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2022/04/04 - Mayor's Column: Kevin Hagarty and Emergency Planning

­“AN OPEN DOOR TO O’FALLON”
A WEEKLY NOTE FROM MAYOR HERB ROACH
­­­                                                    

This week’s column is an incredibly sad one. O’Fallon lost a great champion and a dedicated public servant. I, along with many others, lost a great friend. O’Fallon Ward Three Alderman Kevin Hagarty passed away of natural causes on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

Kevin served as the Chair of the Public Safety Committee and represented Ward Three for over a decade. Kevin’s dedication to the residents of O’Fallon and his infectious laugh will never be forgotten.

There are so many things that Kevin did to promote our city and make it better for all of us. Besides his leadership on the City Council, he also served on the City Fest Committee since the beginning and was active with the O’Fallon Moose and so many other groups and activities.

I personally will miss his friendship, laughter, wild slice on the golf course, and his honesty. He was never a person that just talked about doing something; he was one that got involved and made things happen. He truly loved his children and family. He will be missed, but never forgotten.

On a different note, over the past several months our Public Safety Department has been reviewing and updating our Emergency Management Plan.  We hope that it never has to be used but we need to be prepared to handle it if it comes and our staff is ready to react in a positive manner.

This review and preparation included an 8-hour training program put on through the University of Illinois.  It was put on at our Firehouse 4 for about 25 staff members (including myself).  The program was following the established guidelines and procedures of the Federal Emergency Management Program (FEMA).  Other personnel in our Public Safety Staff have attended other training programs put on by FEMA on Emergency Incident Management.

Part of our Plan also includes training for City Staff on their roles and an overview of the Plan with members of our City Council. 

The type of Emergencies that are most likely to occur in our area are Tornadoes, Major Fire, Earthquake and Snow/Ice Storms.  Even though the Command structure for dealing with any of these is the same there are many different details that would play into the different types of emergency situations.

Here is just a brief list of some of the things that go into the plans:

  • Location for Emergency Operation Commend Center
  • Continuity of Government
  • Transfer of Command
  • Staffing
  • Communication network and back-up plans and equipment
  • Coordination with other Cities, County, State and Federal Agencies to get needed resources
  • Temporary Housing
  • Temporary Food Availability
  • Search and Rescue Operations
  • Ensure the Safety of Citizens Property

This is just some of the parts that go into what is called an Incident Management System.

Our Citizens and Businesses should know that the City of O’Fallon has a plan in place to deal with such emergencies and to get everyone the assistance they will need as quickly as we possibly can.

We will cover an overview of the Emergency Operations Plan at our June Town Hall Meeting.

As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open.