Residents will be glad to know they and their families are in good hands in case of emergency.
Village administrators and law enforcement are updating and increasing emergency management resources to make sure citizens are accounted for and taken care of in possible natural and man-made disasters.
Readers will remember the proposed shared services within the township, which could include cooperative emergency management plans, as mentioned in The Review Feb. 11.
Those plans will build on the township’s and village’s long-standing crisis preparedness program, which is currently being updated.
‘We used to have the names of residents across the township who owned generators, for example,? Police Chief Jerry Narsh said, noting that, in case of emergency, officials could contact and mobilize those residents to help.
It’s that information the village is updating now. Knowing which residents have heavy machinery and which locations can be used as warming or cooling shelters is important for effective and speedy emergency control.
‘Everyone needs to be aware of what assets we have and what we’re supposed to do,? Village Manager Paul Zelenak said, adding that these asset lists should be as current as possible.
In years past, Oakland County ran mock disasters to test emergency procedures and work out the kinks. Zelenak suggests the township and village run its own test to make sure the plans it has in place run like clockwork.
‘If a disaster happens in our district, we’ll be the first responders,? he said. ‘The township, village and schools will be counting on each other for assistance.?
In addition to the local plan, the village adopted the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Oakland County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) at the council’s Feb. 23 meeting.
The two plans will work in concert with the program and allow the village to collect money for crisis management training and action, when necessary.
‘It’s really a win-win,? Narsh said, adding that the program comes to the village at no cost.
And, by adopting the NIMS and HMP resolutions, the village will be better positioned to work with other governments in case of a widesread emergency like the power outage affecting the entire Northeast in 2003.
Both the police chief and village manager stress that the village’s crisis control plan has been successful in the past and won’t change due to these new resolutions.
‘We do have a plan in place, and we are fully able to handle situations,? said Zelenak. ‘But we do want to improve on it.?
Updated procedures and contact information should be in place by fall of this year.
In further crisis preparation, Governor Jennifer Granholm and Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson have declared March 29 to April 4 as Severe Weather Awareness Week.
The week’s events will include an Early Warning Weather System test and instruction on storm preparation aimed at minimizing life loss and property destruction.
For more information on Severe Weather Awareness Week visit www.oakgov.com/erp.
‘The safety of its citizens is government’s first priority,? said Narsh. ‘We are constantly finding new ways to improve on that.?