LIHU‘E — In preparation for future emergencies, Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. recently convened a meeting for all federal, state, and county agencies along with representatives from the private sector who report to the Emergency Operations Center when it is activated, a county news release states.

“With a number of new people in key positions, I felt it was important that we gather as a team to get to know each other and to revisit the roles we will play if called to action during an emergency,” the mayor said.

A brief overview of the county’s Emergency Operations Management Plan including how the EOC functions when it is activated was provided by Mark Marshall, Kaua’i Civil Defense Agency administrator.

Gregg Morishige, KCDA staff specialist, discussed the Unified Command/Incident Command System, a tool used to manage all emergency response incidents including those involving multi-jurisdictional responses.

He also noted that everyone attending the meeting should take certain ICS/UC online courses in order to understand the concepts in the system.

Harry Beatty, Geographic Information System specialist and security administrator with the county’s Information Technology Division, covered IT’s responsibilities during emergencies, including: ensure that all computers in the EOC is functioning properly; provide GIS imagery in real time as needed; and connect calls made to police dispatch with the EOC.