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44 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, January 19, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 12, 2003 Officials review chain of command during disasters By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune The mayor and City Council members learned Thursday that they can declare a state of emergency to allocate funds and possibly receive federal recovery funds should disaster strike. But who would run the city should the mayor and council members be killed in a terrorist act? No one. That was one of the scenarios painted during the Medford City Council study session Thursday as part of a discussion of what to do during a disaster — natural or otherwise. The city has plans in place for dealing with terrorist threats, according to the Medford Police Department. Advertisement Randy Schoen, Medford’s deputy police chief, said Medford is not considered to be at high risk for a terrorist attack. "Often, we feel that the threat level is less here than it is nationally," said Schoen. In the five-level color-coded threat levels established by the federal Department of Homeland Security, the national level is currently in the middle at yellow, or elevated, status but Medford is at a lower level, said Schoen. "Right now we’re at blue or green," he said. Despite the lower threat level, emergency response plans are updated and routinely exercised. He said when the police department has "credible intelligence that says we have a threat" the department will raise the level, place emergency response teams on notice and activate the operations center if necessary. Terrorist attacks aren’t the only threat. The city’s emergency coordinating center (ECC) also would kick into gear in the event of severe weather events, widespread utility failures, massive fires, civil disorder or hazardous materials release. The center, situated in the Fire Department in City Hall’s Lausmann Annex, is a collection of telephones, radios, maps and other resources that would assist the fire department staff in coordinating and tracking emergency efforts in disasters ranging from terrorism to earthquakes. Mark Burns, operations chief at the Medford Fire Department, said the ECC has three levels of operation. The monitoring level kicks in when, for example, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) predicts a severe weather event. This was the same level in operation during the Sept. 11 event, he said. He said the operational level, or second level, is what kicks in for everything ranging from large fires to the annual Pear Blossom run. The third level is for an extreme event — like the 1997 flood — that affects a large number of citizens. Burns said the mayor and the council are the only body that can declare a state of emergency in Medford. Then decisions can be made about allocating funding beyond each department’s budget and seeking federal funding. The chain of command goes from mayor to the City Council officers, then council members in order of seniority. Councilman Bill Moore asked what would happen if there were an earthquake and a dam broke, creating a disaster. "Who has power to declare martial law?" Moore asked. "State of emergency sounds much better to me than martial law," said Councilman Bob Strosser. Burns explained that authority falls first to the mayor, then to the council. Council members wondered if the city manager would take control if the mayor and eight council members were all dead. Councilwoman Claudette Moore said that at that point, she wouldn’t care. City Attorney Ron Doyle said after the meeting that there is no designation of who would be in charge in the case of all council members dying. "It doesn’t go beyond that," he said. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times