Photo by Krista WadsworthEmergency center, special units keep Frisco residents safe
When the city of Frisco's firefighter-paramedics responded to a possible Ebola patient at an urgent care clinic Oct. 8, what seemed like an extraordinary situation to the general public was actually routine for Frisco's specially trained teams, said Mark Piland, fire chief and emergency management coordinator.
"We transport a lot of folks that are sick; [Ebola cases] just happen to get a lot of attention because it's in the news and because it's pretty lethal, but there are a lot of diseases that we transport that are highly contagious."
Piland said the emergency responders are ready to take on many situations, from infectious disease patients to hazardous chemical spills, icy roads, severe weather, fire and traffic incidents.
The core of the city's emergency response is the hazardous materials team and rescue unit, which are stationed at Central Fire Station, and the backup support units stationed at Fire Station No. 5, which include support equipment and the LAR (light, air and rehab) unit.
While all firefighter-paramedics undergo routine fire training and emergency medical service continuing education, the hazmat/rescue team is drilled more extensively, Piland said.
"[The hazmat team is] our special operations group and we use them especially in cases like the Ebola case and the other infectious diseases that are out there," Piland said.
Emergency Operations Center
When major emergencies take place, the city's Emergency Operations Center, located at the Central Fire Station, serves as the main hub for gathering and disseminating information on the event.
"I think the biggest thing the people need to understand is the EOC is not the incident commander," Piland said. "The EOC is a support function that is more of a broad-range ability to garner resources in to assist people on the scene."
The Frisco's EOC is operated on a daily basis as a "warm" environment, Piland said, meaning there is someone regularly in the center regardless of whether an incident is taking place.
The walls of the EOC room are used for monitoring everything from local and national news to current fire and police incidents, the 400 or so traffic cameras as well as numerous other PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) cameras and HD cameras perched on city water towers, said Jean May, the city's emergency management specialist.
"We watch weather in here, too—weather is a big thing for us," she said.
Phones and computers at desks line the interior of the room in cases so that when an event happens, various city officials have a place to work. Information from any of their computers can be placed on one of the large screens in the room.
The number of people in the room will depend on the severity of the emergency, May said.
A side room in the EOC includes HAM radios for the city to keep in touch with storm spotters in case of bad weather, one computer with video teleconferencing capabilities and another computer from which the city's outdoor warning system can be tested and operated.
The city also has a mobile command unit that allows situations to be handled on-site and can be rolled out in emergencies as well as at large city events such as the Jimmy Buffett concert.
