Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Emergency workers trained for catastrophic disasters

Sept. 11, 2001, is a day no American will ever forget.

To borrow a quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt, "It is a day that will live in infamy."

On this day, America experienced its first attack from foreign terrorists as two commercial planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and a third was crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

A fourth plane hijacked by Afghan terrorists was unsuccessful in its attempt to fly into the White House, as passengers, knowing they were going to die, fought the terrorists. The aircraft crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside.

Locally, Jim Cross, director of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM), said more effort has gone into preparedness for emergency situations.

Cross has undergone extensive training on a wide variety of possible emergencies, including those involving weapons of mass destruction.

He said law enforcement agencies are critiqued differently than they were in the past.

Nevada County, along with the City of Prescott, he said, have had emergency plans in place years prior to the attacks.

These plans include evacuation centers, where they are and how best to get to them. They also detail how different agencies are to respond, depending on the emergency.

One major change, he said, is the water supplies of all cities in the county are being watched more closely, with security being stepped up on all systems.

The plan also includes issues on transportation.

A survey was done on weapons of mass destruction, ranging the gamut from anthrax to the use of nuclear weapons. Emergency workers have been trained in how to deal with such situations, through a needs assessment for the county. This includes the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, the Nevada County Rescue Unit and all fire departments in the county.

The firemen, Cross said, have been trained in hazardous material (hazmat) awareness, but the county doesn't have a hazmat team, and lacks the money to purchase the equipment such a squad would require.

"We're relying on private donations for help," Cross said of buying the equipment. "There's a lot of hazardous materials going through this county.'

These materials are shipped either by tractor-trailer rig or train. One reason Highways 4 and 19 were made into U.S. Highways was so Class A hazardous materials could be transported on them.

Information on multiple hazards were sent to all fire districts in the county, Cross said, adding he was pleased with the results when they were returned.

A mock emergency drill was held at Nevada school on Aug. 15 involving teachers and law enforcement officials, along with other emergency personnel.

The drill, Cross said, dealt with how to handle an emergency by position instead of relying on individual people.

The concept is to have all personnel familiar with all aspects of the emergency plan at Nevada, so if one person isn't available, someone else could step in and handle the situation.

"We have to be able to take care of an emergency at least 20 minutes till help arrives," said Nevada Superintendent Rick McAfee, "because we're 20 miles out."

Cross said plans are in the works to have a multi-hazard drill later on and include most of the county.