Senate Committee on Government and House Committee on Government Reform and Government Finance Accountability

ARIZONA STATE LEGISLATURE

Senate Committee on Government and House Committee on Government Reform and Government Finance Accountability

Minutes of the Meeting

Thursday, December 8, 2005

10:10 a.m., House Hearing Room 1

Members Present:

Senator Jim Waring, Chairman	Representative Bill Konopnicki, Chairman
Senator Linda Gray, Vice-Chairman	Representative Ted Downing
Senator Bill Brotherton	Representative Chuck Gray
Senator Jake Flake	Representative Phil Lopes
Senator Barbara Leff	Representative John McComish
Senator Harry Mitchell	Representative John Nelson

Members Absent:

Senator Albert Hale	Representative Cheryl Chase
	Representative Rick Murphy
	Representative Jonathan Paton, Vice-Chairman

Staff:

Steve Moortel, House Assistant Legislative Analyst

Nadine Sapien, Senate Government Analyst

Representative Konopnicki called the meeting to order at 10:10 a.m. and the attendance was taken.

Opening Remarks

Representative Konopnicki stated the three areas that he would like the presenters to address are their organization’s plans and processes that are in place, issues that still need to be addressed, and what the State can do to help.

Senator Waring commented he would like all of the organizations involved to listen to each other throughout the meeting and use the information presented in order to effectively work together in the future.

Presentations on Arizona’s Disaster Preparedness

Homeland Security

Frank Navarrete, Director, Arizona Office of Homeland Security, Arizona Division of Emergency Management, presented a PowerPoint presentation regarding Arizona’s disaster preparedness (Attachment A).

Representative Konopnicki stated, in order to help Arizona citizens with personal preparedness, it would be a good idea for the Arizona Office of Homeland Security to direct them to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) website where a personal preparedness plan is listed.

Mr. Navarrete stated that there is some personal preparedness information on his Office’s website but if the information is not sufficient, he will make sure there is a link to the FEMA website.

Representative Konopnicki asked if the Arizona Office of Homeland Security has thought about using all highway lanes to go one way in order to evacuate citizens out of an area during a mass evacuation instead of using half of the highway as was the case in Houston during the evacuations caused by Hurricane Rita. Mr. Navarrete stated the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) do have plans on dealing with this issue. Mr. Navarrete added there have been past events on Highway 17 which resulted in the traffic being consolidated and turned one way.

Representative Konopnicki complemented the Arizona Office of Homeland Security’s work with other states and asked if they have also worked with Mexico, particularly Sonora. Mr. Navarrete stated the Office of Homeland Security does have an ongoing relationship with Mexico and has plans in place to deal with several issues.

Senator Waring asked how much money the State has spent for Operation Good Neighbor and how much the State will be reimbursed. Mr. Navarrete stated the State has been reimbursed $500,000 and allocated in excess of $4.9 million which has not been spent.

Senator Brotherton asked if there is an evacuation plan in place that addresses the issue of people not being able to go westbound on Interstate 10 if there is an event at the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant where radiation is released. Mr. Navarrete was not certain of what the evacuation plan would be in that case and referred Senator Brotherton to DPS. Mr. Navarrete added according to a recent study of evacuation plans at Lewis Prison, which is located approximately seventeen air miles from the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant, if radiation was released from the power plant and traveled in the direction of the prison, it would not pose an immediate hazard by the time it reached the prison.

Senator Brotherton stated a large earthquake in California will happen at some point causing many people to possibly evacuate into Arizona and he wanted to know where this is prioritized in Arizona’s Disaster Preparedness plan.

Mr. Navarrete stated flooding is the most probable event to occur in Arizona, but the scenario that Senator Brotherton pointed out is of most concern to him.

Senator Leff asked what will be the most practical way to inform people that a disaster has occurred. Mr. Navarrete stated there are several means to inform people. These methods include Reverse 911, the Arizona Emergency Alert System, the media, and electronic highway signs.

Senator Gray asked if Interstate 17 will be open or closed as an evacuation route given that normal weekend traffic is extremely slow. Mr. Navarrete stated this is a statewide issue and his office is working with ADOT on plans to address this issue. Mr. Navarrete added the law enforcement community needs to be relied on to develop plans as well.

Senator Leff asked if the problem with people not being able to use 911 service on cellular phones has been fixed. Mr. Navarrete stated that he did not know if it has been fixed universally throughout the state but he would check and get back to her.

Representative McComish asked Mr. Navarrete to elaborate on Arizona 2-1-1. Mr. Navarrete stated Arizona 2-1-1 is an internet based social services database. Currently, this service is only available online but the next step is to establish call centers to assist the public. Also, when the Emergency Operations Center is activated, Arizona 2-1-1 is used to notify the public as to the nature of the emergency and other pertinent information.

Representative Downing asked how the Arizona Office of Homeland Security is prepared to help those citizens who do not have access to transportation, such as those who are poor or in nursing homes. Mr. Navarrete said his office has taken note of special care facilities to make sure they are part of the evacuation plans of every county and city. Mr. Navarrete added 7% of the people that live in the metropolitan area do not have vehicles, roughly 3.7 million people, and the Arizona Office of Homeland Security has coordinated with the local cities and towns to provide school bus transportation and with the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) and the National Guard’s ability to provide state assets.

Representative Downing asked how many days of food, energy, and medicine the State has if there is an influx of people from California. Mr. Navarrete said he did not know what the food supply is in the State but it is noteworthy and something that his office needs to research. In regards to the medicine supply,

Mr. Navarrete stated the Arizona Department of Health Services would be better able to supply that information. Mr. Navarrete added the Church of Latter Day Saints has a very large food distribution program with a facility in Mesa and they have offered to help in the event of an emergency.

Representative Konopnicki stated his concern with regard to many entities, including food service, have gone to “just in time” supply policy. He noted that it is important to know what Arizona has and what the impact of a large influx of people from California would cause.

Representative Gray asked if there is a plan in place for evacuating prisoners and what the security measures are to make sure they do not escape into the general public. Mr. Navarrete stated ADC does have evacuation plans and the Arizona Office of Homeland Security has reviewed the Lewis Prison evacuation plan in case of an accident at the Palo Verde Nuclear Plant. Through evaluating these plans ADC knows “to the minute” how long it will take to evacuate its personnel and of those which will go first, which will be shackled, who will drive the buses, and what type of buses will be used. Mr. Navarrete added there are other plans in the event of flooding but he did not have the details and would provide a written plan to Representative Gray.

Representative Gray asked if there are facilities that would be able to house a large population of prisoners during an evacuation. Mr. Navarrete did not know but will provide that information to Representative Gray.

Senator Brotherton asked if Reverse 911 works with cellular phones. Mr. Navarrete said 911 can be accessed using a cell phone but he was not sure if they work with Reverse 911.

Senator Brotherton stated, cellular phones are the primary phone for many

households, therefore Reverse 911 for cellular phones needs to be determined.

Senator Brotherton asked where people would be housed if there was a mass exodus of people from California to Arizona. Mr. Navarrete stated this issue has been studied and shelters have been identified, such as schools, which could be utilized during the summer, fair grounds and other large areas, and tents supplied by the National Guard.

Senator Brotherton asked how the Arizona Office of Homeland Security’s incident command vans can be moved to different locations if all of the lanes on the road are flowing in one direction. Mr. Navarrete stated the five incident command vans are strategically located throughout the state and are pre-positioned to areas where incidents are expected to occur.

Senator Waring asked if there is still grant money left over from fiscal year 2003. Mr. Navarrete stated the 2003 money is completely spent.

Senator Waring asked what the budget will be for the Arizona Office of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2006 and how long will it take to start using that money. Mr. Navarrete said the 2006 guidelines have changed and Arizona is contending against other states for Homeland Security money by submitting a threat and vulnerability assessment to the federal government and he believes that the State will start receiving this money in March. Mr. Navarrete added both he and the Governor believe there should be some kind of accountability for the fact that Arizona is a border state in terms of threat and vulnerability assessment.

Senator Waring asked how soon the Arizona Office of Homeland Security Budget Funds can be spent and what the normal turn around time is. Mr. Navarrete said it is the obligation of his office to reallocate the money to the local cities and towns within 60 days of receipt and they will generally have two years to spend the money.

Senator Waring asked what will happen if the money is not spent. Mr. Navarrete stated the money will be reverted to the Arizona Office of Homeland Security.

Senator Leff asked if a person is using a cell phone to call 911 will their location be transmitted to the operator taking the call and if not can the Homeland Security money be used to fix the system so the location will be transmitted. Mr. Navarrete stated he does not know if a person’s location is transmitted to the operator during a 911 call and would follow up with her and it might be possible to use Homeland Security money to fix the problem if needed but he would need to check the guidelines.

Representative Konopnicki stated he would like for Mr. Navarrete to report back to the Committee on a later date how the Legislature can help to facilitate the further development of his Office’s disaster preparedness plan.

Mr. Navarrete stated he hopes the Legislature will continue to support the Arizona Office of Homeland Security and his Office is always open to any exchange of information from the Legislature as well. Mr. Navarrete added the long term interoperability plan and DPS do need support.

Representative Downing asked if the use amateur radio during an emergency event is part of the long term interoperability plan. Mr. Navarrete said amateur radio is a part of this plan.

Department of Health Services

Niki O’Keefe, Assistant Director, Department of Health Services (DHS), Public Health Division, presented the Department of Health Services’ role for disaster response.

Ms. O’Keefe stated DHS works closely with the Office of Homeland Security, DPS, and other state agencies and is the lead agency for medical and emergency preparedness and response activities.

Ms. O’Keefe said after 9/11 DHS realized it needed to align the Department and the bureaus and offices within the Department to be more effective and to make sure the collaboration existed. Ms. O’Keefe added DHS believes all disasters are local and how well an area is prepared locally will determine the outcome.

Ms. O’Keefe stated there are now four bureaus within the Public Health Preparedness Division that are devoted to preparedness. These bureaus are the Bureau of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Bureau of Epidemiology Disease and Control, Bureau of the State Laboratory and the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.

Ms. O’Keefe stated in its planning since 9/11, DHS works within four Emergency Preparedness and Response Regions (Attachment B). These regions each have a working Regional Advisory Committee which helps to develop the strategies employed to meet the preparedness and response deliverables. The prescribed deliverables are grant funded from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The Committees have regional representation of local health departments, hospitals, community health centers, Indian Health Services (IHS) and tribal clinics, tribes, IHS, Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS), fire departments, emergency medical services (EMS), Arizona Office of Homeland Security, law enforcement, emergency management, and other subject experts.

Ms. O’Keefe said DHS assessed 68 hospitals in the four regions to determine what their preparedness levels were at that particular time and what needed to be in place for the future. Among all of the partners in the four regions it was determined that communication, training and exercise, and equipment were the three areas that needed to be addressed. Ms. O’Keefe added much of the program’s funding has gone to the these initiatives, for example, each of the hospitals now have a satellite phone system in the event that a hospital needed to evacuate and operate an emergency operation center outside of the building.

Ms. O’Keefe stated DHS’ Preparedness and Response goals are the reduction of threats, readiness, and recognition of emergencies, response and recovery to emergencies. She stated DHS takes an “all hazards” approach which has been adopted for planning across all functions and coordinated at all government levels.

Ms. O’Keefe said as a result of the anthrax scare, DHS now has a laboratory that operates 24 hours a day seven days a week for reporting and testing. The lab is also used for training and exercises on testing and handling procedures with law enforcement, fire departments and hospitals. DHS has also partnered with the University of Arizona Vet Diagnostic Lab to test specimens in the southern part of the state.

Ms. O’Keefe said communication is critical and is achieved through the use of three major electronic systems. First is the Secure Integrated Response Electronic Notification System (SIREN) which provides a secure gateway to public health systems, has alerting capabilities, and online collaboration tools. Second is the Medical Electronic Disease Surveillance Intelligence System (MEDSIS) which is a statewide web-based application for use by local health departments, labs, hospitals, clinics, IHS units, correctional facilities and individual practitioners responsible for reporting communicable diseases. Third is the EMSystem which is a web based program that reports current hospital status and provides event alerts, such as mass casualty incidents, law enforcement information, health alerts, and evacuations.

Ms. O’Keefe stated DHS provides ongoing clinical education, training and exercises with local and state partners to assure an integrated response to events.

Ms. O’Keefe stated DHS has adopted the Nation Incident Management System (NIMS) in operating its internal Health Operations Center (HEOC) and has been implemented in conjunction with the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). Ms. O’Keefe added DHS staffed the health desk at the SEOC for many years and DHS was able to experience operating a 24/7 emergency response while maintaining day to day operations after Hurricane Katrina when evacuees where sheltered at the Memorial Coliseum.

Ms. O’Keefe stated DHS has the experience and expertise to respond to events that impact the public’s health.

Ms. O’Keefe said DHS recognized the public wants to know how to take care of themselves, their families and their community in the event of an emergency. The challenge for DHS and their partners is to address this issue in a collective voice that is practical and compels individual responsibility and participation in the process. Ms. O’Keefe added the expansion of a call center for AZ 2-1-1 is something that should be supported by all entities because not everybody has a computer and this will allow more people to be informed during emergency situations.

Representative Downing asked how many days supply of prescription medications the state has. Ms. O’Keefe stated she did not know off hand but the hospitals would have a three day supply. Ms. O’Keefe added SIREN can be used to check on the inventories of medicine and there is an agreement with the pharmacies to notify DHS of the supplies being used and the Department will use that information to determine if there is a problem.

Representative Downing commented, many of the private suppliers of medication may have difficulty revealing their levels of supplies to a government agency and this is an issue that needs to be discussed in order to find someway they can cooperate with the government without sharing that information to competitors. Representative Downing added this is critical to the safety of the citizens of Arizona.

Senator Gray asked what the hospitals prevention plans are for securing generators in the event of a flood. Ms. O’Keefe stated the plan varies depending on whether or not the generator is in a flood plane. However, she did not know how many hospitals would be affected in a normal flood situation. Ms. O’Keefe added DHS recommended that each hospital should have a generator that can run power for a minimum of five days.

Senator Leff asked if DHS has a program to organize volunteer physicians and other medical personnel who are retired and send them to an emergency situation. Ms. O’Keefe stated there are three Medical Reserve Corps in Arizona that are funded separately by the federal government and DHS has hired a volunteer outreach coordinator to work with these and other groups to reach out to physicians and other medical personnel.

Representative Downing commented, he has met with the Arizona Community Health Services and they are trying to prepare a directory of retired physicians and he recommended that DHS contact them to help with the directory.

Senator Brotherton commented in the “Trust for America’s Health” report (Attachment C) only two states have plans, incentives, or provisions to ensure continuity of care in the event of a major outbreak and he wanted to know if this issue is only handled by the hospitals and if not what the State’s role is. Ms. O’Keefe said she does know if all hospitals have business continuity planning and she also does not know if the report randomly evaluated the percentage of staff that is available. Ms. O’Keefe added the States’ role is to provide proper access and medications to hospital staff, first responders, and their families to ensure they will go to work and this is written in DHS’ plans.

Senator Brotherton agreed with Ms. O’Keefe’s comments and that message needs to get out because medical personnel need to feel comfortable with their own situations so they are willing to help those that are sick.

Senator Flake asked why hospitals only have a three day supply of medications. Ms. O’Keefe stated it is a financial decision on the hospitals’ part.

Government Information Technology Agency (GITA)

Chris Cummiskey, Director, GITA, and State Chief Information Officer, presented an overview of GITA’s role in some of the disaster preparedness activities in Arizona and highlighted three areas in particular which were business continuity, infrastructure protection, and Arizona 2-1-1.

Mr. Cummiskey stated the role of GITA is state strategic planning, monitoring, and oversight of technology, telecommunications, and digital government. GITA is also involved with a number of areas of emergency preparedness and has partnered with many organizations and state agencies to assist in these areas.

In regards to business continuity, Mr. Cummiskey stated shortly after Governor Napolitano took office in 2003 she issued an executive order to direct all 115 state agencies, boards, and commissions to develop Business Continuity Plans (BCP) which are the building blocks for the State’s emergency response and recovery plans.

Mr. Cummiskey stated in previous administrations BCP’s had been prepared but were not coordinated well and did not use a common framework. In 2003 GITA, with the help of the Department of Administration (DOA) and Homeland Security, centralized the process so every entity in state government would be using the same template for reporting and developing their plans and as a result there was a continuity in place that was more capable of making sure all of the pieces were put together in the event of an emergency.

Mr. Cummiskey said business continuity planning is currently overseen by a leadership group consisting of GITA, DOA, and the Division of Emergency Management and in the early stages of the new BCP framework they went through planning exercises to make sure every agency had their plans prepared and were able to act on those plans in the case of the emergency.

Mr. Cummiskey stated over the past 18 months agencies have been required to put their plans into action internally and this has been used to determine how the individual agencies would fit together in the case of an emergency.

Mr. Cummiskey said some programs have a higher prioritization than others and the leadership group has been working toward looking at the 20 to 25 critical business functions of the State through the use of the business continuity process and determining what needs to be done to bring those critical business functions back up in the case of an emergency.

Mr. Cummiskey stated the leadership group has constant contact with the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to make sure the continuity of government, the Structural Engineering Emergency Response Plan (SEERP), and the BCP processes are all working together in the event that something should go wrong.

In regards to infrastructure protection, Mr. Cummiskey stated emergency planners have recognized that infrastructure protection includes cyber security and network and data protection. Mr. Cummiskey added much of the infrastructure is controlled by computer-based technology and as such it is important that these networks are protected by the state.

Mr. Cummiskey stated the Legislature outsourced the State’s telecommunication management in 2004 to Accenture which is a meaningful and important part in setting up perimeter defenses for the State’s network particularly as the State moves to a converged platform in which voice and data are carried over the same network. This will further insure the network is protected from external intrusions.

Mr. Cummiskey stated he and Mr. Navarrete formed the IT Security Advisory Committee in 2004 in order to work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), DPS, the Department of Economic Security (DES), and DOA, as well as the universities and other entities in the private sector to make sure there are policies in place within State government that maximize best practices, particularly in the private sector. Mr. Cummiskey added this is even more important as the State moves more towards conducting transactions over the network. Mr. Cummiskey said the IT Security Advisory Committee will report its progress back to the Legislature in 2006.

In regards to Arizona 2-1-1, Mr. Cummiskey stated the Governor, as part of the strategic blueprint for Homeland Security, made sure Arizona 2-1-1 was an important part of the ten point plan on Arizona’s Homeland Security Action Items list and GITA has worked vigilantly to make sure 2-1-1 is a reality in Arizona.

Mr. Cummiskey said no other state has brought together both Homeland Security and Health and Human Services into a single database that can be utilized for both day to day use and emergency response.

Mr. Cummiskey stated Arizona 2-1-1 was created in different stages. Phase one was to bring up arizona211.gov which is a 17,000 record compendium of health and human services and emergency preparedness information which is updated on a daily basis. Also, the media, case managers, and emergency managers can use the website to provide up to date information regarding emergency situations for the public.

Phase two for Arizona 2-1-1, is the creation of call centers strategically placed throughout the state in order to maximize community resources. Mr. Cummiskey added a legislative package is being prepared that will be offered in January 2006 and will seek to put the backbone in place for GITA to have the means that will allow people to call 2-1-1 in the case of an emergency and be connected to the emergency operation center in order to obtain the most recent information.

Mr. Cummiskey added there are three levels of 911 in Arizona, basic 911 service, enhanced 911, and enhanced wireless 911. He added there is good coverage of basic 911 service throughout Arizona. Enhanced 911 service, which is the ability of a law enforcement entity to request of the carrier that they pinpoint the location of where the tower that received a signal of a 911 cellular phone call, is in spotty distribution throughout the state. Enhanced wireless 911, which requires companies to be able to provide 911 service within 300 meters of the individual signal, is still on horizon.

Mr. Cummiskey stated web-based phone companies, such as Vonage, have missed the deadline by the FCC to comply with 911 service. They have indicated they are seeking to comply but have not as of yet, so the likelihood that a person would be connected to 911 using a web-based phone is unlikely.

Representative Konopnicki asked Mr. Cummiskey to elaborate on the Chief Security Officer position within GITA. Mr. Cummiskey stated audit findings for both DOA and GITA concluded that a Chief Security Officer for the State would make sense from the perspective of coordinating infrastructure protection and making sure security standards are reviewed and are being upheld.

Senator Leff asked whether the reason all three 911 services that Mr. Cummiskey described are not available throughout the entire state is financial or the technology is not available yet. Mr. Cummiskey stated the Arizona Office of 911 is primarily a grant administration and the monies that are raised for enhanced 911 is $.37 tax per month on cell phone bills which stair steps down over time by statute. The projections that were of concern by DOA, was that overtime as the rate stair steps down, it does not provide the funds for 911 coverage everywhere.

Mr. Cummiskey added technology is an issue because each cell phone carrier has the ability to use different technologies and as public safety entities connect to the carriers seeking information, there is a navigation problem that needs to be solved.

Senator Leff asked if Reverse 911 can be used for cell phones. Mr. Cummiskey said it will be a challenge to have a Reverse 911 system in Arizona that would make it back to the cell phone user.

Senator Leff asked if the technology is there for cell phones or is it a budget issue. Mr. Cummiskey stated the technology is there and tends to be more of an economics issue.

Emergency Personnel

Southwest Ambulance

Roy Ryals, Senior Vice President, Director of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Southwest Ambulance, briefed the Committee on the ability of ambulance service providers to respond to a natural or man made disaster in Arizona.

Mr. Ryals stated, Arizona has little excess or surge of ambulance capacity to respond to a disaster with the magnitude recently experienced in the Gulf Coast states.

Mr. Ryals said resources are in place to handle midsize disasters, such as the Hydar train derailment in 1995, which require fewer resources and shorter deployments. Local ambulance providers routinely handle these types of events with the assistance from larger services in the urban areas.

Mr. Ryals stated in a large scale incident involving more than 50 ambulances and personnel, especially for a sustained deployment, Arizona would need to rely on ambulances from not only Arizona but the surrounding states as well. Mr. Ryals added there are not enough resources for the majority of the State’s providers to protect their own citizens and to respond in any meaningful way, with additional resources, to a large scale disaster.

Mr. Ryals said Southwest Ambulance is the largest in the state and the most geographically deployed provider of ambulance services. In Arizona, Southwest Ambulance employs over 2,300 EMS professionals dispersed over Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai, Graham, and Yuma Counties and operates over 250 ambulances on a daily basis with a significant reserve capacity which can be used during a disaster situation.

Mr. Ryals stated Southwest Ambulance most recently responded to Beaumont, Texas after Hurricane Katrina and prior to Hurricane Rita at the request of FEMA. In less than six hours Southwest responded with a 25 person team of EMS professionals, ambulances, support vehicles, and disaster supplies.

Mr. Ryals stated Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have shown that in a large scale disaster, regardless of type, a coordinated response of both private and government resources is needed to appropriately handle the medical needs of the effected communities. Government agencies, for the most part, provide the assistance in the management of the incident, extrication, and rescue at the scene. The private sector is primarily responsible for the medical transportation of individuals both from the site of the disaster and in the support areas surrounding the disaster area to make room for those involved in the incident.

Mr. Ryals said a recent FEMA report reflected that less than 4% of the Homeland Security funding has been directed towards emergency medical services yet 1/3 of the overall need is EMS first response and medical transportation.

Mr. Ryals stated in Arizona there has historically been little, if any, coordination of the State’s ambulance services on any wide scale basis to facilitate a coordinated response while at the same time protecting the outlying communities. Mr. Ryals added the Arizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of EMS, has established a task force to address this issue and Southwest Ambulance looks forward to working with them on this endeavor.

Mr. Ryals stated Southwest Ambulance stands ready to assist the State and federal officials to integrate their services in the overall plan that utilizes the best of both private and government agencies to prepare for and respond to any threat to the citizens of Arizona.

Chief Les Caid, Rural Metro Fire Department, Pima County, provided an overview of Southwest Ambulance’s involvement in disaster planning from a fire operations perspective.

Mr. Caid stated the events of 9/11 and the recent hurricanes in the Gulf Coast region have shown that the seeds of cooperation have been planted and need to continue to grow.

Mr. Caid said disasters start and end at the local level and the government needs to include the private sector in these types of events. Mr. Caid added 85% of critical infrastructure is outside the government and if the private sector is not brought to the table to work with the government there will be failures during a disaster.

Mr. Caid stated the government and private sector sit together in meetings and say they understand and recognize that they need to work together but they need to be able work together on the street level to help save lives. Mr. Caid added if this is not done now, the State is doomed for failure.

Mr. Caid stated Arizona has been the national leader in preparedness and has done many great things. For example, a few years ago the Department of Health and Human Services, with the help of the DHS, put together the strategic national stockpile exercise. However, there was never any follow up done on this exercise and this shows that the government and the private sector need to build mutual aid agreements.

Mr. Caid said he has pledged to work together with the Arizona Office of Homeland Security to coordinate the private sector not only for emergency response but critical infrastructure as well.

Mr. Caid stated the government and private sector need to come together to educate the public regarding public safety and public health and Arizona has the opportunity to be a model for the rest of the country.

Senator Leff commented she believes that not only does the private sector need to be involved but the media needs to be brought into some of the discussions. This is because the hysteria seen on many issues is created by the media which can cause a loss of control over the response. Mr. Caid said this has been going on for many years and the media has to understand that they can incite intense fear but with education and working together change can occur.

Senator Leff said the government needs to be careful about forcing people to take vaccines when they do not know what the side effects will be.

Representative Downing asked what can be done legislatively to encourage a blending of mutual aid agreements so that they are taking place as soon as possible. Mr. Caid stated events start locally and because of this, resources such as the strategic national stockpile need to be deployed and used first locally, then regionally, state wide, and federally. In order for this to work the mutual agreements need to be written and understood locally first. Mr. Caid added it is important for public officials to be involved in order to educate themselves on emergency issues.

Mr. Ryal stated from a mutual aid standpoint, the ambulance services is a much better integrated process than fire services but there are statewide mutual aid agreements that work pretty well. Mr. Ryal added he believes the focus is there and no legislation is required at this time, however, there may be a need down the road in order to bring into concert the Certificate of Need (CON) process with mutual aid throughout Arizona.

Professional Firefighters of Arizona

Brian Tobin, President, Professional Firefighters of Arizona, presented a PowerPoint presentation on disaster preparedness for first responders.

Mr. Tobin first discussed the Arizona Terrorism and Disaster Response Plan which is a consensus plan to work with the Governor’s office to prepare Arizona’s first responders for any type of emergency event.

Next, Mr. Tobin described the three phases to this plan. Phase one is to make better use of current funding to bring all first responders up to their appropriate level of training and equipment. Phase two is to place and service twelve cross trained units in hazardous materials and technical rescues, called Heavy Rescue Squads, geographically across Arizona to provide for a two hour response time, at the most, in many areas of the state. Phase three, which is still in development, is to place and service smaller units in areas in between the larger units to assist Heavy Rescue Squads and Rapid Response Teams.

Mr. Tobin said the cities currently designated for the Disaster Response Plan are Phoenix, Glendale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Flagstaff, Yuma, and Tucson. The Phoenix unit was the first to go into service in October 2005 and the Glendale, Mesa, and Tempe units will be in service within the next six months.

Senator Waring asked how the funding worked to obtain the units placed throughout Arizona. Mr. Tobin stated there are two different revenue streams for the funding. First is the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) which has funded all of the Maricopa County assets and second is State money which goes to a regional counsel, then is spread throughout Arizona, which has been used to fund the Tucson, Flagstaff, and Yuma units. Each unit appropriation is approximately $1.2 million which covers the cost of the equipment, the vehicle, and the training for the team.

Senator Waring asked if the $1.2 million can be used to pay for staffing the units or if the units are covered by regular officers. Mr. Tobin said that it can not, but it can be used for training of the officers.

Next, Mr. Tobin discussed the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS). The MMRS is a part of the plan and utilized along with the Rapid Response Teams to respond to any large medical catastrophe. The cities that are included in the MMRS are Phoenix, Glendale, Mesa, and Tucson and there has been additional funding from the state system for Homeland Security for Chandler, Gilbert, Peoria, and Tempe as support units for the MMRS.

Mr. Tobin added in 2004 there was $400,000 designated for MMRS and in 2005 it was reduced to $224,000. The funding for 2006 has not been disseminated but he has found that the Homeland Security dollars declines every year. Mr. Tobin stated since this plan is a statewide plan that everyone in the fire service has agreed to, the cities that use UASI monies do not compete with other regions for addition money to complete the plan.

As a result of legislation passed by Congress, Mr. Tobin stated cities and towns can apply for funding for additional firefighters to provide new services, such as the Arizona Terrorism and Disaster Response Plan.

Mr. Tobin stated the units can be fully integrated into the day to day operations of the fire department when not in use for emergency events.

Mr. Tobin added the plan is supported by the Arizona Fire Service institute which is made up of the Professional Firefighters of Arizona, Volunteer Firefighters Organization, Arizona Fire Chiefs Association, the Metro Section of the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association, and the Arizona Fire Districts Association.

According to Mr. Tobin, a long term plan for interoperability in Arizona is an important issue.

Senator Waring asked how the first responders work in conjunction with federal and state entities in response to an emergency event. Mr. Tobin stated the Arizona Terrorism and Disaster Response Plan is a proactive plan because it provides training for every first responder. When working with federal entities, Mr. Tobin stated NIMS is in place to allow local entities to work with federal agencies creating a seamless transition of responsibilities.

Representative McComish asked if it is the responsibility of the cities for the ongoing repair and maintenance of the units. Mr. Tobin said that it is the responsibility of the cities, however, there is some ability through the grant process to apply for sustainment dollars.

Representative Konopnicki asked why there is an inability between the different emergency agencies throughout the state to communicate with each other.

Mr. Tobin said it is an equipment and funding issue. First, it is expensive to put together a statewide radio system because of the requirements for the hardware that needs to be put in place. Second, there are issues with the technology of the radios and how the systems work because a radio that works for a police officer does not necessary work for a firefighter due to the different conditions that they work in.

Representative Konopnicki stated this issue needs to be a priority.

Department of Public Safety

Chief Jack Lane, Highway Patrol, Department of Public Safety presented a PowerPoint presentation regarding DPS’ disaster preparedness planning (Attachment D).

Senator Leff asked if DPS needs to be invited to a local community in the case of an emergency situation. Mr. Lane said DPS does have agreements with other agencies where the forces are blended into a unified command and joint decisions are made regarding the use of command with the local agencies. Mr. Lane added that the agencies do not need to be invited and the resources will be brought into areas where the emergency is, but in the police situations DPS will coordinate with the local sheriffs and chiefs.

Referencing Mr. Lane’s presentation regarding the estimated finish date for replacing the microwave loop for 2012, Senator Waring asked why it would take this long.

Curt Knight, Executive Director, Public Safety Communications Department of Public Safety, stated as it stands now, the actual completion date will be

July 2013. Mr. Knight added replacing the microwave is critical and there is expected to be a seven year deployment cycle with the anticipated start time of early 2006.

Senator Waring asked if it is possible to buy everything and finish at an earlier date. Mr. Knight stated the timeline as established is seven years based on the understanding that there is significant steel and concrete that needs to be upgraded or replaced. This takes time especially at the remote communications sites where there are environmental and weather issues that cause construction delays. Mr. Knight added there have been efforts to reduce the seven year timetable.

Representative Konopnicki asked if the microwave is going to be replaced or upgraded. Mr. Knight stated the microwave needs to be replaced with new technology because parts are no longer available to upgrade it.

Representative Konopnicki asked if the new technology will still be adequate in seven and a half years. Mr. Knight said as long as the technology is sustained on an regular basis by repairing and replacing it and training staff to maintain it the technology should be viable for many years.

Representative Konopnicki asked if money was no object how quickly the system could be upgraded. Mr. Knight said he did not have a good answer but DPS is striving to shorten the time, however, not by less than 50%.

Representative Konopnicki asked if it would be possible to contract with a leasing agency that does tower work to take down the microwaves and put the new technology up, in order to be finished in a year. Mr. Knight stated this is an option DPS is looking at as a means to shorten the time cycle but many of the sites are in high altitudes with severe weather conditions and environmental issues which precludes them from finishing it in a year.

Senator Leff asked if it is possible to use satellite instead of replacing buildings. Mr. Knight stated he would caution against using satellite. Without having exclusive use or ownership of a satellite a user could be secondary or precluded from having exclusive use of the satellite, causing problems with emergency response.

Senator Leff asked if there is any new technology that would not require construction of new buildings. Mr. Knight stated he is not aware of anything that will not require the use of the remote sites or buildings.

DPS is also advancing the old air system to additional sites but Mr. Lane emphasized this is a short term scenario because if there was a disaster in the corner of the state there would only be one frequency that multiple entities would be trying to work off of.

Mr. Lane stated DPS does have mutual aid agreements with other states. For example, if DPS needed assistance, the California Highway Patrol would come in to help and vise versa.

DPS has personnel does have the experience and expertise to respond with sufficient resources to assist with the mitigation and recovery phase of any natural disaster the state is likely to encounter and Mr. Lane added DPS continues to evaluate and train in these areas in order to maintain efficient rapid response to any emergency response.

Mr. Lane said DPS will strive to provide Arizona with the most effective response to any large scale natural disaster or civil disorder, making public safety its number one priority.

Senator Leff asked if there are any mutual agreements with Mexico. Mr. Lane stated he is not aware of any formalized agreements but for over a decade DPS has kept border liaison officers that work closely with Mexican authorities. Mr. Lane added DPS is currently working with the Arizona-Mexico Commission on putting together plans to share different types of data to help facilitate crimes that are coming into Arizona and going back to Mexico and bringing back the criminals to prosecute them and recover property that might have been stolen.

League of Arizona Cities and Towns

T. J. Martin, Commander, Phoenix Police Department, presented an overview of issues that work for and challenge the Phoenix Police Department as well as the Department’s plans for the future.

Mr. Martin stated the key to everything the Phoenix Police Department does is the partnerships with different agencies. Mr. Martin added as a local agency they work with the fire department and incident command system on almost every call they go on. In addition, the Department has a strong partnership with DPS.

Mr. Martin added the Phoenix Police Department has a Homeland Defense Bureau in Phoenix that was started over three years ago and the Department has given lectures across the country about how this bureau was started.

The Phoenix Police Department works under a subcommittee structure with the federal grant system to make sure all of the entities are going in the same direction and Mr. Martin stated the benefit to this is there are areas within the different entities that overlap. For example, Heavy Rescue has been matched up with fire, so when someone calls for Heavy Rescue they will get Heavy Rescue with all of the fire apparatus and training followed by special operations vehicle made up of SWAT and bomb technicians.

Mr. Martin stated the Phoenix Police Department is a part of many committees with other entities because the federal system requires a collaborative effort among the different entities to make sure there is continuity between the state, county, and city plans.

According to Mr. Martin, one challenge is the federal grant system is very cumbersome and changes almost monthly. However, the biggest challenge is interoperability. The Phoenix Police Department is striving to go in the direction of having all of the police and fire departments communicate with each other.

Partnerships with the private sector are very important and have increased but Mr. Martin said the fear is as the funding decreases the need for those partnerships will decrease as well.

Marcus Aurelius, Emergency Management Coordinator, City of Phoenix, presented an overview of evacuation processes that City of Phoenix and local governments are working on.

Mr. Aurelius stated Phoenix has had an emergency management program for 60 years and an emergency operations center for over 30 years and has been activated approximately 16 times.

Mr. Aurelius added his office is responsible for the management of over $22 million in federal grants that are directed towards homeland security including the Urban Area Security Initiative which is a grant that provides equipment and services to the Maricopa County region. One of the requirements of the Urban Area Security Initiative is to develop an interoperability plan by May 2006 that must be presented to the federal government. This UASI requirement is to provide information and resources, both verbal and written data for response teams going to an emergency event.

In the State of Arizona, Mr. Aurelius stated all of the counties and cities have some kind of an evacuation plan in place.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have caused the State to look at its capabilities if a major catastrophic event were to occur and for receiving a mass exodus of people from other states and Mr. Aurelius said the amount of supplies that Arizona receives, the amount consumed by an influx of evacuees and the staging for the evacuees is a concern.

Mr. Aurelius stated his office has been asked to participate in an urban area to area study plan with the City of Los Angeles to find out how Phoenix would respond in the event of a major disaster in Los Angeles and vise versa.

Next, Mr. Aurelius stated his office has been introduced to the ODP Bulletin 197 which is a request by the federal government to provide to them, by January 17, 2006, a collective response from the State, counties, and Cities of Phoenix, Mesa, and Tucson as to their ability to respond to a mass casualty and evacuation such as Hurricane Katrina.

Mr. Aurelius stated his office is learning things that are essential components to being successful and they realized that while there are emergency evacuations in place there are limits such as personnel, resources, and inbound evacuation routes. Mr. Aurelius added the educational process is very important and his office will be making a point to provide information to the communities that they have an obligation to prepare themselves for at least five days in the event of an emergency.

In the event that Arizona is called upon to assist with the recurring seasonal problems in other states, Mr. Aurelius said there are a number of things that his office is looking at to revise and hope to have in place by this coming summer

Senator Waring asked if Phoenix and Los Angeles are ahead of the curve in terms of working together to develop plans in the event of a major catastrophe in comparison to other cities. Mr. Aurelius stated other cities and counties are working together in other states.

County Supervisors Association

Joy Rich, Assistant County Manager, Maricopa County, presented a PowerPoint presentation regarding Maricopa County’s emergency management (Attachment E).

Senator Leff asked why Maricopa County is building a new facility for the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) instead of sharing a facility with the Arizona EOC. Ms. Rich said it was discussed but the one issue is, if something happens to one EOC the other will be affected as well. Ms. Rich added the State feels that they made need to expand their facility and make some of their property available for a combined facility.

Representative Downing asked, is there coordination of emergency response plans between Maricopa County and the cities and towns throughout the state. Ms. Rich stated the State EOC helps Maricopa County work with local communities and all of the counties’ Emergency Managers to meet for two days three times a year to discuss emergency preparedness.

Representative Downing asked if there are established locations in the surrounding communities for people to stay if they are evacuated from Maricopa County. Ms. Rich said she does not believe that there are established locations.

Representative Downing asked if there are areas designated and plans in place for evacuees that may come into Maricopa County from other states. Ms. Rich said there are not, but it is part of Maricopa County’s Emergency Operations Plan to look at the ingress factor in Maricopa County.

Representative Downing requested a timeline as to when these plans will be in place.

Arizona Public Service Company (APS)

Steve Bischoff, General Manager, Construction, Operations, and Maintenance, APS, presented a PowerPoint presentation regarding APS’ emergency preparedness (Attachment F).

Representative Konopnicki asked Mr. Bischoff to clarify how the grid gets back up and operational, after it is down. Mr. Bischoff stated if the entire grid goes down it gets broken down into smaller regions and there are plans on how each of those regions will be brought back up.

Representative Konopnicki asked how it is determined as to which regions will be brought back first. Mr. Bischoff stated Palo Verde and the large coal plants would be re-established first to start bringing back the generating resources to have the capacity to start re-energizing customers. Critical customers have been identified on various circuits of the system and through this, as the capacity of system becomes available, restoration can begin on the critical circuits on a priority basis.

Representative McComish asked what the cycle is for updating disaster recovery plans. Mr. Bischoff stated there are annual revisions to update names and ensure that the plans identified are still viable.

Salt River Project (SRP)

Teresa Lopez, Specialist, Government Relations, State and Local Government Department, SRP, introduced Ed Kopp, Principle Planning Analyst, Risk Management, SRP, presented a PowerPoint presentation regarding SRP’s crisis management (Attachment G).

Senator Leff asked what the shelter and place plan is at SRP. Mr. Kopp stated it allows employees to stay in their place of work if there is a bio event or a civil disturbance. Each location has the supplies necessary until public response is available in the way of a 72 hour kit consisting of food, water, blankets, and medicines.

Senator Leff asked if the plan allows for someone to assist the employees’ families while they are at work. Mr. Kopp said part of the plan educates families how to prepare themselves and to have a 72 hour kit at home and to educate the employees on different methods of communication to make sure their families are safe so they can focus on their work duties.

Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association (GCSECA)

Jim Lewis, Director, Loss Control and Safety Services, GCSECA, presented a PowerPoint presentation regarding GCSECA’s disaster manual (Attachment H).

Representative Konopnicki asked if the electric cooperatives are independent units or if the GCSECA’s cooperation is with the electric cooperatives and the other electrical providers. Mr. Lewis stated the electric cooperatives, rural electric districts, and some travel utilities follow all of the same specifications. Mr. Lewis added GCSECA’s membership is made up of electric cooperatives, electric districts, travel utilities, and rural water irrigation systems.

Mr. Lewis stated there are 18 participants in GCSECA’s disaster network which allows for 350 linemen available to be sent to a disaster area.

Southwest Gas

Randy Orthlinghaus, Director, Gas Operations, Southern Arizona Division, Southwest Gas, presented a PowerPoint presentation regarding natural gas emergency preparedness.

Representative Konopnicki recommended organizing a tour of the Southwest Gas’ Emergency Response Training Facility for the Legislators.

Arizona Department of Water Resouces (ADWR)

Patricia Hill, Legislative Liaison, Arizona Department of Water Resources, presented the role of DWS in emergency services planning regarding the Arizona Flood Warning System (Attachment J).

The Flood Warning System was initiated following the 1993 floods to improve communications among state and federal agencies during extreme flood events. A combination of 23 federal, state and local agencies partnered to develop a communications network designed to share critical hydrometeorogical data in real time to improve decision-making capability.

ADWR provides staff and technical support to the Arizona Flood Warning System, coordinates statewide efforts and assists local communities with the development of a local response to extreme weather events. ADWR does not act as a first responder, but works closely with first responders to assure that they receive, real time, accurate, information.

The Arizona Statewide Flood Warning System is comprised of approximately 600 gauges state wide. The gauges may measure stream flow, precipitation, or a combination of stream flow, precipitation and other meteorological information.

There are several areas that do not have gauges and, therefore, do not have access to critical information. These areas include the Wilcox area, Cochise County, Greenlee County, and the Colorado River communities of Parker and Havasu.

The website for the Arizona Flood Warning System is www.AFWS.org and efforts are currently underway to make the website user-friendly so that not only technicians can use the information but the general public can use the site as well. The modification is expected to be completed sometime in January or February 2006 and the ADWR website, www.azwater.gov also contains a link to the site.

Representative Konopnicki asked if ADWR would handle a major water problem in Phoenix. Ms. Hill stated a major water problem in Phoenix would be handled by the City.

Senator Leff asked what ADWR would do in the event of a break in a dam. Ms. Hill stated ADWR has jurisdiction over dams that are 25 feet or higher or impound more than 50 acre feet of water. ADWR’s dam safety group inspects the dams on a regular basis and if a problem is found they will work with the local community to resolve it.

Senator Leff asked if the Arizona Statewide Flood Warning System is the State’s responsibility. Ms. Hill stated the Flood Warning System is housed with SRP and they provide the backbone. The information will come into the system and the gauges have semi-radio transmission which is picked up by a series of repeaters, that information goes out to the counties and the cities and they will use that information to make decisions about what to do in their communities.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF)

Jana Day, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, introduced Robert Shoemaker, Senior Special Agent, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, to speak in regards to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway’s safety plan.

Mr. Shoemaker stated BNSF does have a systems operation center in Forth Worth, Texas that takes over full command when there is an incident on the railroad.

Mr. Shoemaker stated BNSF does have set emergency plans in place that are subject to review by the Committee.

Senator Leff asked if there are plans in place to prevent terrorist incidents. Mr. Shoemaker stated there are procedures for the crews to call in anything that is out of place on the railroads and BNSF will respond if they are available otherwise the local law enforcement will respond.

Senator Waring stated railway safety is important and cannot be overlooked and is an issue that should be followed up with the Arizona Office of Homeland Security.

Representative Downing asked where BNSF stands in regards to remote control switching on the railroads in Arizona as a potential hazard to homeland security. Mr. Shoemaker stated BNSF is using remote control switching in different locations throughout the country which have many safety features in place, however, he does not know of any locations in Arizona. Mr. Shoemaker added he does not believe there is much of a hazard in regards to the safety features that are in place.

Ms. Day stated she has seen a demonstration of the remote control switching and there is a very good argument to be made that it is safer rather than having an engineer in control of the train who cannot see while trying to connect two cars.

Representative Downing said that he is not satisfied because there is a public safety issue with the remote control switching. He viewed an area that is using remote control switching and he was stunned that cars carrying hazardous materials are being moved around switching in yards next to urban areas and the person controlling the switching does not have the visibility to view potential hazards on the track. Representative Downing added this is a public safety issue in the area of Bank One Ballpark because of the high pedestrian traffic flow across the tracks.

Discussion

Senator Leff stated that the Committee has learned a great deal about what is in place once a disaster has hit Arizona but she does not feel, through the information presented in the meeting, she has any idea of what is being done to prevent terrorist attacks or any other manmade event. Senator Leff added she believes it would be a good idea to have a follow up meeting to discuss this issue.

Representative Konopnicki agreed with Senator Leff and stated the purpose of the meeting was to gather as much information as possible and that was accomplished.

There being no further business, Representative Konopnicki adjourned the meeting at 4:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Bill Ritz

Committee Secretary

(Tapes and attachments on file in the Secretary of the Senate’s Office/Resource Center, Room 115.)

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Senate Committee on Government and

House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform

and Government Finance Accountability

December 8, 2005

Page 2

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