The people of Oklahoma know about disasters. In April 1995, domestic terrorism struck the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. In May 1999, a massive F-5 tornado with the highest wind speed ever recorded ripped through Oklahoma City and its suburbs. Since Nov. 1, wide-sweeping wildfires have ravaged more than half a million acres of the state. Oklahoma takes emergency response very, very seriously.

In more than two decades with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Major Kerry Pettingill served in specialized positions that include certified bomb technician, commander of the tactical teams and bomb squad, and liaison to the FBI's joint terrorism task force. He is also an IFSAC-certified hazmat technician and a graduate of the FBI's National Academy. In January 2004, Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry appointed Pettingill as the director of the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security.

Pettingill says the state is better prepared than ever for a natural disaster or a terrorist attack, and he would know. As one of the first responders on-scene at the Murrah Building bombing, he has witnessed the need first hand and has since led the way in building Oklahoma's state-of-the-art regional response system by collaborating with fire departments across the state.

“I don't want to say we've seen more disasters than other parts of the country,” Pettingill says, “but we've had our share. The Murrah Federal Building attack instantly made everyone more aware. And because of that we focused on our statewide emergency response solutions before perhaps a lot of other states did.”

How is Oklahoma's regional response system set up?

Our regional response system includes 53 units representing multiple levels of response. It's funded through a U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant program. We just received delivery of five bedrock vehicles that form the core of the program — five large regional hazmat units. The next tiers are comprised of 20 intermediate units and 24 small decontamination units. Two urban search and rescue units and two mass-decontamination units round out the system.

The large hazmat/CBRNE units are manufactured by Pierce. Each requires a 20-member team consisting of personnel from several disciplines to operate. The intermediate units in the second level of the system have the same capabilities as the larger units, but need only nine people per team — that allows even the far corners of the state, much of which is rural, to have a response capability similar to the large units, with a smaller number of personnel. The small units require just six people to operate.

What process did you go through to determine the types of vehicles and equipment?

I was actually part of a team that started strategizing this in 2000, even before the World Trade Center attack. As a member of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, I had been tasked with organizing a working group to deal with some Department of Justice funding that was coming into the state, and we were hoping to use it to enhance existing hazmat teams and bomb squads.

Then 9/11 happened. More federal funding became available, and we were designated by the governor as the state administrative agency to deal with these new DHS funds and to formulate a plan for a statewide emergency response program that would address a CBRNE attack. We knew the funding would be limited and instead of giving everyone a little, we determined a better use of the funds would be to build a statewide system.

Initially, we thought we'd position three large trailers across the state. But then one of the working group members suggested dividing the response into three groups — large, intermediate and small — with each type of vehicle able to do something a little bit different. That was an idea that I thought had merit, and we decided to go in that direction.

Eventually, the group defined the role of each unit. Small units for decontamination, then a significant step up for intermediate units to handle chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive response. We strategically placed the different units across the state in an effort to provide some level of response — quickly — to every Oklahoman. Originally, the group suggested that the large units be a larger truck and trailer. But then it was proposed that the large truck and trailer be changed to a single unit, because it would be more maneuverable and would better serve the large metropolitan areas. I, however, resisted that idea.

Why were you against it?

Well, DHS wouldn't allow single, integrated vehicles because they were afraid people would try to buy fire trucks with the grant money, and that wasn't acceptable for this program. But I decided to listen to the fire department chiefs on our committee who really thought this was a better way to go. We knew another state was in the process of disputing the rule with DHS, and we petitioned as well. As a result, DHS granted us a waiver to purchase the single units. Once the vehicles were delivered, I was really glad the chiefs had convinced me to change my mind.

It sounds as though you've had a good relationship with the fire chiefs.

Most definitely. In fact, the chiefs influenced another significant change in our plans. They came back from responding to Hurricane Katrina damage with lessons learned and suggested we change our vehicle specs for the intermediate units right before we placed the order. From their experience in the Gulf Coast, they felt we needed more technical-rescue units that could support urban search and rescue.

I called together those chiefs who would be receiving an intermediate unit for a presentation from those proposing the change. It was after that meeting we switched eight of the intermediate hazmat units to technical-rescue team vehicles.

How did you decide where the response units would be housed to provide coverage throughout the state?

Even before it was required by DHS, we divided the state into eight response regions — and that is not an easy thing to do…. Everyone from the legislators to the health-care officials had very strong opinions about how the boundaries should be determined. Ultimately, we decided to build the backbone of our program along the I-44 corridor that runs across the state northeast to southwest — that's where nearly 75% of the population resides.

The five large hazmat units are placed in Lawton, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Claremore and Moore/Norman, cities that are either on I-44 or within close proximity. The intermediate units and decontamination units are scattered throughout the state. Most units are housed in fire departments; one is at a police department; one is at an emergency management agency; one is with a tribal group.

What is the nature of the relationship among fire departments and other first-response groups in this system?

To take advantage of important support personnel, and to share costs, we are collaborating with a variety of organizations — mostly fire departments, but also police, emergency management and tribal groups. They assume primary responsibility for vehicle storage, maintenance, replenishment of supplies and personnel training at the levels that are required. In exchange, they are able to use the vehicle to respond to emergencies in their area. Most important, they're also on call as part of our statewide effort to provide blanket coverage to all of our citizens.

How is training being coordinated?

Our responders in Oklahoma are already trained at a high level. Thousands of them have received specialized training, and now everyone who will operate the regional response units in their community will receive additional training. With efficiency and ease of use in mind, each of the 53 units is interoperable, and training will be standardized. We think that's vital, so all responders have the confidence that their peers have received the same training. Last summer, [we] surveyed all the agencies that would be receiving one of the response units to determine exactly who has already received the hazmat and rescue training and who needs instruction. We've developed the appropriate courses, and they will be provided at no cost.

Communications are a huge part of emergency response. Are you addressing those issues?

Absolutely. One of the key things we learned from the Murrah Building bombing was how crucial it is — and how very difficult it can be — for various emergency responders to be able to communicate with each other at a disaster scene. We secured funding for the initial phase of an interoperable communications system that will expand the state's 800MHZ radio system, so we can synchronize public safety radio frequencies during statewide emergencies.

Each of our intermediate and large units will have an interoperable switch that allows them to connect to disparate radio systems so they can all talk freely, using whatever radio systems the individual departments have. They'll be able to talk with the command center or set up other groups within the systems….

This will be an ongoing program, and it will take several years to put it into operation throughout the state. Just recently, we've seen communications problems with other fire departments coming in from other states to help us with the wildfires. We've been trying to improve the communications systems for a long time, but this is the first time money has been available to actually fund a project of this magnitude.

Speaking of the Oklahoma wildfires, what other types of emergencies do you anticipate these response vehicles addressing at the local level?

As you know, tornadoes are a major concern across Oklahoma. What many people don't realize is that nearly every time a tornado touches down, the destruction caused also involves some sort of hazmat situation, with turned-over tanks and broken lines. These vehicles will definitely be put into service then. There are certainly occasions when we have chemical spills and a variety of other types of situations, like train derailments.

The five large units, along with the other units in the system, give us capabilities that are state of the art. They're outfitted with the higher-end equipment that departments always want…. Now they'll have satellite capabilities for Internet connections. They'll be able to access information from Internet libraries on-scene. They can monitor air quality in hazmat situations. Overall, it's a very practical system.

With all of this in place, how close is the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security to meeting its goals for the state?

We're well on our way. The goals of our program are three-fold: To prevent terrorist attacks, to reduce the state's vulnerability to attacks, and to respond and recover if a terrorist attack should occur. We want to provide every Oklahoman a level of security and peace of mind that if a response to a natural disaster or weapon of mass destruction is needed, we have the capability to respond within about a two-hour timeframe. With the system we're implementing, we believe we'll be able to do that.

We have a good start with our regional response system, but the project continues to evolve. As we see a need we are open to incorporating additional units. I don't think you can ever be satisfied. Our duty is to use what grants we receive so that the greatest number of Oklahomans benefit. I think we're doing just that.

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Doug Brandes is a freelance writer.

NOW THAT'S A RAPID RESPONSE

The day after its arrival, one of five hazmat vehicles was called into action at a 3,000-gallon jet-fuel spill that spread across I-44 in Lawton, Okla.

Even with fire department pumpers and foam systems responding to clean up the scene, it was a day-long incident. And it was the perfect opportunity for Lawton's new hazmat response vehicle to show what it can do.

“Even though it wasn't yet fully equipped, we were able to deploy it as a command vehicle,” says Lawton Fire Chief Bart Hadley. “It's not uncommon for an incident commander to operate out of the back of an suv for a short duration. But when you have a situation like this was, that can last hours, if not days, to have a piece of equipment like this response unit is just invaluable. It's just a huge benefit to be able to stand up inside it, to get away from the crowd and think straight while assessing the situation.”

Hadley is certain the vehicle will improve the department's response in major tornadoes, too. “We'll be able to light up an area with some pretty amazing stadium lighting that can go up 25 or 30 feet. There's a weather station for wind speed and direction. And we'll have the ability to detect and determine what chemicals we're dealing with if something is unknown in a situation. I think it's going to greatly enhance the safety we can provide to citizens in our part of the state,” he says.

THE HEART OF THE REGIONAL RESPONSE SYSTEM

The Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security was one of the first to successfully petition DHS to allow the use of large single-unit vehicles instead of a truck/trailer configuration, citing the need for maximum versatility and maneuverability.

The five large regional hazmat reponse units that form the heart of the system are Pierce Command Response Vehicles, built on Pierce Lance chassis. Features include:

• Seating for six.
• Three-door cab.
• 22-inch raised roof.
• TAK-4 independent front suspension.
• Command Zone advanced electronics.
• 450hp Cummins engine and 400-amp alternator.
• Roll-up compartment doors and full-length awning on both sides.
• Adjustable tool boards and slide out trays.
• 30kw Onan PTO generator.
• Recessed walkway and tower.

A partial list of other equipment includes:

• Fully interoperable communications system.
• Six-station computer network.
• Command and office supplies.
• Weatherpak-400 weather station.
• Global positioning system.
• Thermal-imaging camera.
• Satellite phone.
• Chemical detector.
• Radiation dosimeters.
• Hazmat suits and personal protective gear.
• Decontamination and cleaning equipment.
• Foam and agents.
• Absorbents, booms and containment equipment.
• Plugging and patching supplies.
• Large tools and small hand tools.
• Lighting equipment.
• Safety supplies.