- By Dan Veaner
- News
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When you have an emergency all you have to do is dial 911. But what does a municipality do when a community emergency arises? Village of Lansing Trustees approved an emergency preparedness plan Monday that essentially boils down to the same thing: when Mayor Donald Hartill declares a state of emergency in the village he'll dial 911 to bring County, State, and/or Federal agencies into play."We should understand that the Mayor has to notify the County," says Village Trustee John O'Neill. "You can call them with 911. They will get that call to the Incident Commander. So we don't have to worry about all the numbers (of various departments)."
The three page plan, mandated by State and Federal agencies, is simple by comparison to the Tompkins County plan that fills a thick binder. It states that once the Mayor or his designee has declared a state of emergency that he must notify the Emergency Coordination Center, which he can do simply by calling 911. They put him in touch with an Incident Commander who coordinates with the New York State Emrgency Office (SEMO), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and local emergency responders including the County Sheriff, fire departments, EMS, and the local Red Cross.
Village Trustees are also notified, as well as any Village personnel needed to deal with the emergency. The Mayor retains responsible for disaster response operations, working with County officials to make sure the response is timely and effective. The plan also lays out responsibilities for Village employees. . The Superintendent of Public Works is charged with working with utility companies. The Code Enforcement officer is responsible for conducting safety inspections of damaged homes and businesses, the Village Clerk acts a Public Information Officer to let people know what has happened and what they should be doing.
Routine emergencies usually bubble up from the Village's Department of Public Works. They might include water main breaks or local flooding. But larger emergencies can cause a cascade of smaller ones. Tornadoes and strong wind storms are not unheard of in the area. Flooding is almost routine here, and there are occasional earthquakes such as the one on June 23rd. That 5.0 magnitude earthquake was centered in Canada, but was felt in Ithaca and the surrounding area.
The Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response, which operates the 911 center, maintains the Tompkins Ready Web site to help let people know what they can do to be ready for emergencies, and what to do when they happen. The site has extensive information for individuals, families, businesses, the elderly, and people with special needs or pets. It also tells about training programs people can take advantage of so they can volunteer as emergency responders. The site also lays out procedures and information about specific kinds of emergencies including earthquakes, fires, floods, hazardous material spills, disease, terrorism, power outages, and weather related emergencies.
Trustees Julie Baker and John O'Neill drafted a version of the plan, then Village Attorney David Dubow made substantial contributions. While Village officials hope not to need it, the plan lays out what they have to do in the event that they do need it. Trustees passed the plan unanimously.
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