Snow Summit - March 1, 2016: Winter Storm Jonas (Public Safety Perspective)

Snow Summit - March 1, 2016: Winter Storm Jonas (Public Safety Perspective)

1. Snow Summit March 1 , 2016 Winter Storm Jonas (Public Safety Perspective)

2. Winter Storm Jonas

3. Winter Storm Jonas Preplanning worked well Multi-agency conference calls on January 20 and 21 Included relevant agencies, all Dep. Co. Execs, and Chief Financial Officer Wide-ranging discussion from resources and response strategies to cost tracking Common situational awareness, informed decision-making for response strategies, closures/delays, etc. Decision to close County government/courts at noon on Friday, January 22 Fluid decision-making, original decision was to close at 1:30 pm, changed to noon Safety of community and County staff important Setting example for others County government/courts closure decisions for Monday & Tuesday, January 25/26 Not taken lightly Safety overall is focus Helps public safety agencies, VDOT, etc.

4. Winter Storm Jonas Safety as key focus area For community and County staff ex., “white out conditions ” overnight Friday into Saturday Agency safety officers and EOC Safety Officer Internal and external public messaging focused on safety (OPA, PIOs) Public messaging /outreach Effective model for future events Advance planning/discussion on common messaging ex., “Stay off the roads”, “Help clear fire hydrants ”, “Shovel safely”, “Neighborhoods! Mobilize for Sidewalk Snow Removal” Message sequencing and avoiding message “clutter ” Extensive/effective use of social media Team approach Media briefing, January 21, at PSTOC Chairman, County Exec., Chiefs Roessler and Bowers, Roy Shrout, James Patteson , and Tom Biesiadnay Media briefing with Governor McAuliffe, January 24

5. Winter Storm Jonas Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Good cross-agency, cross-discipline collaboration and engagement throughout event Effective communication/coordination with the Snow Removal Operations Center (MSMD), FMD, and other agency liaisons Effective/improved use of technology – EDGR, WebEOC , GIS mapping Operational updates were effective NWS, FCPS, and VDOT joined key calls Calls for service Moderate, majority were EMS Vehicle crashes were low including reportable and non-reportable (accident policy) number of vehicles stuck, abandoned, etc. Power outages were low Original forecast concern was heavy, wet snow and high winds Outages would be a significant complicating factor

6. Challenges High snowfall total Road conditions Disappearing lanes, snow windrows, high piles of plowed snow blocking motorist visibility, blocked ingress/egress Capacity for clearing County facilities (Priority 1) And other facilities such as the hypothermia shelters Emergency/public safety vehicle access to neighborhoods Types of assigned vehicles for public safety V irginia National Guard allocation/assignments Sidewalks & corners Volunteers Good coordination overall with Volunteer Fairfax in the EOC Good volunteer base for extra vehicles/drivers Fewer for increased requests for helping some residents ( ie , elderly, disabled) with sidewalks, driveways – future follow-up and planning focus

7. Questions