CHP On Traffic Control At Brush Fires

[SB 405]

How does the CHP deploy staff to handle traffic control during large fires like we have today. One office can't handle the load so just how far away will other Officers have to travel? Does the CHP have a "move up" operation like the Fire Departments have?

[Darth Choke]

Ventura CHP and West Valley CHP are assisting Moorpark CHP (East Ventura Co) w/ fires. Some are on 12 hr shifts. Officers on days off will work OT to aid in extra staffing needed.

[dw]

One of this Department's greatest assets is the ability to coordinate and respond to events throughout California (and now Louisiana). In listening to Michael Brown's testimony to Congress (FEMA, not out Commissioner), he cited the lack of incident command leading to chaos following hurricane Katrina. Whether you think Brown did his job or not, it is unanimous that in the days following the hurricane, command was non-existent. In discussing how he felt Louisiana should have been prepared, Brown mentioned other states, specifically California (and Texas, I think) had incident command systems (ICS) in place.

He's right. And the CHP plays a major role in the statewide ICS, being a statewide law enforcement first responder. I was just at training last week regarding our response to emergencies, and while it has become routine, what we do is critical. No disrespect to those in Louisiana, but they are the proof such a system is necessary.

The CHP can, within hours, deploy hundreds (if not thousands) of officers anywhere in the state. Moreover, we can quickly coordinate and manage manpower as well as other resources from a central location. Our pre-event plans for planned events cover every aspect imaginable and seem overkill at times. But going overboard, planning for every foreseeable scenario, is what prepares us. Sometimes you can't plan for specific event, such as a natural disaster -- but you can have a general plan that comes pretty darn close to the real thing.

[begin soapbox] You'll hear people cite the number of officers who work in administrative positions versus "the road." The road is our bread-and-butter. It is where we come in contact to protect and serve the public, but everyone behind the scene matters too. The bottom line is that the Department is stretched thin across the board. We need more qualified officers everywhere. It's not as easy as eliminating administrative positions and sending them back to the road, especially with the additional duties we've taken on since September 11. [end soapbox]

To actually answer the question, we can pull officers from anywhere in the state. By modifying shifts, days off, and vacations if necessary, we can free-up bodies for a short or long-term event. Many events will be contained within one Division, but some require assistance from further out.

[Mac]

Great post, DW. IMO, our Department learned a LOT about ICS during the Rodney King riots in '92. Logistics were a little sketchy the first day or so, but the kinks were rapidly ironed out on-the-fly and it went smoothly from then on. It was a great learning experience, and we've refined our ICS response/deployment efficiency about a hundredfold since then. It's an absolutely amazing thing when you have an opportunity to watch the 'big picture' unfold and see all the behind-the-scenes action that takes place in a large-scale deployment - how complex it all is, and how efficiently it's handled.

I'm still impressed every time we work a "unified command" with the fire departments during large fires - the FD has ICS down to an absolute science, and it's awe-inspiring to see such order established so quickly and efficiently. There can be upwards of 50 to 100 fire departments from CA and neighboring states, yet they work together as one giant unit.

The point about Louisiana is a very valid one. Not to kick them when they're down, but the lack of organization and unified command was readily apparent....and the results were absolutely disastrous. Without straying too far off-topic, I think politics played a big role in the whole thing, as people were far too busy worrying about how they would look and who to point fingers at to concentrate on the task at hand. It was obvious from the news coverage that the left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing, and the "leaders" were all in total panic and disarray. Even worse yet was the fact that they had ample warning and plenty of time to establish a unified command and get their resources in place before the storm hit, but it still didn't happen. Compare the response to Katrina with how Texas handled their storm, and the difference was very visible....as were the results.

As DW said, you can't always plan for a specific event - you can't anticipate/predict riots, earthquakes, large fires and mudslides the way Louisiana and Texas were able to anticipate the storms - but you can have a framework in place that can readily be fleshed out and adapted to whatever is thrown your way, and that's what ICS is all about....and our Department does it well.