Starting a WARN
Four Keys to a Successful Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network WARN
Network
Involving all of the major water and wastewater associations in a WARN increases the chance of it becoming a successful initiative. Florida’s water/wastewater associations; Florida Section American Water Works Association (FSAWWA) , Florida Water Pollution Control Operators Association (FWPCOA), Florida Water Environmental Association (FWEA), Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA), Southeast Desalting Association all have representatives on the steering committee. Three of these groups FSAWWA, FWPCOA and FWEA have worked together for decades producing the Florida Water Resources Journal and the annual Florida Water Resources Conference.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), with EPA funding, awarded a contract to the University of Florida Center for Training, Research and Education for Environmental Education (UF/TREEO) to be the administrator of FlaWARN. UF/TREEO’s roots are in water, starting in 1977 with a grant from US EPA, funding from the State of Florida, built on land donated by the City of Gainesville and located across from the Kanapaha Wastewater Reclamation plant. The original mission of UF/TREEO was to train water and wastewater operators. FWPCOA took a leadership role in obtaining the funding for UF/TREEO.
Although FlaWARN is funded by FDEP and they have a seat on the steering committee, they are not involved in the day to day activities of the network. The decisions on how to deploy resources are made by the steering committee.
Mutual Aid Agreement
The mutual aid agreement (MAA) is the backbone of the network. Signing the MAA assures the utility sending help will be reimbursed under FEMA rates by the utility receiving help. Not signing the MAA does not mean that a utility will not receive help, but valuable time is lost in negotiating the terms of assistance. If there are limited resources for response, priority will be given to utilities that have signed the MAA.
Website
The project's infrastructure consists of a secure web-based data bank of available resources. The tracker is where needs and resources are matched and tracked. The website also includes updated information on emergency response and FEMA reimbursement.
Steering Committee
The steering committee has three at-large members and a representative from six professional water and wastewater associations and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. It is led by a chairman and vice-chairman. Meetings are held face-to-face four times a year and by phone conference on an as needed basis. During emergency events conference calls are held twice daily. The steering committee sets the direction of FlaWARN. Members must be able to spend time during emergencies helping match storm needs and resources.