In Freedom Hall in Fountain Valley, where officials began erecting cots in the middle of the night on May 21 so 50,000 people could be temporarily relocated there, First District Supervisor Janet Nguyen brought together a wide range of local and regional officials this week to issue a formal “thank you.”
From fire and police officials to park supervisors, city clerks, mayors, and staff members who had worked with little sleep for five days, Nguyen haphazardly gathered them together Sept. 30 to tell them, “You’re the best of the best,” she said, “the best of humanity.”
On that day in May, around 3:30 p.m., Nguyen and other key officials learned that an industrial storage tank holding methyl methacrylate (MMA) at a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove began overheating and venting vapors.
Almost immediately, a coalition of firefighting and emergency officials coordinated by the Orange County Fire Authority issued mandatory evacuation orders affecting roughly 50,000 residents across parts of Garden Grove, Anaheim, Cypress, Stanton, Buena Park, and Westminster.
“By 10 p.m.,” Nguyen told the officials, “I remember helping Fountain Valley officials put out beds in this hall.”
“Everyone did their part,” said Nguyen, “did it perfectly, and we trusted them. The professionalism displayed throughout the community, though chaotic, was not panic, she suggested, and your overall credibility is what gave the community its calmness.”
“People left home without medication,” she called, “yet medication and assistance were somehow available immediately.” She said elected officials throughout affected communities of Garden Grove, Stanton, Cypress, Los Alamitos, La Palma and Anaheim showed up to work.
“Not just for one day but every day,” said Nguyen.
“What I learned from this is that we need to know our neighbors,” the First District Supervisor said, thanking city staff and her own for what she termed a remarkable response to the emergency.
Nguyen introduced Fountain Valley Mayor Jim Cummeen, whom she said was at Freedom Hall that night erecting beds for evacuees to sleep in, and he thanked Nguyen “for stepping up to the plate and for your continued assistance to residents.”
The mayor recalled managing the many various duties of staff required to manage the hazardous materials response while police and other officials were out evacuating shocked neighborhoods who were asked to leave with little more than the clothes on their backs.
Fountain Valley Council member Ted Bui also shared real-world examples of local officials stepping up to solve problems during the emergency.
Nguyen said she and Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein barely slept throughout the five days, as the city’s operations and normal way of life were turned upside down.
“We never slept throughout the entire five days,” said Nguyen.
Klopfenstein thanked the supervisor’s office, first responders and city staff for their excellent response to the incident.
“Agencies, public health professionals and park organizations brought critical expertise and resources to the effort. Throughout the city, vulnerable employees were saddled with emergency roles, and the response was ever more coordinated as a result,” the mayor said.
“Our plans, our training and procedures matter, but ultimately, our ability to serve the public depends on our people,” she said, “and it depends on relationships.”
In addition, Klopfenstein, like Nguyen, said the entire emergency response revolved around trust.
“It depends on professionalism from different agencies trusting one another,” Klopfenstein said, “sharing information, bringing their expertise to the table and staying focused on the same goal.”
“It is about protecting the people of our city,” the mayor said, “and we saw that, and it helped that we responded responsibly.”
Nguyen and her staff issued hundreds of official Orange County proclamations for each person involved in the various cities, stacking them at tables in alphabetical order so each person received a document memorializing their participation in the response.
Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Nick Freeman spoke on behalf of the “excellence” demonstrated across the board during the response.
Officials from the Orange County Fire Authority, along with other police and firefighting officials, were recently recognized for their response to the dramatic incident at a separate ceremony, the annual “Heroes Luncheon” staged by the Los Alamitos Chamber of Commerce at Rush Park in Rossmoor.
Orange County’s interim CEO K. C. Roestenberg also thanked the assembled local officials for their dedication during the Garden Grove incident.
Nguyen said the impromptu ceremony honored the brave public sector employees who worked “behind the scenes,” covering every aspect of the evacuation and emergency response.
“The competence shown should provide confidence in the public protection offered to Orange County residents,” Nguyen said, before inviting everyone who received a certificate to join her for what could be the largest selfie ever attempted as officials joined her for a group photo in front of the huge American flag that hangs in Freedom Hall.