STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

FOR RESPONSE AND RECOVERY COORDINATORS  -  E.M.O.

Response and Recovery personnel are on a 24-hours staggered shift schedule 365 days a year.  Their primary duty is to respond to all emergency calls during working hours and after working hours.  Once they are notified by the Emergency Management Office Duty Operator and the Director  about an ongoing emergency situation, they will automatically respond and coordinate with other agencies to rectify the problem.

SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS

Search and Rescue Operations come in many forms.  (Distress or Overdue Boat, Drowning Case or Person Lost at Sea or Missing Person on Land)

Response and Recovery Coordinators will be the primary coordinators for all Search and Rescue Operations.  When there is a disabled boat calling in for assistance, Response and Recovery Coordinators will coordinate with the Department of Public Safety Harbor Patrol Section in conducting the search mission for the disabled boat.  One Response and Recovery Coordinator will be stationed at the Emergency Management Office’s Operation Room for communication purpose and to assist the disabled boat and at the same time communicating all necessary information the the DPS Harbor Patrol.  There are times that a disabled boat is far away and unable to communicate with the Harbor Patrol boat. 

When a situation where the disabled boat is bigger than the DPS Harbor Patrol boat, the Harbor Patrol Supervisor-in-charge at the time of the incident will request for assistance with the Director of Emergency Management Office to charter a vessel that will be able to tow in the disabled boat to a designated landing port.  This will be determined upon further assessment by DPS Harbor personnel.  When the chartered vessel is identified, DPS Harbor Patrol personnel will board the vessel and assist the Captain in maintaining communication and location of the disabled boat.  The  Harbor Patrol personnel on board will also maintain constant communication with the EMO Operations for any changes in location and situation.  The EMO Operations Section does possess all the names and numbers of all charter companies within the Commonwealth.

Another aspect of the Search and Rescue operation is dealing with family members or friends that call in to inquire on the status of the search.  Both the Response and Harbor Patrol personnel will respond  to the call and investigate the reporting party and also search all possible entries such as Sugar/Charlie Dock, Fishing Base and Smiling Cove Marina.  If there are no findings, the Response Coordinator on duty at the Operations Room will notify Tinian and Rota EMO Representatives and DPS Duty Dispatcher of the situation and to take action on searching all their known launching ramps for the reported overdue boat.  Both the EMO Director as the Search and Rescue Coordinator and the Boating Safety Commander as the Search and Rescue Team Coordinator will brief the family members and friends of the ongoing mission and the status of the overdue boat and passengers on board.

The Search and Rescue Coordinator will instruct the duty Response Coordinator at the Operations Room upon request for Fixed Wing and Helicopter aerial search from the DPS Harbor Patrol Commander, to coordinate with available air charter companies for availability of air assets to assist in the search.

A Command Post will be established by the Search and Rescue Coordinator at an appropriate designated location to carry out the functions in an efficient and appropriate manner.  The Command Post will be in operation until the overdue boat has safely landed at the designated location.

For Drowning cases, Person lost at Sea and Missing Person on Land, the same procedures will be in effect.  The DPS Search Teams will be under the command of a senority officer and will be directed to report on any situation to the Command Post.  The Search and Rescue Coordinator will ensure that all missions involving above incidents will be carried out in an efficient and appropriate manner.  The maximum days for any Search and Rescue Incident is set at five (5) days.  An Extension can be requested through the Search and Rescue Coordinator.  The extension is then forwarded to the Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for his review and approval.  The Ultimate Goal of conducting such an operation is to try and minimize all costs possible.  Decision-making in this matter will be gauged heavily on the situation. *(See 2000 Search and Rescue Operations Plan) 

STRUCTURE/OTHER FIRES

Response and Recovery Coordinators will respond to a reported structure fire and the primary duty in this incident is to coordinate and assist the DPS Firefighters in any request for additional equipment or fire-fighting apparatus.  Upon request by the Incident Commander for additional equipment, the Response and Recovery personnel on site will coordinate with appropriate agencies to ensure that they are on scene to assist the DPS Firefighters. 

Another aspect of coordination is with the American Red Cross.  The duty Response and Recovery Coordinator at the site will assess the situation and request the assistance of the American Red Cross on duty volunteer to report to the site to assist the fire victims.  Fire victims consisting of five (5) families or more will be the responsibility of the CNMI Government to provide temporary shelters.  The request for temporary shelters shall be requested and approved by the EMO Director or his designee.  Response and Recovery Coordinators shall assist the EMO Director in identifying possible shelter locations for the fire victims. 

Response and Recovery Coordinators also respond to other fires such as Grass fires threatening residential areas.  Dump fires or trash fires are also included in this area.  The duty Response and Recovery Coordinator will coordinate with other agencies to douse the fire and also to protect the general public and tourists from inhaling hazardous smokes caused by the fire.

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCIDENTS

Response and Recovery Coordinators shall coordinate with other agencies such as the Department of Public Safety Fire and Police, the Division of Environmental Quality, and all other initial first responders to notify them of the impending reported Hazardous Material incident.

The Incident Commander on scene shall investigate and identify the hazardous material involved.  It is essential to identify hazardous material so the first responders should know how to approach and rectify the situation.  This will also enable them to gather all the necessary equipment and be ready to go and report to the reported HAZMAT site.  There are times that evacuation is needed for the safety of the public in the surrounding areas that are affected directly.

Gasoline Leak is a common incident on the island.  There are numerous gas stations that are located all over the island.   There are several incidents of reported gas leak and responding agencies respond to the site.  Site security and denying entry will be handled by the on-sence DPS officer-in-charge.  This will ensure that the response and clean-up effort is carried out in a smooth and efficient manner. 

Other Hazardous material incidents reported are Muriatic acid leak, mostly from hardware stores overstacking  containers or incoming cargo that are still in the container.  Response and Recovery Coordinators will coordinate with the Incident Commander if any additional resources are needed on site to carry out the operations.  Another aspect is any chemical spills.  Same procedures are to be applied in any chemical spill. *(See Year 2000 Hazardous Materials Response Plan)

LIVE ORDNANCE

This area is the most critical aspect in Response and Recovery Section.  Live Ordnance from World War II are still being found all over the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on land and in the waters.  Live ordnances range from small arm ammunition to the 1,500 pound bomb.

If any live ordnance is reported into the Emergency Management Office or Department of Public Safety, the on duty Response and Recovery Coordinator will respond to the situation and do an assessment on the live ordnance found.  Again, the Response and Recovery Coordinators will coordinate with the DPS XRT for removal.

OIL /DIESEL SPILL INCIDENTS

Response and Recovery Coordinators do respond to oil and diesel spill reported incidents here in the CNMI.  Their primary duty in this area is to coordinate with local and federal agencies such as the Division of Environmental Quality’s Air and Toxic Branch, the Department of Public Safety’s Police and Fire Division, the Coastal Resources Management’s Enforcement Section, the Department of Public Works’ Roads and Grounds Division, the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Enforcement Section, and the United States Coast Guard Marianas Section on Guam.  Oil or Diesel spills can occur both on land and in the water at any given time of the day and it is crucial for all responders to assess the situation on a timely manner.  They may also be caused by several different factors such as car accidents, willful intent to spill, negligence, and by unknown source point.  The Response and Recovery Coordinators responsibilities are primarily to coordinate and take action in ensuring that the proper agencies are notified and that they respond to any given situation on a timely manner.  *(See Year 2000 Hazardous Materials Response Plan)

DETONATION OPERATIONS OF LIVE ORDNANCES

Another crucial area in the Response Section’s duties is the detonation of all live ordnances.  Here, the Response and Recovery Coordinators primary duty and responsibility is to ensure proper coordination with the United States Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team from Guam, the Department of Public Safety, the Division of Environmental Quality, the Coastal Resources Management, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, and the Division of Historic Preservation for both operations and permitting process respectively.  The Response and Recovery Coordinators should ensure that a checklist is done to ensure that all things are in place for a smooth operation.  Without a checklist, things can easily be forgotten and people’s lives are in jeopardy.  Proper coordination is a top priority and all Response and Recovey Coordinators are trained to coordinate in a timely manner.  The EMO Director plays a major role in the coordination and he shall be giving directions as to what needs to be done in order for a successful operation.

TERRORIST ATTACK/WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION INCIDENTS

This concept is now in the process of being implemented by the CNMI Government.  The Response and Recovery Coordinators’ primary duties in this field are to coordinate with other local and federal agencies to properly respond to such an event.  These events are Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical attacks.  The CNMI is prone to such attacks as it is a strategic location for the United States military and also there are neighboring countries who have either leftist guerillas or rebels that undertake attacks to society as a whole.  To the West is the Philippines, to the Northwest are the Democratic Republic of North Korea, Japan, China, and Russia.  To the South are Australia and Papua New Guinea.  And to the SouthWest there is Indonesia and Malaysia.  All these countries have terrorists ready to strike.  The Response and Recovery Coordinators will coordinate with the advise of the Director of Emergency Management with the following local and federal agencies such as the Division of Environmental Quality, Department of Public Health, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Public Works, the Commonwealth Ports Authority, the Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Investigations, Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Centers for Disease Control, U.S. Army Tech Escort Unit, Chemical and Biological Defense Command, Agency for Toxic Susbstance Disease Registry, Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Disaster Mortuary Response Team, Chemical/Biological Incident Response Force, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Department of Energy, and the Nuclear Emergency Search Team these are some agencies that will assist the CNMI in such events.  Our goal is to prepare for the worst case scenario and to conduct exercises and drills to be able to respond in a timely fashion and be prepared to stage all related equipments to tackle the so-called reported attack.  Since this is a new field, appropriate training are in line for all Response and Recovery Coordinators and other first responders.

Emergency Contact Numbers:  National Response Center (NRC):  1-800-424-8800

Centers for Disease Control (CDC):  1-800-311-3435

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF):  236-2926  Saipan Office

Titles in boldface are available online as of 1 November 2000 at www.wit-hq.org.

*(Handbook is forthcoming for all Responders)

VOLCANIC ERUPTION INCIDENTS

Volcanic Eruptions are prone at any time due to the active volcanoes that are present in our area.  During these event, the primary duty of the Response and Recovery Coordinators will assist Seismic Section and EMO Director in ensuring that proper coordination is taken and that people’s lives are saved from such a catastrophic event.  This natural disaster, if it does occur, and did occur back in 1981 on the island of Pagan is to be taken seriously.  Nothing can be forgotten as far as coordination because the people’s lives are at stake.  Hopefully, nothing will happen and the goal is to have nobody hurt or killed.

TSUNAMI ALERTS/WARNINGS

Tsunami events are prone to the CNMI even though some experts believe that the CNMI is not.  Tsunamis are generated waves from earthquakes and they can travel fast and reach a destination at a given time.  The primary duty and responsibility of the Response and Recovery Coordinators is to assist the Seismic Section Supervisor and the Director of EMO in coordinating for the timely and orderly evacuation of the affected general public.  Proper coordination with the Department of Public Safety is crucial and this could save alot of lives in the long run.  The Coastal areas on the inhabited islands of Saipan, Tinian, Rota and Agrihan are the ones that need fast evacuation.  If a tsunami was to hit the CNMI at a given time, the Coordinators need to act fast and not waste time in responding.

MEDICAL EVACUATION

Medical Evacuation is another crucial field of the Response and Recovery Coordinators.  The primary duty and responsibility of the Coordinators are to coordinate with the Department of Public Health’s Medical Referral Section.  Medical evacuation can happen at anytime of the day and anywhere within the CNMI.  Proper coordination is needed so that the affected individual(s) are taken care of in a timely manner and not cause more harm or injury.

Flooding occurs on Saipan when either a storm passes by or when a monsoon trough passes by with thunderstorms attached.  The Response and Recovery Coordinators primary responsibilities and duties are to coordinate with other local agencies in responding to reported flooding areas on Saipan.  The Coordinators will need to ensure that proper assessment needs to be done and to relay all information to the EMO Operations so that proper information is documented and passed to the proper agencies for actions.  Request for and approval of any additional resources are to be forwarded to the EMO Director.

Manuel A. Camacho

Response and Recovery Assistant Coordinator

e-mail:

Luciano Rangamar