On their website I came across an email address for the Emergency Management Section which dealt with response to a natural disaster or crisis. I clicked on the link in an effort to reach someone from that department and found out the email link did not exist.So I called the Tucson Police non-emergency number and the officer that answered the phone had no idea that an Emergency department existed and transferred me to another station. When I got in contact with that station, they too did not know that an Emergency Management section existed, so they transferred me to another division where I came into contact with Sgt.
Jennifer Turner. It took me three phone calls to the Police Department before someone knew of the Emergency Management Section.Sgt. Turner was an aid for a Lieutenant that is in charge of the Emergency Management Section. After many email conversations, she was unable to relay information to our group, but gave me a contact named Janet McClay, who is the Emergency Management Coordinator for the Tucson Fire Department. Mrs.
McClay became a reliable source of information for our group by helping us understand how the Fire Department and also the Police Department respond to Floods or natural Disasters.Janet McClay is the Emergency Management Coordinator for the Police and Fire Department of Tucson. Her office is in charge of the operational upkeep for both Departments. She is responsible for making sure the Emergency Responders are at the highest level of readiness in order for them to serve the people.
The Fire Department and Police are stationed every 2miles around town to where they have a 4min response time from when the call is place.That has been in effect since 1983 and shows no letdown even with budget cuts and a growing economy. In response to Floods or overflowing rivers, the Fire department has Swift Water Rescue teams that are stationed within a 4 sector quadrant of the city. Upon request from the dispatcher, Swift Water Rescue teams are deployed to the emergency along with the Police department to help secure the area. When they arrive at the emergency, the battalion chief makes the assessment to whether more units are required for the emergency.The chain of command begins when the battalion chief arrives on scene and all actions are coordinated through him.
All emergency responders are EMT certified and can contain a situation until further resources arrive. For getting information out to the public in order to be more alert of Floods, Janet McClay’s department has been looking into Automated Emergency Notification Systems. This system allows the public to receive alerts of changing weather concerns for the public and allows you to plan accordingly to the situation.It sends you a text message or calls you about possibly dangerous weather in your area.
Janet says the system is very useful, but is having trouble getting the local people to give their phone number to them. In case of a natural Flood or heavy rain due to monsoons, the Police and Fire Department can call upon resources outside of Tucson for help. Since the installment of the Swift Water Rescue in the 1980’s, there has only been 1 recorded death in Tucson due to floods.The Emergency Management Service has maintained a high level of integrity by sharing information with other agencies in the state. They hold monthly meetings and seminars to exchange ideas and tactics on how to have Emergency Responders reply faster.
The Police Department and Fire have a deep commitment to their job and have a deeper commitment to saving lives. They are considered the best trained responders in the country and they share their expertise with the public in order to have a safer city.
