2007 News

February 9, 2007

A Train Wreck, Massive Power Outages and A Mighty Winter Storm Is All In A Day's Work For The Region's Emergency Responders

Upwards of 675 participants from federal, state and local agencies participated in “Liberty Down” on February 8, a continuity of operations (COOP) exercise run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and sponsored by the Southeast Pennsylvania Region Counterterrorism Task Force (SEPRCTTF), headed up by Emergency Management Director and SEPRCTTF Chairman John Dougherty.  Bucks County officials comprised 10 of the seats in the table-top exercise, in which “injects” or scenarios were presented to the group, leaving members to talk through and brainstorm solutions.  The term ‘COOP plan’ refers to a government’s ability to continue its essential and other operations in the event of a natural or other disaster. 

The day’s overarching scenario was a weather event. Four feet of snow moving into the area caused an order for all non-essential personnel in the region to go home, and began wreaking havoc on the area’s power supply, with widespread outages.  Add to that a train wreck in Philadelphia, and officials were faced with many decisions and actions.  With that scenario in mind, 10 more detailed injects were presented throughout the course of the day, all building on the scenario.

Heading up the Bucks County team was Ray Hackman serving as Emergency Management coordinator, with Dick Manna representing county administration. Also in attendance were Emergency Management’s Peter Ferance and Lola Biuckians,Emergency Health Services Director Jeryl DeGideo, Bucks County Fire Marshal Nick Rafferty, Courts’ Chuck Carey, Finance Director Brian Hessenthaler, Public Information Director Stacey Hajdak, and Health Director Dr. Eleanor Travers.  Each group was assigned a facilitator who presented each group with injects on schedule; Brent Wiggins, director of Emergency Communications took that charge and kept the group on track.

“It’s gratifying to once again see Bucks County as a leader in such an extensive regional effort,” noted Commissioner Charley Martin, chairman.  “This multi-departmental approach is in line with national standards for interoperability, and helps us effectively meet the needs of the public during emergencies.”  The chairman added that exercises such as these help the county hone its collective skills.  “We are constantly striving to improve our practices.”