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West Bloomfield Fire Department Rapid Windshield Damage Assessments

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West Bloomfield Fire Department Rapid Windshield Damage Assessments Running head: WEST BLOOMFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT RAPID WINDSHIELD 1 West Bloomfield Fire Department Rapid Windshield Damage Assessments Gregory R. Flynn West Bloomfield Fire Department, West Bloomfield, Michigan WEST BLOOMFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT RAPID WINDSHIELD 2 Certification Statement I hereby certify that this paper constitutes my own product, that where the language of others is set forth, quotation marks so indicate, and that appropriate credit is given where I have used the language, ideas, expressions, or writings of another. Signed: ______________________________________________ Date: 1/12/19 WEST BLOOMFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT RAPID WINDSHIELD 3 Abstract The problem was the West Bloomfield Fire Department does not conduct rapid damage assessments after natural or man-made disaster events. The purpose of this research was to identify recommendations for the West Bloomfield Fire Department to implement a windshield damage assessment procedure after a disaster. Descriptive methodology was used to guide the following research questions: (a) What type of disaster event is most likely to cause damage to West Bloomfield Township? (b) Who is responsible for damage assessments within a community? (c) What methods are other fire departments in Oakland County using for damage assessments? (d) How do damage assessment teams report their findings? (e) How many annual damage assessment training hours are provided to assessors? A survey was sent to 40 fire chiefs in Oakland County, Michigan. An analysis was done of online damage assessment procedures from Oakland County, Michigan and the Michigan Department of State Police. The results revealed the West Bloomfield Fire Department should implement windshield damage assessments after a disaster. The recommendations were for the department to define procedures, provide training to staff, and define damage assessment routes prior to a disaster event. WEST BLOOMFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT RAPID WINDSHIELD 4 Table of Contents Certification Statement ................................................................................................................... 2 Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 4 Inroduction ......................................................................................................................................5 Background and Significance ......................................................................................................... 6 Literature Review............................................................................................................................ 8 Procedures ..................................................................................................................................... 14 Results ...........................................................................................................................................16 Discussion ....................................................................................................................................18 Recommendations ......................................................................................................................... 21 References ..................................................................................................................................... 24 Appendix A: Total Disaster Declarations by State ....................................................................... 27 Appendix B: Michigan Emergency Declarations ......................................................................... 28 Appendix C: Damage Assessment Worksheet ............................................................................ 29 Appendix D: Survey Electronic Mail ..........................................................................................30 Appendix E: Survey Instructions ................................................................................................. 31 Appendix F: Reminder Electronic Mail ........................................................................................ 32 Appendix G: Survey Results ......................................................................................................... 33 Appendix H: Best Practices of a Windshield Damage Assessment ............................................37 WEST BLOOMFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT RAPID WINDSHIELD 5 West Bloomfield Fire Department Rapid Windshield Damage Assessments The West Bloomfield Fire Department provides primary fire and emergency medical service (EMS) to four communities covering an area of 36 square miles. The response area is mainly residential with a population of approximately 72,679 according to 2010 census data (United States Census Bureau, 2018). Six fire stations and minimum staffing of 22 firefighter/paramedics on duty responded to 8,287 calls for service in 2017 (West Bloomfield Fire Department [WBFD], 2018). A vast majority of the calls for service were medical related. Historically, the Greater West Bloomfield area has experienced very few disasters, natural or man-made. The last significant disaster event to strike West Bloomfield was an EF4 tornado in the spring of 1976. Today, many resources are available to communities in the wake of a disaster. In order to be eligible for such assistance, the impacted community must have a method to assess, document, and submit damage assessment information in a timely manner to the appropriate state and federal agencies. The problem was the West Bloomfield Fire Department does not have a method to rapidly assess the damage caused by a natural or man-made disaster event. The purpose of this research was to identify recommendations for the West Bloomfield Fire Department to incorporate into a procedure to rapidly assess damage within the department’s jurisdiction. Descriptive methodology was used to guide the following research questions: (a) What type of disaster event is most likely to cause damage to West Bloomfield Township? (b) Who is responsible for damage assessments within a community? (c) What methods are other fire departments in Oakland County using for damage assessments? (d) How do damage assessment WEST BLOOMFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT RAPID WINDSHIELD 6 teams report their findings? (e) How many annual damage assessment training hours are provided to assessors? Background and Significance West Bloomfield Township has a very limited history of disasters. The last event on record was an EF4 tornado in 1976. The tornado cut a path of destruction four miles long and 350 yards wide. The weather event claimed one life, caused many injuries and resulted in five million dollars of damage to the community (Civic Center TV, 2014). While the Greater West Bloomfield Community has experienced some significant weather events, none have risen to the level of the 1976 tornado (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Weather Service, 2001). The fortunate absence of such events causing damage to the community may be the main contributing factor as to why the department has not made damage assessment procedures a priority. Michigan’s history of disaster events depicts a clear need for Michigan first responders to be prepared to perform damage assessments. Federal Emergency Management Agency (Federal Emergency Management Administration [FEMA], 2018b) records related to Michigan disasters dating back to 1953 revealed a disaster history centered on severe wind and flooding weather events. Both weather disaster causing scenarios resulted in significant damage to infrastructure, housing, and utilities. A post-disaster damage assessment provides the best foundation for a community to secure funding for the recovery phase. The failure to conduct a damage assessment and the lack of documented findings could greatly reduce the likelihood of state and federal financial support (Michigan Department of State Police, 2013). Local government bears the responsibility for conducting such an assessment. In most cases, similar to West Bloomfield Township, the first responders in the community are best WEST BLOOMFIELD FIRE DEPARTMENT RAPID WINDSHIELD 7 suited to conduct these initial damage assessments. Initial training of firefighters emphasizes: (a) the skills of situational awareness, (b) following a chain of command, and (c) documentation making them an ideal candidate for the initial damage assessment role. However, without the proper role-specific training, firefighters will likely fail to meet: (a) the expectations of unfamiliar documents, (b) unsynchronized deployments into the damaged area, and (c) unclear language related to assessing damaged structures. Embracing the responsibility of the initial damage assessment will have a positive impact on the organizations effectiveness. The Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management (EAFSOEM) course curriculum focused on the need for each fire chief to prepare their community for the impact of a large-scale, multi-agency, all hazard incidents (National Fire Academy, 2009). The EAFSOEM curriculum described how the windshield damage assessment could be utilized by first responders. Without a plan for damage assessments, a community is vulnerable to a difficult and costly recovery phase. The content of the third year Executive Fire Officer Program highlighted
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