by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Mayor John Peyton hopes to use federal dollars to make Jacksonville safer from terrorist attacks or natural disasters.
Federal funds have become increasingly available since the Sept.11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. The City’s homeland security measures already benefit from State and federal grants. The mayor’s Security and Emergency Planning Council recently approved an eight-point strategy to bolster the City’s homeland security resources.
The strategy draws from the expertise of nearly every City department. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office provides security to vital infrastructure, Fire and Rescue responds to disasters natural or manmade, area contractors provide heavy equipment to dig through rubble, neighborhood volunteers are trained as first responders. The strategy is designed to entice grants from State and federal agencies said Chip Patterson, the mayor’s emergency preparedness division chief.
“Obviously that’s a big part of my job,” said Patterson. “Any time I identify federal grants we might be able to take advantage of, I work with the State to try to increase our available resources.”
Patterson estimated that grants fund about 30 percent of the City’s emergency preparedness efforts. The City budgets its share through its departments.
Patterson said homeland security is a cooperative venture. Each department sets aside money and resources that allow them to contribute in an emergency.
For instance, the City will use a State grant to fund an Urban Search and Rescue team. The team comprises volunteers from the fire department working with engineers and heavy equipment operators to rescue victims from collapsed structures. Patterson said several hundred thousand State dollars will be spent to furnish the team with hydraulic lifting equipment and communications gear. The all-volunteer force will be led by a team already in training and will be supervised by Fire and Rescue chief Richard Barrett.
The Sheriff’s Office will lend its services to inspect vital infrastructure for vulnerabilities. The JSO will work with the St. Johns County Sheriff, the Florida Division of Law Enforcement and Gov. Jeb Bush’s Regional Domestic Security Task Force to protect the City’s vital services.
In 2001, the team evaluated the City’s water and electricity supply and the airport and seaport. Patterson said it would be essential to keep those services running in the event of attack or disaster and said many of the weaknesses identified two years ago had been addressed. He said an upcoming follow-up inspection would find better infrastructure security and better response procedures.
The utility inspections were partially funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. Patterson said grants had also been provided for airport and seaport assessments.
Peyton emphasized homeland security during the campaign and made improved public safety one of his administration’s cornerstones. His business plan stresses improved response times for fire and rescue calls and integrated communications among emergency responders. By improving their daily performance, Patterson said every City department would be better prepared.
“If we can increase proficiency in our response to day-to-day emergencies, we’ll be that much more effective responding to disasters,” said Patterson.