and apparatus status report by radio, and commence a drive-through of its predesignated earthquake survey route.
STAFFING
Since the earthquake occurred very early in the morning, when OCD generally is at its lowest activity level, one captain and four dispatchers were on watch. The daily staffing for each 24-hour shift at OCD consists of one battalion chief, three captains, and 23 dispatchers. All off-watch supervisors and dispatchers were immediately recalled to the dispatch floor. The OCD staffing was further supplemented by the oncoming shift’s personnel.
MODES OF OPERATION
At the time of the earthquake, the OCD computer was set to the Normal Operating Mode. This computer, known as Fire Command and Control System I (FCCS I), has the capability to operate in several alternate modes, based on the type of event occurring and OCD’s resource and deployment needs. These alternate modes include Earthquake, Disaster, and Tactical Alert. Basically, an alternate operational mode is a degraded mode of dispatch that reduces the number of resources normally sent to a particular incident type. This provides expanded coverage of the increasing number of incidents while at the same time makes resources available to OCD for use as move-ups or assignments into the impacted areas. Some degraded modes provide for “no-send” categories when the incidents are minor.
At 0439 hours, eight minutes after the earthquake, dispatch assignments were degraded from Normal to Earthquake Mode. In this mode, there is a major reduction on all assignment types, with the following sev “no-send” incident types: Fire Out, Investigation. Snake (protection of the public pending arrival of animal regulation). Fireworks. Hydrant (control of water pending arrival of the Department of Water and Power). Lockout, and Tow (towing and servicing of apparatus by fire personnel from the heavy rescue unit).
In addition, all emergency medical services (EMS) incidents receive a BLS or ALS resource, which, depending on availability, can be either a fire unit or rescue (paramedic) ambulance.
At 0442 hours, 11 minutes after the earthquake, assignments were further degraded by changing the operational mode from Earthquake to Disaster Mode. This basically added six additional “no-send” incident types to the already reduced assignments. The Disaster Mode “no-send” incident types are Some Automatic Alarms (waterflow alarms in small occupancies), Some Smoke Detectors (smoke detector in single-family dwellings reported by alarm companies), Some Bells (report of an unknown type of bell ringing), Invalid (a nonEMS type in which someone needs help, i.e., to get back into bed). Jumper, and Main (mailbox fire).
While in Degraded Mode, the questions in the interrogation phase of the Medical Priority Dispatch System protocols are modified. When processing a “no-send” incident, the caller is advised that the fire department is not coming or is unable to assist at the present time.
On January 18, 1994, at 2119 hours, the FCCS 1 operating mode was changed from Disaster to Earthquake. On January 20, 1994, at 1548 hours, FCCS I’s operating mode was returned from Earthquake to Normal.
LOSS OF POWER
The earthquake’s major impact on OCD was the loss of electrical power. When power was lost to City Hall East, the uninterrupted power supply (UPS) came on line. The UPS consists of emergency generators with backup batteries. It supplies emergency power to vital facilities within City Hall East, including OCD, LAPD dispatch centers, and the Department of Information Services (ISD).
Generators 1 and 2, which supply power to OCD’s emergency lighting, designated outlets, the radio system, and other functions, operated as designed. There was no disruption in service.
Generators 3 and 5, which supply power to the OCD and the FCCS I dispatch computer through ISD, also came on line. However, these two generators must run in parallel to supply the power needed by ISD. After approximately two hours of operation, one generator blew a radiator hose, causing the generator to overheat and seize. The main breaker on the second generator, sensing an overload, shut down the remaining functioning generator. This placed ISD on a 15-minute battery backup. After the battery was expended, power to FCCS I was lost. OCD then was placed in Manual Mode. The overheated generator caused a sprinkler head to fuse. The water in the generator room on P-3 subbasement level leaked through the floor to the ISD computer room below it on P-4. The water on P-4 flooded the cable spaces under the computers.
Power was restored to City Hall East at approximately 0730 hours. However, the FCCS I system could not be brought on line until the water was removed from the cable spaces. Power to FCCS I was accomplished at approximately 1200 hours.
MANUAL MODE
The loss of the UPS dictated that OCD operate in Manual Mode for approximately six hours. Loss of power or malfunction of the FCCS I computer occurs rarely; however, all personnel are trained in Manual Mode procedures. Continuous power supply from Generators 1 and 2 allowed us to use two stand-alone computers to create incident reports. These reports were given to dispatchers to determine available resources and dispatch.
RADIO SYSTEM
The fire department’s new radio system consists of a nine repeater site, simulcast 18-channel, 800-MHz Voice Radio System. The system is designed to function with one or more repeaters out of service. However, with 135 square miles of mountain area, any repeater out of the system may cause loss of radio coverage in remote and canyon areas. Two repeaters, at Beverly Glen and Oat Mountain, received minor damage and were out of the system for a period of time.
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER
The city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated by the police department at 0500 hours. The EOC is located in City Hall East on the P-4 level adjacent to the police and fire dispatch centers. When the EOC is activated, one of the on-duty captains at OCD is used as the fire department liaison until relieved by on-call staff personnel. This occurred at approximately 0700 hours.
DEPARTMENT COMMAND
At 0450 hours, Chief Engineer/General Manager Donald O. Manning and Deputy Chief Davis R. Parsons, deputy department commander (DDC), were notified of the earthquake and status. One of the four deputy chiefs is designated as the DDC and is on call at night for one week at a time.
At 0515 hours, Manning was updated on the magnitude and epicenter, as well as the situation status at that time. He requested that all deputy chiefs and department staff be notified that department command would be activated at 0600 hours at Fire Department Headquarters (City Hall East).
Department Command may be established during major commitment of resources on one or more incidents as determined by the chief engineer. The department commander and command staff were established on the 10th floor in the chief engineer’s conference room. Department Operation Command was activated in the command room adjacent to the OCD Dispatch Center on P-4 level by Deputy Chief Donald F. Anthony and designated as “Planning Section Personnel.”
COLDWATER BACKUP DISPATCH CENTER
At 0800 hours, one captain, five dispatchers. and one systems support person were sent to staff the backup Dispatch Center at l ire Station 108. This facility has call-taking and dispatch capabilities that may be used in addition to OCD or should the main Dispatch Center have to be evacuated.
MUTUAL AID
The initial mutual-aid request from outside the city, made through Region I, was for strike teams, USAR teams, and water tenders. The initial request was for six strike teams, four to be sent to Fire Station 88 and two to Santa Monica City Hall as part of an Area A request.
As the magnitude of collapsed buildings became apparent, a series of requests for USAR resources were placed through Region I. Three of the 64-person California FEMA USAR teams and numerous smaller local USAR teams responded into the city. As a result of a water shortage in the West Valley, several requests for water tenders were placed through Region 1; the tenders were assigned to individual companies and water strike teams. An advisory request for the OES six-inch portable water mains was also placed with Region 1.
As is routinely done in mutual-aid operations, a liaison officer was sent to each agency. A city battalion chief was sent to Region I and a county battalion chief to OCD. The U.S. Forest Service sent a field representative to Fire Station 88 for liaison with the privately contracted water tenders.
The only other Area A request OCD processed was from the Santa Monica IOC on Saturday, January 19, 1994. The request was for local USAR resources to shore up and search through a few severely damaged buildings prior to their demolition. Department command was advised, and the request was forwarded through Region I.
DEMOBILIZATION
When the four strike and the USAR teams were released from the city, they were demobilized at Region I. Los Angeles County Fire Department headquarters, prior to returning to their agencies.
As the tenders w’ere scheduled to be released, a team of Los Angeles City mechanics was used for apparatus inspection and minor repairs to the Valley Shop (at Fire Station 88). This was coordinated by the USFA/OES representatives and OCD.
