Res. No. 572

Resolution calling on the Mayor to amend the present Citywide Incident Management System (CIMS) to include air and water quality assessment as part of the emergency response protocol.

By Council Members Yassky, Gentile, James, Koppell, Sanders, Sears and Nelson

                     Whereas, The Public Safety and Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committees held several hearings regarding the city’s response to the September 11^th tragedy to focus on how to better prepare and respond to emergencies; and

                     Whereas, These hearings uncovered several organizational problems, including uncoordinated command and control functions and limited communication between senior FDNY personnel and senior officers in charge of NYPD response; and

                     Whereas, The Committees issued to the Mayor and relevant commissioners a call for a more detailed listing of specific incidents and the agency that would ultimately command these incidents, resolution of duplicative functions between departments, and that the personnel of all participating agencies have confidence in, and an understanding of, each other’s competencies, authorities, responsibilities and limitations as they relate to a specific response; and

                      Whereas, In response to the Committees’ findings, the Mayor announced the adoption of the Citywide Incident Management System (CIMS) on May 14, 2004, an official management structure intended to organize the City’s response to emergencies; and

Whereas, Pursuant to the CIMS protocol, fire suppression, patient care and transport, search and rescue, chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear /hazardous-Materials life safety/ mass decontamination are the core competencies of the FDNY; and

Whereas, Pursuant to the CIMS protocol, crime scene investigation, evidence preservation, perimeter control, site management and security, crowd control, traffic control, evacuation, water search and rescue, and chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear/hazardous-materials assessment/investigation are core competencies of the NYPD; and

Whereas, The Sierra club recently issued a report criticizing the Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to issue early warnings concerning health risks from air-borne contaminants emitted from the collapse of the World Trade Towers, to adequately monitor and report on the subsequent air and water quality, to provide sufficient information with respect to the nature of the contaminants and their health potential health effects, and to take proactive steps to prevent unnecessary exposure; and

Whereas, The CIMS protocol provides an efficient and comprehensive way for the city to respond to, assess and report on air and water quality in the event of an emergency, yet the current draft of CIMS does not address this function; and

Whereas, In times of crisis, it is important to have locally dedicated chain of command, so that the appropriate resources are brought to bear on the problem, and provide appropriate and accurate information to the public; and

Whereas, As the Sierra Club report makes clear, assessment, response and information were lacking after September 11, 2001, and the city must create a CIMS to respond to, assess and report on air and water quality, now therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the city of New York calls on the Mayor to amend the present CIMS protocol to include provisions for responding to, assessing and reporting on air and water quality in the event of an emergency.