140 Attend O&R's Emergency Services Forum

"Remember, the bigger you plan, the softer you fall."

That was the word last week from Joseph Picciano, the Deputy Director – New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the keynote speaker at O&R's third Municipal Emergency Services Forum at The Sheraton in Mahwah, N.J.

Picciano walked the audience of more than 140 emergency responders, elected officials, municipal representatives and O&R employees through a sobering account of what would happen in our area if we experienced a weather event as destructive as Hurricane Katrina.

"It's usually not just one event occurring when it comes to devastating emergencies," he said. "For example, Hurricane Katrina was one emergency and then the levy breaking was another."

The forum, entitled "It's not a matter of if, but when" is held to offer emergency services professionals throughout O&R service area an opportunity to discuss common challenges faced during emergency situations. The gathering also helps build relationships between the company and the first responders within the community.

Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney welcomed the guests to the Forum and noted that "whenever you have a group of people with this much expertise gathered together — you're guaranteed to get something out of it."

Tom Brizzolara, Section Manager – Public Affairs, echoed those words in his role as emcee for the event. He outlined emergency situations that have occurred within our area as well as other cities across the U.S. Ice storms, heat waves, floods, a bridge collapse in Minneapolis and unlikely tornadoes in Westchester and Brooklyn read the litany of disaster.

"We can't kid ourselves that our area will be spared," Tom said, "even though we like to think that we will be."

"That's a gamble we can't be willing to take," he said. "So, we plan for the worst and hope for the best. The fact that we are here today is evidence that we believe that planning and communicating before something happens will help when that emergency occurs."

Matt Sniffen, Director of Electric Operations, updated the group on O&R's emergency response and recovery plans. Kevin Waldron, Section Manager – Emergency Preparedness, moderated a panel featuring Gordon Wren, Director, Rockland County Fire and Emergency Services; Sergeant Barry Leventhal, Bergen County Deputy OEM Coordinator; and Seamus Leary, Orange County's Deputy Commissioner, Division of Emergency Management. Issues discussed included updated plans, second-level response, private and public sector responsibilities and pandemic threats.