Selected Podcast
COVID-19 Emergency Response
Jason Andrews discusses COVID-19 Emergency Response from the City of Cedar Rapids.
Featuring:
Jason Andrews
Jason Andrews is currently the Training Chief of the Cedar Rapids Fire Department and is a member of the State of Iowa Incident Management Team. He started with the Fire Department in 1999, and has been a firefighter and Fire Captain before being promoted to his current position as a Battalion Chief/Training Chief in 2015. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Fire Science Administration and Master’s degree in Organization Leadership from Waldorf University, and earned Executive Fire Officer from the National Fire Academy in 2017. He has been married to Emily for 19 years and has two boys; Caleb, age 17, and Carter, age 12. Transcription:
Jason Andrews: Your municipal partners, your elected officials, your emergency responders, your public health department, your hospitals, your healthcare providers have your back.
Bill Klaproth: Meet Jason Andrews, Cedar Rapids Fire Department Training Chief and Member of the State of Iowa Incident Management Team.
Jason Andrews: We're doing everything we can to mitigate spread. We're doing everything we can to have the best response.
Host: This is Inside Cedar Rapids, a monthly podcast that introduces you to the people, projects and programs of your local government. I'm Bill Klaproth, and on this episode we talk about COVID-19 emergency response with Jason Andrews. Jason, thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it. So first off, can you explain what exactly unified command is?
Jason Andrews: Unified command is an incident command structure in which there are two or more members or agencies usually from different jurisdictions that collaborate to provide goals, objectives, and oversight for a very complex emergency.
Host: And then how does the unified command structure work specifically here in Cedar Rapids in coordinating the Coronavirus response?
Jason Andrews: Due to the scope of the Coronavirus response and the fact that it's a very public health centric response. Something that we are not used to dealing with. We have in Linn County created a unified command structure, which consists of Linn County Public Health being the lead agency the hospitals both Unity Point St. Luke's and Mercy Medical Center. And as well as an emergency response area over that which is represented by the Fire Chief in Cedar Rapids Greg Smith and the Fire Chief and Marion Deb Crable. All the expectations for this combined team come from our agency administrators such as our elected officials in Cedar Rapids, the elected officials in Marion, County elected officials and all of our smaller municipalities. They basically lay out their expectations to this team. And then we determine appropriate objectives and management practices by putting all of our heads together, coming up with the best solution.
Host: So then what are some of the different sectors involved in unified commanded and what is your role in the group?
Jason Andrews: The oversight, like I said, is provided by the agency administrators and then the unified commanders, which I listed out. And then as far as the sectors are concerned, there's an operations section. There's a planning section, a logistics section, and then a finance section. My area specifically is as the planning section chief. And what my job is to basically put the playbook together. And that is a very long and arduous job that takes a lot of organization. But it's very important because we gather information from our incident commanders in our operations section and put that into a playbook, if you will.
Host: So then from your perspective, what are the benefits of using the unified command structure?
Jason Andrews: I can boil that down to one word. And that's collaboration. Collaboration between governmental entities, private entities, hospitals, clinics, subject matter experts, public health, our logistics group pools their resources. So there is one repository for requesting of resources such as personal protective equipment and then a distribution system that vets the amount of use a specific entity has versus available equipment. And the goal is to have the best distribution of information as well as those supplies like I was talking about.
Host: So in your role as training chief for the Cedar Rapids fire department, you spend a lot of time planning and preparing. In fact, you said you're coming up with a playbook for this. What makes this situation unique from other incidents who have dealt with or planned for in the past?
Jason Andrews: Well, I think one of the biggest things is the scope of this incident. I was involved in the flood of 2008. I was involved in the Sinclair or Wilson's meat packing plant fire that lasted several days. I have responded to Southwest Iowa for the floods down there and just the scope and the timeframe. Even the flood of 2008, the water came up, the water went back down, and there was a lot of recovery involved. Don't get me wrong, but the actual response phase was not, you know, weeks and weeks or month long like it is with this public health emergency with COVID-19. And additionally in the emergency response realm, we're used to responding to things that we can see, things that we can touch. Things that we can make an immediate impact on. This public health emergency with COVID-19, with this virus, we can't see it. We can't touch it. I can't go up and immediately fix somebody or fix something to make this better overnight or in a week or even in a months time. Just the sheer scope and nature of this incident makes it extremely unique compared to past events that I've been involved in.
Host: So as a pandemic, something your team prepares for?
Jason Andrews: I wouldn't say that we specifically prepare for pandemics. Fortunately in my lifetime I haven't had to deal with that, but we do deal with or prepare for similar things such as chemical and biological radiologic emergencies that are things you can't see. But fortunately we've never had to put that into practice until now. So we do practice, we do work with our response partners. We do work with public health, but it's not near as realistic as, as a fire training incident or a tornado training incident, which is something we've seen in something we've dealt with. So this is very, this has been very unique.
Host: So what has been most surprising to you during this situation or response so far?
Jason Andrews: Just the thing that surprised me the most is just the sheer scope of it. Just how it has expanded with the initiation of the event in China and how it's spread across, how it's spread across to Asia and into the United States and Europe and, and now essentially the entire world. And to think that it started with one single case, one single case, one single person at the beginning, and now it's hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of people with thousands of deaths is just mind blowing to me.
Host: Mind blowing is a great way to describe this. This is something none of us have seen in our lifetime. So what is the most important thing that you want the people in Cedar Rapids to know about the response from the city?
Jason Andrews: I want the citizens of Cedar Rapids and Lynn County and the whole State to know that your municipal partners, your elected officials, your emergency responders, your public health department, your hospitals, your healthcare providers have your back. We're doing everything we can to mitigate spread. We're doing everything we can to have the best response. We're doing everything we can to provide the best and most appropriate personal protective equipment. We're doing everything possible and I just really want people to remember that they need to take part in this as well. It's extremely important that they stay home, that they practice social distancing, that they use good personal hygiene, such as washing their hands, cleaning their homes, being aware of where they are and who they're around, and really stay home and don't spread this. Studies have shown that one infected person can contact another two to three and a half people. If you double that and redouble that and redouble that again, you're up to thousands if not millions in a really short period of time. And people need to need to heed that warning and really take responsibility for themselves and their families and help minimize this crisis.
Host: Well, we are all in this together and we all have a part to play as you were just mentioning. And we're all Iowans, which means we want to help. Is there anything else we can do to help in this situation?
Jason Andrews: Iowans are great in ingenuity. Iowans are great in coming together and helping each other. The biggest thing I say is what I said before is to help protect each other. And with that protection comes personal protective equipment. It's expensive. There's a short supply. So if you have personal protective equipment in Lynn County area contact Lynn County emergency management agency. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated. They go to those that provide patient care first. The hospitals, the long-term care facilities, your emergency responder agencies. Just do your best to stay home. Keep your family safe. Enjoy this time that you can spend with your families, right now. I know myself personally, I am coming to work every day and practicing social distancing, but I have gotten to see my, my kids and my wife more in an in home family type setting than I ever have in my adult life. And I'm really cherishing that. And at the same time, hopefully keeping other people safe by spending my time with my family.
Host: Yeah, it's good to try to find the good in all of this. And it sounds like that's what you're doing Jason. And that's something we all need to do right now at this moment. One more in it and eventually when we get through it, try to pick out the positives and hopefully there will be some positives when we get through this. Jason, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it and stay safe.
Jason Andrews: Thank you very much. And you as well.
Host: That's Jason Andrews. And for more information, please visit cedar-rapids.org, that's cedar-rapids.org, for the most current information about the COVID-19 response from the City of Cedar Rapids. Or please follow the city on Facebook and Twitter, and if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out the full library at cityofcr.com/podcast. This is Inside Cedar Rapids. I'm Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.
Jason Andrews: Your municipal partners, your elected officials, your emergency responders, your public health department, your hospitals, your healthcare providers have your back.
Bill Klaproth: Meet Jason Andrews, Cedar Rapids Fire Department Training Chief and Member of the State of Iowa Incident Management Team.
Jason Andrews: We're doing everything we can to mitigate spread. We're doing everything we can to have the best response.
Host: This is Inside Cedar Rapids, a monthly podcast that introduces you to the people, projects and programs of your local government. I'm Bill Klaproth, and on this episode we talk about COVID-19 emergency response with Jason Andrews. Jason, thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it. So first off, can you explain what exactly unified command is?
Jason Andrews: Unified command is an incident command structure in which there are two or more members or agencies usually from different jurisdictions that collaborate to provide goals, objectives, and oversight for a very complex emergency.
Host: And then how does the unified command structure work specifically here in Cedar Rapids in coordinating the Coronavirus response?
Jason Andrews: Due to the scope of the Coronavirus response and the fact that it's a very public health centric response. Something that we are not used to dealing with. We have in Linn County created a unified command structure, which consists of Linn County Public Health being the lead agency the hospitals both Unity Point St. Luke's and Mercy Medical Center. And as well as an emergency response area over that which is represented by the Fire Chief in Cedar Rapids Greg Smith and the Fire Chief and Marion Deb Crable. All the expectations for this combined team come from our agency administrators such as our elected officials in Cedar Rapids, the elected officials in Marion, County elected officials and all of our smaller municipalities. They basically lay out their expectations to this team. And then we determine appropriate objectives and management practices by putting all of our heads together, coming up with the best solution.
Host: So then what are some of the different sectors involved in unified commanded and what is your role in the group?
Jason Andrews: The oversight, like I said, is provided by the agency administrators and then the unified commanders, which I listed out. And then as far as the sectors are concerned, there's an operations section. There's a planning section, a logistics section, and then a finance section. My area specifically is as the planning section chief. And what my job is to basically put the playbook together. And that is a very long and arduous job that takes a lot of organization. But it's very important because we gather information from our incident commanders in our operations section and put that into a playbook, if you will.
Host: So then from your perspective, what are the benefits of using the unified command structure?
Jason Andrews: I can boil that down to one word. And that's collaboration. Collaboration between governmental entities, private entities, hospitals, clinics, subject matter experts, public health, our logistics group pools their resources. So there is one repository for requesting of resources such as personal protective equipment and then a distribution system that vets the amount of use a specific entity has versus available equipment. And the goal is to have the best distribution of information as well as those supplies like I was talking about.
Host: So in your role as training chief for the Cedar Rapids fire department, you spend a lot of time planning and preparing. In fact, you said you're coming up with a playbook for this. What makes this situation unique from other incidents who have dealt with or planned for in the past?
Jason Andrews: Well, I think one of the biggest things is the scope of this incident. I was involved in the flood of 2008. I was involved in the Sinclair or Wilson's meat packing plant fire that lasted several days. I have responded to Southwest Iowa for the floods down there and just the scope and the timeframe. Even the flood of 2008, the water came up, the water went back down, and there was a lot of recovery involved. Don't get me wrong, but the actual response phase was not, you know, weeks and weeks or month long like it is with this public health emergency with COVID-19. And additionally in the emergency response realm, we're used to responding to things that we can see, things that we can touch. Things that we can make an immediate impact on. This public health emergency with COVID-19, with this virus, we can't see it. We can't touch it. I can't go up and immediately fix somebody or fix something to make this better overnight or in a week or even in a months time. Just the sheer scope and nature of this incident makes it extremely unique compared to past events that I've been involved in.
Host: So as a pandemic, something your team prepares for?
Jason Andrews: I wouldn't say that we specifically prepare for pandemics. Fortunately in my lifetime I haven't had to deal with that, but we do deal with or prepare for similar things such as chemical and biological radiologic emergencies that are things you can't see. But fortunately we've never had to put that into practice until now. So we do practice, we do work with our response partners. We do work with public health, but it's not near as realistic as, as a fire training incident or a tornado training incident, which is something we've seen in something we've dealt with. So this is very, this has been very unique.
Host: So what has been most surprising to you during this situation or response so far?
Jason Andrews: Just the thing that surprised me the most is just the sheer scope of it. Just how it has expanded with the initiation of the event in China and how it's spread across, how it's spread across to Asia and into the United States and Europe and, and now essentially the entire world. And to think that it started with one single case, one single case, one single person at the beginning, and now it's hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of people with thousands of deaths is just mind blowing to me.
Host: Mind blowing is a great way to describe this. This is something none of us have seen in our lifetime. So what is the most important thing that you want the people in Cedar Rapids to know about the response from the city?
Jason Andrews: I want the citizens of Cedar Rapids and Lynn County and the whole State to know that your municipal partners, your elected officials, your emergency responders, your public health department, your hospitals, your healthcare providers have your back. We're doing everything we can to mitigate spread. We're doing everything we can to have the best response. We're doing everything we can to provide the best and most appropriate personal protective equipment. We're doing everything possible and I just really want people to remember that they need to take part in this as well. It's extremely important that they stay home, that they practice social distancing, that they use good personal hygiene, such as washing their hands, cleaning their homes, being aware of where they are and who they're around, and really stay home and don't spread this. Studies have shown that one infected person can contact another two to three and a half people. If you double that and redouble that and redouble that again, you're up to thousands if not millions in a really short period of time. And people need to need to heed that warning and really take responsibility for themselves and their families and help minimize this crisis.
Host: Well, we are all in this together and we all have a part to play as you were just mentioning. And we're all Iowans, which means we want to help. Is there anything else we can do to help in this situation?
Jason Andrews: Iowans are great in ingenuity. Iowans are great in coming together and helping each other. The biggest thing I say is what I said before is to help protect each other. And with that protection comes personal protective equipment. It's expensive. There's a short supply. So if you have personal protective equipment in Lynn County area contact Lynn County emergency management agency. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated. They go to those that provide patient care first. The hospitals, the long-term care facilities, your emergency responder agencies. Just do your best to stay home. Keep your family safe. Enjoy this time that you can spend with your families, right now. I know myself personally, I am coming to work every day and practicing social distancing, but I have gotten to see my, my kids and my wife more in an in home family type setting than I ever have in my adult life. And I'm really cherishing that. And at the same time, hopefully keeping other people safe by spending my time with my family.
Host: Yeah, it's good to try to find the good in all of this. And it sounds like that's what you're doing Jason. And that's something we all need to do right now at this moment. One more in it and eventually when we get through it, try to pick out the positives and hopefully there will be some positives when we get through this. Jason, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it and stay safe.
Jason Andrews: Thank you very much. And you as well.
Host: That's Jason Andrews. And for more information, please visit cedar-rapids.org, that's cedar-rapids.org, for the most current information about the COVID-19 response from the City of Cedar Rapids. Or please follow the city on Facebook and Twitter, and if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out the full library at cityofcr.com/podcast. This is Inside Cedar Rapids. I'm Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.