by Joao Bicalho
Staff Writer
Misty Skipper, director of communications for the Jacksonville City Hall, said the reason why Martin Senterfitt was chosen to succeed Lorin Mock as the new chief of emergency preparedness was experience.
“Martin has extensive experience in emergency management on both local and state levels,” said Skipper. “I think that experience will serve the citizens of this community well as he prepares Jacksonville for any potential threats.”
Senterfitt, who succeeded Lorin Mock, actually has four titles: Division Chief of Emergency Management, the Duval County Emergency Management Director, Jacksonville Security Coordinator and Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Division Chief.
Senterfitt started his 20-year career as a firefighter, became an engineer and then became a district chief. Being a firefighter isn’t just a job for Senterfitt. It’s almost a family calling.
“My father was a firefighter,” said Senterfitt. “My uncle was a firefighter and that is a job my family has always done. It was a natural fit for me.”
His job now includes preparing a community that will rely on his expertise as emergencies develop and in the aftermath of an emergency such as a hurricane. He is responsible for the city and for all its independent agencies, as well.
“It all ties together,” said Senterfitt.
His job is to respond to any incident or event that has a potentially hazardous affect on the community. From a major power outage to civil unrest or even large-scale events like the Super Bowl, Senterfitt and his staff will be counted on to prepare for the worst and respond.
There are three different levels of emergencies that would activate the Emergency Operations Center. Level Three is a monitoring phase, Level Two is partial activation and Level One is a full activation.
Who would activate the Center?
“I make that decision,” said Senterfitt, adding he would first make sure it would be necessary to make such a move.
In a Level One emergency situation, he would have to consult with the mayor and reach an agreement.
“It would have to be something major,” said Senterfitt.
Something as big as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 would certainly do it. Although Katrina hit hundreds of miles away, there were local lessons learned.
“If a disaster is not properly managed,” said Senterfitt, “even in this country, we can be pulled back to a level of anarchy.”
Senterfitt said he was not surprised with the outcome of Katrina. Too many residents in the area chose to ignore warnings and the federal response was slow.
“The big danger is that people have unreasonable expectations,” said Senterfitt, who fears people may not be as prepared for emergency situations as they should be. “We have to be prepared.”
A large-scale emergency situation relies on two factors, he said.
“It is about communication and coordination,” said Senterfitt, adding even when resources are available, a lack of coordination can assure nothing works. “That’s a failure of the management process.”
The lessons learned from Katrina relate to Jacksonville and Clay County, he said.
“We have to be prepared and we have to realize that it can happen to us,” said Senterfitt.
Senterfitt’s staff meets often to plan, exercise and go through the emergency plan “over and over again” he said.
The aftermath of a hurricane is also in his plans. Senterfitt knows that if a hurricane hits, it will take more than a flip of a switch to get the lights back or more than a day to clean the debris, he said.
There is also another factor that is of great importance to Senterfitt.
“Community education is key,” said Senterfitt.
Senterfitt isn’t the only sibling in public safety in Jacksonville. The new chief of emergency preparedness has a brother, Dwain, who is a police officer.
“We are identical twins,” said Senterfitt.
Dwain is the director of Homeland Security and Investigations Department for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and when the family meets they have a lot to talk about, he said.
“It’s quite an interesting family debate,” said Senterfitt, whose sister-in-law is a Circuit Court judge. They always discuss the right way to do things and “she outranks us all.”
Outside of work, Senterfitt is a family man who likes to be involved in his family life.
“I’m a husband and father to three trying to be active in their lives,” said Senterfitt. “Both my sons are active in martial arts and that’s what we spend time doing.”
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