DAVIE, Fla., Oct. 11 — A group of consultants, including the Emergency Management Services division of Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Calvin, Giordano & Associates (CGA), have partnered with the Town of Davie to create Florida‘s first comprehensive local Infrastructure Branch Plan for handling natural and man-made disasters.
Under the federal National Incident Management System (NIMS) program, which was implemented in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, all levels of government must use a standardized organizational structure for managing emergencies, minimizing risk and maximizing response capability. Every government entity— federal, state and local— must also operationalize the standard components of the National Incident Management System, including Finance, Logistics, Operations and Planning within the NIMS national framework and incorporate the ability to rapidly evaluate and restore vital community infrastructure components.
The Department of Public Works and Capital Projects from the Town of Davie headed by Director Manny Diez presented its Infrastructure Branch Plan at the recent 2010 Florida Hurricane Conference in Fort Lauderdale, winning praise for its innovative Infrastructure Branch response and recovery operational concepts, processes, and system. The Town was also able to interface the utilization of Geographic Information System technology from inception throughout the long-term recovery phase
A new software application, endorsed by ESRI (a company recognized worldwide as the standard for geo-spatial tools) and developed by Geographic Technologies Group (GTG) in collaboration with the Town of Davie, is being utilized by the Town in its innovative plan. The Damage Assessment Resource Tool (DART™) software is being coupled with a Command Center GIS (CCGIS™) to provide the Davie emergency management team with a powerful and sophisticated tool. The combined GIS-enabled software package streamlines the process of inventorying and assessing damage, uploading of field data on a real-time basis, providing dashboard real-time statistics, and automating the important process of reporting to elected officials, the public and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Helene Wetherington, Director of CGA’s Emergency Management Services Division, believes that Davie‘s plan is still in the maturization process and will hopefully be presented to FEMA for use as a national strategic template for creating and managing a local Infrastructure Branch Plan.
"One consolidated tracking method using GIS technology integration, such as the one proposed in the Davie plan, would significantly improve a community’s ability to manage an emergency plan efficiently and effectively," said CGA’s Wetherington, who partnered with O’Brien’s Response Management, AshBritt Environmental and Bergeron Emergency Services to draft the base Davie Infrastructure Branch Plan.
Wetherington credits the Davie team of Diez and GIS Manager Irene DeGroot along with David Holdstock and Curt Hinton of Geographic Technologies Group for developing the GIS based software platform to support the plan.
About CGA’s Emergency Management Services
CGA’s Emergency Management Services Division provides local governments with multi-hazard disaster planning, response, recovery and mitigation services. The division enhances the preparedness level of clients in order to protect human lives, restore services and better manage response resources. For more information, call 954-921-7781 or go to CGA’s website at www.calvin-giordano.com.