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Perseverance, Dedication, Leadership: Ingredients for SuccessNovember 2006 Louisiana’s fire service completes intrastate mutual aid plan Both before and after the 2005 hurricane season, Louisiana’s fire service was fragmented, with more than 640 departments and many associations but no clear path or unified voice. Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Chief Ken Pearson, who was Louisiana Fire Chiefs Association (LFCA) president, appointed two committees with responsibilities that would help Louisiana’s fire service operate better at the state level in future disasters. The two committees were in their initial stages of formation when the LFCA agreed to join the IAFC’s Intra-state Mutual Aid System (IMAS) project. Chief Pearson represented Louisiana at the IMAS stakeholders meeting in Denver in February 2006. Following the meeting, he returned to Louisiana to begin the initial and crucial stages of the mutual aid planning process. His commitment to the Louisiana fire service and the IMAS program was such that he took a six-month leave of absence from his job to shepherd the planning process. Commenting on the IMAS program in the April 2006 issue of FireRescue magazine, Chief Pearson said, "The value of the project [IMAS] and the Denver meeting far outweigh the cost. Projects like IMAS will not stop hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires or any other disaster from occurring; however, IMAS will make the response faster, safer, and organized. The true value of IMAS or future interstate mutual aid will be in the response. A good response follows a good plan." After a review of the IMAS model plans, the Louisiana planning committee selected Florida’s Statewide Emergency Response Plan (FLSERP) as their guide for plan development, tailoring it to fit Louisiana’s local and state government structure. FLSERP was developed in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, improved upon and then tested by four hurricanes in 2004, which made it a compatible model. Besides starting from scratch, the biggest challenge the Louisiana planning committee faced was their expedited timeline. With their planning process initiated in February, they had a limited amount of time before the 2006 hurricane season began and they wanted to have a plan in place should another Hurricane Katrina or Rita come through the Gulf Coast. During Louisiana’s planning process, Chief Jude Savoie became the new 2006-2007 president of the LFCA. He completed the work initiated by Chief Pearson. The plan was accepted by the LFCA in September, ensuring that at least the Louisiana fire service was prepared to respond more effectively and efficiently to the next disaster to hit the state. The IAFC congratulates Chief Savoie and the Louisiana mutual aid planning committee for the time, effort and experience they put into completing the Louisiana Fire Service Statewide Emergency Response Plan. A special thank you and congratulations is in order as well to Chief Pearson for his commitment and discipline during the initial stages of Louisiana’s planning process. Scott Creason is a program coordinator in the IAFC’s National Programs Department. |
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