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Howard County Community Readiness Week: CERN Helping Prepare Community for Disaster

(Healthy Howard) -- By Adam Sachs



As Howard County police, paramedics, firefighters and health officials held a large-scale training exercise based on a simulated terrorist toxic chemical threat at a county motel last month, law enforcement personnel 15 miles away were closing Baltimore's tunnels to guard against potential terrorist activity - for real.

"It was quite eerie," said Richard Krieg, chairman of Howard County's Community Emergency Response Network (CERN), a coalition of front-line emergency responders, community organizations and citizen volunteers whose goal is to prepare the county for a terrorist event or natural disaster, such as a hurricane, ice storm or tornado. "We got word about the tunnels in the middle of the simulation."

The terrorist simulation took place during Howard County's Community Readiness Week, which was held Oct. 16-22. It entailed a series of workshops, initiative launches and training exercises designed to heighten the awareness of families, businesses, county institutions and organizations of the need to develop an emergency response plan.



Joining Forces

The event was spearheaded by Howard County government, the Howard County Chamber of Commerce and The Horizon Foundation, which coordinates and oversees CERN.

The week included the formation of Howard County's Medical Reserve Corps, a group of physicians, nurses and other health care professionals who can mobilize quickly in an emergency to meet the community's health needs if Howard County General Hospital (HCGH) reaches surge capacity in treating victims of a disaster.

The Howard County Emergency Operations Center also launched a test of its new Community Notification System, making automated telephone calls to county residents with a recorded message advising them of the new system. The test represented the first countywide activation of the new communication tool, which is designed to alert residents in a timely manner during an emergency situation.

In addition, Community Readiness Week featured a neighbor-to-neighbor workshop intended to motivate families and neighborhoods to develop their own emergency plans; the debut of Ready Eddie, a yellow flashlight mascot who appeared at an elementary school to inspire children to be prepared and relay the message to their parents; the unveiling of a kiosk at two county libraries to educate residents about emergency preparedness through an interactive computer program and literature; and a course in Volunteer Mobilization Center operations.



Chain of Events

The week kicked off with two Howard County business leaders - Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Pamela Klahr and Economic Development Authority CEO Dick Story - emphasizing the importance of county businesses developing an emergency plan and protecting vital business records to ensure their survival and take care of their employees.

County Executive Jim Robey echoed their concerns, noting that Howard County is located in a "target-rich environment" for terrorist activity. "Business owners have a responsibility beyond the bottom line of the business to protect the company, its employees and their families," he said.

Speakers noted that many businesses in the Gulf Coast region were doomed by Hurricane Katrina because they lacked adequate emergency plans, protection for databases and records and methods for contacting employees after the disaster.

"Too little, too late are the parents of disaster," Howard County Fire & Rescue Services Chief Joseph Herr told an audience of about 100 government, health care and business leaders at the Community Readiness Week kickoff. "This week is about fire and rescue coming together with the business community and county government to say we don't want to be in a position where we're doing too little, too late."

Robey delivered a similar message to individuals and households as he sent to businesses: "County, state and federal government can't do it all," he said. "Each family has a responsibility to be prepared in its own right."

It took the bombing of New York's World Trade Center to spur the creation of CERN and the movement toward government and institutional readiness and individual and business responsibility. In the aftermath of 9/11, The Horizon Foundation's board of directors concluded that terrorism posed a threat to the health and wellness of Howard County residents. Horizon officials met with front-line responders, such as police and firefighters, and nonprofit human services organizations, with CERN emerging from those deliberations.

CERN now includes 60 members from various organizations, divided into committees focusing on emergency readiness, school system preparedness, volunteers, education and training, strategic planning and communications. The organization has received an award from the National Association of Counties for its well-coordinated mobilization efforts and has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.



Personal Responsibility

In addition to ensuring business survival in the event of natural disaster or terrorist attack, CERN aims to educate Howard County residents about what they must do to "shelter in place," or survive on their own for three to five days while emergency responders are inundated with directives.

"Many people have taken steps to sheltering in place," said Krieg, The Horizon Foundation's CEO and president. "Other groups seem inclined to do something, but haven't yet. Our job is to challenge people to have the facts and determine what would be a reasonable response."

Concerning the business community, Krieg expressed satisfaction in the response to CERN's efforts. "I thought it would be a tough nut to crack, but chamber of commerce [President] Pam Klahr stepped up to the plate," he said. "Businesses are more aware, but CERN wants to make more headway with businesses so they'll have the ability to conduct business in the aftermath of a disaster and do well by their employees."

Perhaps the most significant event of Community Readiness Week was the establishment of Howard County's Medical Reserve Corps, part of a national program that developed out of President Bush's 2002 State of the Union Address urging Americans to volunteer to support their country. Corps members are provided credentials, affiliations, training and identification in advance so they can be mobilized quickly and without confusion during a chaotic time.

"We are proud that the committed and caring members of our medical staff have joined in this effort to care for Howard County residents both in the hospital and in the community setting in the event of a disaster," said Vic Broccolino, president and CEO of HCGH.

For more information on CERN, visit www.cern.us.