Next Steps in Emergency Planning: Getting to Know Your First Responders

ABSTRACT ONLY - The author will share his insights in the evolution of emergency planning for dams that he has personally witnessed in the last forty years. As a profession, we have made great progress since the days of the Johnstown Flood and Teton Dam to the recent failure of Edenville Dam in Michigan in May of 2020. During this time, we have made great progress in getting Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) completed for the vast majority of the dams in the United States. So now what Some recent dam failures and incidents have highlighted the need for an effective and continuous exercise program and the need to develop good evacuation planning for our dams. The importance of an integrated Incident Command System and basic Dam Safety 101 training is considered to be one the keys to better emergency preparedness in the future as our dams get older and begin developing more issues. The need to require simple construction EAPs during periods of dam rehabilitation will also be highlighted. Most important is the need to use these opportunities to get to know your local emergency managers and first responders better and develop a continuous training program to enhance these relationships to improve overall community preparedness.