By Vicki Sheppard
事件
Florida residents will not soon forget the 2004 hurricane season as four hurricanes left widespread devastation in their wake. After nine months of specialized training in command operations, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue put its command team, and department, to the ultimate test during two major hurricanes: Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne.
Command Preparedness
棕榈滩县消防区指挥小组利用事件管理系统（IMS），包括事件指挥官和所有一般和员工职位，每个职位至少有一名助手。该指挥所配有足够的计算机，通信，地图和大型跟踪表格，以有效地组织许多事件。为了发展指挥小组的技能，国家消防学院的兼职讲师汤姆·菲利普斯（Tom Phillips）教授指挥和总参谋部课程。188博金宝体育1每次讲座之后，团队成员通过包括桌面和计算机生成的方案在内的实用应用来展示他们的技能。
随着每次飓风的临近，棕榈滩县消防救援活动激活了区域指挥团队。它为每个12小时的运营期制定了事件行动计划，并在每个操作期间启动了ICS 214（单位日志）的所有操作人员。
Actions
两次飓风沿着几乎相同的路径倾倒了大量降雨，并产生了100英里的风阵风。许多在佛罗里达州常见的平坦屋顶无法处理大雨，导致经常呼吁部分和完整的屋顶倒塌。经过数小时的降雨，疗养院遭受了屋顶塌陷，需要立即撤离96名患者。此外，特殊护理部门的屋顶受到了危害。在不利的天气条件下，特殊操作人员从屋顶上抽出过多的雨水，从而阻止了撤离521例患者的需要。
官员根据风暴条件修改了调度方案，消除了非紧急电话，并在条件安全时将其派遣到危及生命的电话。通信人员跟踪了非紧急情况的积压，要求以后响应。对于紧急响应者和调度员而言，不响应呼叫的过程是一个艰难的决定，但对于人员安全而言是必要的。
Lessons Learned and Reinforced
- The command team had the opportunity to apply the concepts of incident command in a practical setting. A team can only be effective when members understand and follow through on their specific duties.
- 预计当地条件恶化至不安全水平时，必须终止紧急响应，并在以后的情况改善时恢复。
- Departments must be fully prepared to logistically support the fire stations and firefighters. Waiting until after the storm to request generators and other supplies is too late as departments are then competing with numerous other essential services for the same equipment. Departments must purchase the equipment and distribute before the storm.
- 文书人员协助编制文书工作，这是FEMA报销的关键文档链接。所有工作时间（正常和加班）必须彻底记录。从损坏到个人车辆到屋顶结构损失的物品需要照片文档来产生损失估算，并且必须及时，准确，有效地完成紧急维修。
- Support the efforts of volunteers and union leadership to meet the necessary needs of their personnel. Fire stations became the critical link in storing and distributing personal supplies to those in need.
Every member of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment when faced with extraordinary conditions of two major hurricanes. The experience clearly demonstrated that training and preparation are indispensable in bringing such incidents to successful conclusions.
Battalion Chief Vicki Sheppard is a 24-year veteran with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. As the Battalion Chief for the Training and Safety Division, she works with a team of 12 personnel to provide the necessary development and delivery of training to the department’s 1,000 career firefighters each month. Sheppard is the President of the Training Officers of the Palm Beaches, member of the Fire Chiefs of the Palm Beaches and Florida Fire Chiefs Associations, and is a member of the Live Fire Curriculum Development Committee for the Florida Bureau of Fire Standards.
