government representatives on their property and may see their presence as an intrusion. With com - plaints to political entities, environmental public health and other assisting agencies should be prepared to explain their responsibilities and most importantly, the timelines. Political updates and seeking their input will provide the best outcomes. Some may not want to participate in a “govern- ment” cleanup and may, in the absence of action, require some form of enforcement to get their prop - erty addressed. Complaints will occur and envi - ronmental public health staff should be prepared to address concerns. Community meetings may be highly charged or emotional and the appropriate public relations staff need to be involved. All complaints and emotions will be focused either on the responsible agency or the political repre- sentative they feel comfortable in attacking. Staff must be prepared and communicate appropriately with those political entities to ensure both are act - ing as quickly as possible and if not, find out why. Information and feedback should be routine and transparent, especially as it relates to the status of cleanup operations. Getting ahead of complaints is a high priority. Mental/Behavioral Health As is the case with any major or widespread disas - ter, staff may experience difficult situations, includ - ing but not limited to death and destruction on a wide scale during and after a wildfire. Staff may feel the impact of a major wildfire on their own property and perhaps will experience neighbors, friends, and co-workers suffering loss of homes, possessions, and perhaps life. Agencies must ensure staff are taken care of if this is the case, including time off to address any and all personal needs. Staff may also encounter a grieving community who may share their grief with anyone who will listen. Staff should know that mental health assis - tance is available not only for themselves but for community members. Feelings of despondency and depression may be widespread and permeate shelters and recovery centers. Staff is encouraged to find mental/behavioral health professionals to assist evacuees. Supervision must be alert and observant of staff who are overworking to compensate for any loss or a grieving community. At times they will insist
on working long hours or for many weeks without rest or rehabilitation. Gaging how each respond- ing person is doing and directing them to available resources must be policy and management-di - rected. If a department is large enough, group or peer counseling should be encouraged with an abil - ity to engage individually available and marketed. Management must take feedback seriously and not overlook staff who may be asking for help. If environmental public health staff see condi - tions that warrant mental health intervention, they should be trained on where to refer individ - uals, including their own. To overlook the mental well-being of staff in a disaster scenario, especially if there is widespread community destruction and death, will only lead to further complications and issues. Plan before the wildfire or disaster occurs and make the contacts within the appropriate agen - cies to seek help and assistance. Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) 64 Continuity of Operations Plan is the term used by public and government entities for mitigation and planning strategies that create resilience and allow key services to continue to be provided in the face of a range of challenges. Emergency wildfire response activities may impact normal duties and responsibil - ities and make it necessary to put in place the COOP developed by the agency. While there are many areas to cover in the plan, for the most part, how your agency continues with essential or critical functions, even though a major - ity of staff are diverted to address the wildfire and all associated activities, should be addressed in this plan. 65 Hospital/LTCF Evacuations A wildfire, perhaps driven by a windstorm, may impact healthcare facilities, including hospitals, long-term care facilities (LTCF), or other residential care facilities. Healthcare facility staff should be communicating with fire and public safety staff to determine if an evacuation is appropriate or if shel - ter in place is a viable option. Once the decision is made, healthcare facilities will more than likely fol - low their emergency plans to commence the evac- uation. Environmental public health staff will play a supportive and coordination role, perhaps from the emergency operations centers and not necessarily a direct role.
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