Mock disaster tests system
Information officers practice operating during a tragedy
Dozens of public information officers gathered in Coeur d’Alene on Thursday to tackle this mock disaster scenario:
A train exploded while traveling near a tribal casino in North Idaho. The train was carrying hazardous materials, including large quantities of a pesticide that poses severe human health risks. Among the 350 people visiting the casino were the governor and 40 state legislators.
The information officers broke into three groups: one to gather information and double-check its veracity; one to compile a list of contacts and issue press releases; and the last to work in the field, providing information directly to the media.
This aspect of emergency response hasn’t been practiced in North Idaho, said Cynthia Taggart, a spokeswoman with Panhandle Health District, who trained with the Federal Emergency Management Agency about 18 months ago. She learned to set up a Joint Information Center – a site with phones, Internet and cable access where information officers work as a team to inform the public. Taggart said this is the first time information officers from multiple agencies have practiced working together to manage information flow during a disaster.
“The idea is that they work together to get out timely, accurate information,” Taggart said. “Public information is just paramount. It has to be accurate and consistent. Nobody wants to put out wrong information in an emergency.”
As the four-hour exercise unfolded, the group received numerous challenges to tackle. They included quelling a rumor that the governor had been killed; informing people of loved ones’ whereabouts after the casino and nearby schools were evacuated; and fielding calls regarding the establishment of emergency shelters. The scenario included calls from the media and panicked members of the public, so the team quickly established hotlines for the media and the public and disseminated those phone numbers via press release.
“Some of the people who do this tend to have fears about the media,” said Taggart, a former reporter with The Spokesman-Review. But, she said, “the media is a partner” in putting out information quickly to the public.
The exercise was designed and directed by the health district with assistance from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. Also participating were: North Idaho College, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, Health District 2 from Lewiston, Medical Reserve Corps, Kootenai County, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, Gateway Fire District, the city of Plummer, Coeur d’Alene School District and Bonner County Emergency Services.