Kirkwood Plans, Prepares For Next Emergency

Kirkwood, Missouri -- Friday, August 10, 2007 – Last year, a handful of weather-related emergencies gave Kirkwood officials and staff opportunities to learn and improve upon the way the community responds to disasters, large and small.

            While discussions on emergency response during disaster situations occur at every monthly leadership meeting of Kirkwood’s municipal departments, earlier this summer, a specially coordinated statewide drill helped Kirkwood hone its planned response to an unexpected natural disaster. The drill featured the makings of a significant earthquake that rattled the entire state, with aftershocks felt in Kirkwood that caused dangerous structural damages as well as infrastructure damage to streets, electric lines, and water mains.

            Kirkwood’s Emergency Management operations falls under the responsibilities of the Kirkwood Police Department, headed by Chief Jack Plummer. Plummer noted that while staff can practice, plan, and prepare for a variety of disasters, in the end it takes the success of an entire community’s planning to effectively respond to an unexpected situation. “Every household in Kirkwood should design and practice its own disaster response plan,” Chief Plummer explained. “Because in the event of a true and massive disaster, our public safety resources are going to be stretched thin responding to community-wide needs. The more individuals can manage for the first three days of any disaster, the better off the overall outcome will be.”

            In terms of the city’s efforts toward improved emergency response, a newly operating Emergency Operations Center (EOC) helps staff and volunteers coordinate response information and details of any disaster, including where outages or damages are located within the community. The EOC features a bank of telephones and computers, which staff and volunteers have utilized in recent storms to gain information from residents calling in to report damage or power outages. “The opening of our EOC really helped crystallize our disaster response efforts,” Chief Plummer stated. “The ability to coordinate the information we receive from our residents with the dispatching of city work crews has helped maximize our response efforts.” The city also is currently investigating the costs of implementing what is commonly known as a “Reverse 911” system, where a recorded message could be broadcast simultaneously to residents providing up-to-date emergency information. The message could be sent to home, business, or cell phone numbers as well as sent as a text message or email message, depending on the contact method that residents desired.

            In an effort to make creating a household disaster plan easier, the city’s website features detailed information on the “Ready In 3” program, a disaster planning program endorsed and endorsed by the American Red Cross and the State Emergency Management Agency. A link to this information is featured prominently along with the “Ready In 3” logo on the main page of the city’s site at www.ci.kirkwood.mo.us. In addition, during the month of August, one of the city’s utility bill inserts features disaster planning information for residents.

            Annual training exercises will continue in Kirkwood, allowing staff and elected officials the ability to coordinate response needs with outside agencies. “There’s always going to be a better way to do things when it comes to disaster planning and response efforts,” Chief Plummer explained. “We are committed to putting everything we have into a coordinated and well-planned response for our residents when the next disaster strikes. That’s why we’re here. To be prepared. To be ready to respond.”

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