‘What if?’ template for Fun Fest

Published 6:16 pm Monday, July 14, 2008

By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
A "special events template" Dowagiac officials have been refining will be tried July 24-27 at the 23rd annual Fun Fest, Fire Chief Harold Munson said Friday.
"With the government saying with NIMS – National Incident Management System – we all need to play together, police, fire, EMS (Emergency Medical Services), CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), federal government, state government," Munson said, "we thought it would be a good opportunity to try a special event template out on Fun Fest and Steve's Run."
Such a template tests emergency response plans.
"What if we had severe weather? Or we had a lot of runners go down?"
Like the Memorial Day parade a couple of years ago when marching band members dropped like flies in the heat.
Or the year an abducted woman escaped her captor and drove to the police station during Steve's Run.
"I was working that day," Munson remembered.
Or, what's on many minds after the close-call fire in the apartment above Marci's Variety Store the evening of June 20 which was quickly detected.
What if such a blaze broke out during the car show when a quick response would be impeded by congestion?
"This involves pre-planning, responding to a task and execution," Munson said of the template. "Police will know what they're going to do and where they'll be staged. For this one, we're going to get Cass County's command trailer and park it on Beeson Street" Thursday and Friday of Fun Fest.
"We'll be there to answer questions or if a kid gets lost," he said. "Anything that comes about we can do through the communications we'll have in the command center. Vickie Phillipson's involved because (as Downtown Development Authority and Chamber of Commerce program director) she's the Fun Fest coordinator. Everyone will know what's going on at the same time instead of police not knowing what fire's doing and fire doesn't know what EMS is doing."
Then on Saturday, during Steve's Run, with 1,000 to 1,200 participants, the command center will be shifted to the Elks Golf Course. (Southwestern Michigan College) will have people out on the course. We've even extended our EMS coverage. Coloma EMS is going to bring in two extra ambulances just for the run, so it doesn't tie up the other ambulances covering this area. One is going to be at Mathews and Dailey. One will be at the command center at the Elks," the fire chief said.
Munson said officials also have use of some Gators containing medics who will be stationed in the wooded part of the trails by SMC.
If a tornado or other severe weather slammed the run and runners needed to be evacuated to a "reception center," City Hall, the depot, the fire station, Chestnut Towers and SMC's Zollar Sports Center will be open and manned.
Even McKinley School, if need be.
"We hope nothing happens, but look what happened at the Memorial Day parade two years ago," Munson said. "I was sitting down there at Lincoln School, drinking my pop and sitting in my chair, wondering where the band was until (police Sgt. Michael) Heidenreich comes by and said it fell out at the Shell station. You never know when something like that is going to happen, so we're trying to cover all of our bases beforehand. This is our first attempt at this."
As the word implies, a "template" would be applicable to other events.
"We can tweak it for the car show" in August, he said. "We can tweak it for the Christmas parade, once we get a good template and see what works and what doesn't. We picked Fun Fest because it's the next one up. Our most congested for three to four hours is the Christmas parade. What happens if you have to move some people?"
Assistant Fire Chief Dale Hutchings, who headed up the June 20 fire response in Munson's absence, said, "The discovery was very quick. When I turned the corner out here and faced up Front Street, I saw the window go. It sucked back, then you saw the flame go. When the box factory went (on Colby Street, where Happy Hill roller rink had been), I remember looking into the building with an inch-and-a-half line and seeing the electricity arcing like lightning through the place and knowing that hose wasn't going to be enough."
Of the special events template, Hutchings said, "The nice thing is, if something occurs, you know who to get ahold of and what's available. That's the big thing – not scrambling (or wondering) who's in charge. You used to have to fly by the seat of your pants."