Board of County Commissioners rethinks threat preparedness

Orange County is evaluating its own preparedness for threats after Monday’s Boston Marathon bombing left three dead and more than 140 injured.

At a Tuesday night meeting, the Orange County Board of Commissioners received an update on the county’s new threat assessment, planning and response programs from the County Threat Assessment and Response working group.

“Within the past week, there has been significant re-evaluation of what is considered to be safe,” said Barry Jacobs, chairman of the board.

Local governments are now focusing on developing a foundation for emergency operations and training.

The newest change is the addition of emergency action plans for each government facility, covering all types of threats.

A “Know Your Building” program and an annual stress test are now included in mandatory training for all employees who work in government buildings.

Darshan Patel, emergency management coordinator for Orange County, said the new system would require all new employees to go through an intensive two-day training, where they would learn the safety procedures of their workplace.

“The only problem I see with this is receiving feedback,” said Commissioner Earl McKee.

“After these tests are run, we need to figure out a way to see how successful they are and what needs to be improved.”

But Jacobs said he worries these new regulations still might not protect the county.

He encouraged the working group to consider every area of the county when making safety guidelines.

“The public areas in Boston are what ended up being most dangerous — not the private buildings,” Jacobs said.

Capt. Archie Daniel of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office reminded the commissioners that threatening situations can happen within a matter of seconds.

He said the county needs to make sure everyone is trained thoroughly and knows how to immediately react to dangerous situations.

And Jim Groves, director of Orange County Emergency Services, said the new safety program will give the county the resources to make it safer.

“We now have more secure maps, better trainings for schools and a way to make people feel confident and safe,” Groves said.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.