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PREPAREDNESS By Deputy Chief Raymond Flynn

As we approach the next century, our department is faced with two monumental tasks. One is obviously the preparation for New Years Eve that this year promises to be the largest celebration in our states history. The other event is the Year 2000 problem, otherwise known as the millennium bug or the most common, Y2K.

The Y2K problem relates directly to computers, their applications, and their memories. In the early days of computer programming, to save space, as well as money, years were referred to in two digits as opposed to four digits (99 =1999). No one thought about the coming of the new century, or if they did, they just figured that someone else would solve the problem by the time the year 2000 came around. The problem is that unless computers are re-programmed, they may read the year 2000 as the year 1900. This alone can cause a multitude of problems as they refer to schedules, timed events, security systems, and other time/dated applications.

Internally, our department has been preparing for approximately two years to ensure that our in-house computer networks, computer-assisted dispatch, radio systems, and the like will operate without problems in the year 2000. Over the next several months, you will hear a lot more about our preparations for the external contingencies, that being a response to any disruptions in the community regarding the Y2K issue.

FOUR SCENARIOS THAT MAY OCCUR

There have been numerous stories written and media programs aired about the Y2K problem. There are basically four scenarios that may occur with Y2K.

The first is that it may be the largest non-event in human history.

The second is that the fear, hysteria, and anxiety created by the media and the doomsayers may cause people to overreact, thus causing the hoarding of food and cash, whereby causing a run on the stores and banks.

A third scenario is that there will be some disruptions in our infrastructure and society with 90% of these solved within three to five days and everything will return to normal.

In the last case, the worst case, are those preaching Armageddon, that the end of the world is coming, that there will be power failures, and food shortages that will last months into years.

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PLAN FOR THE WORST EXPECT THE BEST

It is the position of our department to plan for the worst and expect the best. We are also planning for the moderate and the small problems associated with Y2K. Our plan will be scalable, whereby it will be flexible enough to meet any challenge.

History has shown when Metro has prepared for an event, we come out on top, that the planning and preparation reduces anxiety among our employees and greatly increases the confidence of those who have to respond to any threat, as well as increasing the confidence of the community of which we serve. History has also shown that when we do not prepare for something and/or we do not take a threat seriously, we pay dearly for the consequences.

For the last six months, our department has been working regularly with other local and state government agencies, including our neighboring police and fire jurisdictions, along with increasing our partnership with the local utilities. Obviously, there will be plans for full mobilization of departments resources, which includes a work schedule of 12 hours on, 12 hours off with no days off, until there is no longer a problem; this is the worst end. With the best end, we have to prepare our employees, as well as provide factual information to the community so as to reduce any fear and anxiety to prevent an over-reaction.

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PLANNING AND PREPARATION

Lets look at planning and preparation - we are advocating that residents set as a goal, having one weeks worth of supplies at home of the basic necessities. This may seem like a lot to some, but having five or six months preparation time, it can be easily obtained. Those of you who are from the parts of the country that are faced with hurricanes or snow storms knew what the stores looked like the days before that event occurred. There were runs on basic supplies and long lines.

LOCAL UTILITIES

Here is some good news and factual information concerning Las Vegas! First, everyone is concerned about the power supply. Nevada Power Co. has informed the local governments that it can easily self-generate enough power to meet the demands of a typical January day or night. This is in complete contrast of trying to meet the demands of an August afternoon. The Las Vegas Valley Water District reports that without adding another drop of water into the existing reservoir system, there is enough water to meet the needs of our community for three to five days; this three to five days during a typical January day is again in complete contrast of an August day of having only six hours reserve supply of water in the system. Southwest Gas reports that the delivery of natural gas runs on independent systems that do not rely on other utilities. The local telephone utility reports that it will be 90% to 95% Y2K compliant with its internal computers that handle the processing of telephone calls.

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AREAS MOST AFFECTED

On the downside, the areas that will be affected most by Y2K are small- to medium- sized businesses that did not have the capital to fix computer programs or upgrade their computers, utilities that serve small or rural areas, and the cash supply. In response to this, the Federal Reserve has ordered the printing of an additional $200 billion to be stored within the financial institutions, to meet an increased withdrawal rate.

HORIZON DATES

There have already been, and will continue to be, several horizon dates to get a feel for the Y2K problem. The date most looked forward to is September 9, 1999, which the computer will read as 9999. For many computer programs this is a failsafe code to shut down.

DEPARTMENT CONTINGENCY PLANS

The departments contingency plans, of course, will include emergency generation of power at the Area Commands, the delivery of fuel to maintain our fleet of operations, a system to receive calls for service and to deliver services to the community though minor, as well as major breakdowns in communication. There are even plans being developed to provide child care on an emergency basis during a full-scale mobilization.

From an emergency management perspective, there is nothing really unique about potential Y2K disruptions. All the possible consequences have already been addressed at one time or another, whether they were individual power outages (blackout, summer of 1996), water delivery problems, telephone outages, or radio problems, all of which can occur at any time, due to a variety of causes.

Through proper planning and preparation, the involvement of all the public safety agencies, and the partnership with our private sector, we will not only meet the challenges of the Y2K problem, but we will be better prepared to respond to a variety of large scale emergencies because of it.

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WHAT IS THE Y2K PROBLEM?

The Y2K problems, also called the millennium bug, is something inherited from the early days of computers. Back then, computer memory was scarce and expensive, so programmers used a two-digit entry to designate each year instead of a four-digit entry.

Because the two-digit date format cannot process dates in two different centuries, systems that have two-digit year codes may interpret the year *00" to be "1900."

This practice continued long after the need for saving space was necessary. This two-digit format also was used in embedded computer chips. These chips can be found in many devices, including cars, heating and cooling systems, ventilation systems, elevators, fire alarms and security alarms as well as basic electronics like VCRs, televisions, home computers and medical monitoring devices.

This "bug" could cause computer systems, and any device that uses an embedded computer chip with a time/date function, to fail.

WHAT KIND OF PROBLEMS CAN I EXPECT from the Y2K "bug?"

There is no indication at this time that the Y2K problem will cause national disruptions. Areas that are at risk include:

Utilities Banking and finance Health care Transportation Telecommunications Emergency planning General business Please consider the recommendations made here as good advice, not only in response to the Y2K issue, but in the event of any natural disaster or home emergency.

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WHAT CAN I DO TO PREPARE?

As both commissioned and civilian employees of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, we know that a major incident or natural disaster can happen at any time. Because events of this nature usually happen unexpectedly, one thing that Y2K has done for us is to bring emergency planning into the spotlight. While the Department has contingency plans for such an event, including the care of dependent family members, it only makes sense that we should prepare and have an emergency plan ready, should such an event occur. The time to prepare for an emergency is now, before it happens. Y2K is no different.

Prepare an emergency plan so that you and your family will be safe and healthy in the event of:

Loss of basic utility services (water, electric, natural gas, etc.) Natural disaster Emergency mobilization Home emergency PREPARE AN EMERGENCY PLAN

Meet with your family to discuss what to do in the event of a natural disaster, home emergency, or mobilization.

Make a home escape plan. Draw a floor plan and have two escape routes for every room. Discuss how to respond to each disaster that could occur. Discuss what to do if there is a loss of power, water, or other basic service. Learn how to turn off the water, gas and electricity at main switches. Post emergency numbers near telephones and make sure those numbers are current. Instruct household members to turn on the radio for emergency information. Discuss what to do if a family member is injured. Pick one out-of-state and one local friend or relative for family members to call if you become separated by disaster. (It is often easier to call out-of-state than within an affected area.) Pick two meeting places. A place near your home in case of a fire and a place outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home after a disaster. Keep family records in a safe place; a waterproof and fireproof container is recommended. PREPARE A DISASTER SUPPLIES KIT

An emergency can occur at any time. To be prepared, the LVMPD recommends preparing by having one week's worth of food and supplies on hand. Use the following checklist to help you prepare your kit.

Have a supply of water available. You should have one gallon per person per day available. Store water in sealed, unbreakable containers. Identify the storage date and replace every six months. A supply of non-perishable packaged or canned food and a non-electric can opener. Powered milk and special dietary needs of family members also should be considered. A change of clothing, including heavy shoes and extra socks. Rain gear should be included. if you have small children, keep extra diapers and speciality clothing prepared. Extra blankets and sleeping bags. A first aid kit. Include prescription medicines that you or other family members take. Rotate stock on all medications to prevent from expiring. Extra glasses should be included for family members who require them.

A battery-powered radio, flashlights and candles. Make sure that extra batteries and waterproof matches are on hand. Credit cards and cash. have these available, but make sure you keep them safe. Instruct family members not to share their location or amounts with anyone. Extra sets of keys to vehicles, your house and any storage areas. Keep a list of family physicians and all medications taken by family members. Record serial numbers to special medical devices and keep a stock of any specially required foods or medicines. If a family member is disabled, elderly or an infant, be sure to keep special supplies on hand for them as well

-- G Bailey (glbailey1@excite.com), November 29, 1999