St. Charles Participates in Disaster Response and Recovery Course

During the week of July 9th, staff from several city departments were at the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in Emmitsburg, Maryland to participate in the Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC).

City staff participated in IEMC with representatives from other St. Charles governments, neighboring cities and villages, as well as other local emergency management agencies.  Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Paul Bumba assembled a team of 63 people from all city departments as well as the following agencies:

• City of Batavia
• City of Geneva
• DuPage County Office of Emergency Management
• Tri-Com Central Dispatch
• Kane County Health Department
• Southern Fox Valley Emergency Medical System
• Kane County Sheriff's Office
• American Red Cross
• Village of Campton Hills
• Salvation Army
• School District 303
• St. Charles Park District

The IEMC is a week-long education and training session on community response to disasters or emergencies and short-term recovery issues. Topics covered included:

• Emergency Operations
• Public Information
• Fire and Law Enforcement
• Emergency Medical Services
• Public Works
• Staff Support and Stress Management
• Mass Care (Sheltering, Feeding)
• Damage Assessment
• Disaster Recovery

The city had to file an application in order to participate and demonstrate a willingness to commit the time and resources necessary.  EMI only offers 15 community specific classes per year, so it is an honor to participate. Thanks to the efforts of Fire Chief Patrick Mullen and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Paul Bumba, the city's application was accepted. Nearly all costs for participation were paid for by a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The learning at IEMC is specifically tailored to fit the community. At the end of the week, the group applied skills learned during an exercise that was developed based on a mock disaster event in St. Charles - a tornado that occurred during the annual Pride of the Fox Riverfest.

The training provided opportunities for city staff to work together - and with those that we may call on during a community emergency. It was a very unique opportunity for St. Charles and everyone that attended was grateful for it.

You can get information about what to do in the event of a disaster, including an Emergency Preparedness Guide, from the city's website.