Vigilance stepped up in Mat-Su

MAT-SU -- Local agencies are returning to a semblance of normalcy after Tuesday's chaotic happenings across the nation.

"We're pretty much back to normal," said Mat-Su Borough Public Safety director Kevin Koechlein at a Wednesday morning meeting of officials from various agencies across the borough. The officials are part of the Emergency Operations Command Unit, which was set up to deal with emergency situations in the borough.

The unit is made up of representatives from the three local utilities, Valley Hospital, American Red Cross, the Mat-Su Borough School District, the Division of Forestry, the local branch of the Alaska State Troopers, Palmer Police Department and Wasilla Police Department, as well as representatives from the Mat-Su Borough.

The meeting was the second this week that was held to assess how local agencies should proceed after Tuesday's terrorist attack on the East Coast.

On Tuesday, local agencies and the Mat-Su Borough offices were put on full alert and the borough was hewing closely to Emergency Operations Command guidelines, although borough manager John Duffy said it was at a scaled-down pace.

"All of our facilities are on a heightened state of alert," Duffy said in a Tuesday interview.

It may seem like an overreaction on the part of the borough, but given the gravity of the incident, as well as the potential threat it posed nationwide, local governments were obligated to be watchful for any related incidents.

And there were a few reported across the state earlier this week, although none proved legitimate.

A Korean Air Lines flight was diverted to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, under the guard of Elmendorf fighter jets, after a signal indicating problems on board was received. The signal was later found to have been set when the plane dipped low on fuel.

A bomb threat was called in to the Fairbanks school district, and another was received at a North Slope school. The Anchorage school district reported a student had made threatening remarks on a bus Tuesday morning.

All incidents that, on any other day, may have been viewed as nonthreatening on an individual basis, on Tuesday were perceived more seriously.

Duffy said the borough had received no threats related to Tuesday's attack, but borough personnel were reminded of procedures regarding violence in the workplace, such as what to do if a bomb threat is called in or how to deal with suspicious packages left in a building.

Part of the operations plan, Duffy said, was to have two task force teams ready to go to Anchorage if an incident occurred there. Anchorage had two teams ready to be sent to the Mat-Su Borough if an incident occurred here.

Koechlein said Wednesday he had received no new information regarding a possible follow-up attack by terrorists, but fire and emergency personnel volunteers will remain on reserve for the next few days in case there is any additional activity.

Because the information would be processed through federal channels first and confidentiality was a top priority, he said, it was unlikely local governments would be in the loop if a new threat was perceived, until late in the game.

"It's kind of a Catch-22," Koechlein said. "I think they would like to [include local governments in their communications], but they can't."

Duffy said visual inspections were made of borough buildings, fuel tanks were topped off and vehicles were readied for movement if

necessary.

The state of alert continued Wednesday, although to a lesser degree.

"We're just continuing on with our visual inspections, having all of our employees be in a heightened state of awareness," Duffy said Wednesday. "We're looking for anything that's out of the ordinary."

Borough offices remained open Tuesday and, barring unforeseen circumstances, Duffy said they will remain on heightened alert until Friday. Koechlein said the emergency operations plan will remain in effect indefinitely.

Although business on Tuesday progressed much like it did any other day, some events were rescheduled in light of Tuesday's events.

A Tuesday evening joint meeting between the Mat-Su Borough Assembly and the school district was canceled, as was the "World Trade Center Tour," an ironically named event geared at showcasing the borough as a good place to conduct business and invest in economic development.

The tour, Duffy said, will be rescheduled for a later date.

A trip Duffy had scheduled to Juneau this week was also canceled. He said he had set up meetings with Joe Perkins, commissioner of the Department of Transportation, to discuss port-related topics and with Michele Brown, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, to talk about the Talkeetna sewer project.

Although the terrorist attack has meant inconveniences for many across the nation, Mat-Su Borough Mayor Tim Anderson complimented the members of the Command unit for their diligence in ensuring borough residents retained a level of security.

"This is a pretty trying time for our country and our community," Anderson said. "But [borough residents] are reassured to know that people like you are behind the scenes."