Yep, people will freak, demand immediate forums to kick out the elected government etc...

Not because you're telling it like it is....

But because, suddenly, you're telling them that you can't do the things that (they think) you WERE PREVIOUSLY CAPABLE OF.




They've led a life of "911 will save me" instead of dealing with the truth from the beginning. Finally breaking it to them isn't information, it's a complete reversal in their psychological preparedness. I don't think many of them will acknowledge that you're just putting in plain language that which has always been. Instead, they'll think they're being sold out, decieved, having services removed, impeding their rights, and all the other BS that they can come up with.

Ok everyone, really great stuff.

A few more clarifications and updates.

1. The position of Emergency Management Coordinator is by appointment, not election. I am recommended to the governor by the members of the Board of Supervisors and the position is held until someone else is appointed or I'm dismissed by the board of supervisors.

2. The position of Emergency Management Coordinator is unpaid.

3. It's a small township - very small, and as was pointed out here, my annual budget is vanishingly small. How small? Well, let's just say that if I bought a mid-range laptop and a tank of gas, I'd blow through my budget.

4. I have a major advantage in that I'm known in the community and I have a good network of people who are willing to help both with the planning and operation of emergency services. I have a strangely high number of ex-military folks (one of whom I think just joined us here - he was in the Navy and commanded a sub, another was an MP Sergeant in the Air Force in Iraq, the and next was a combat helicopter pilot in the Marines). I have high confidence in their ability to help out.

This letter - and you have to understand that this is a first for the community - will have more impact that you might think, because it represents the first time Emergency Management as a concept will be clearly tied back to the Township. Until now, it's been ad-hoc and reactive via the Fire Company.

In addition, I'm operating and planning in the context of my (much) larger neighboring townships - although we're not an actual regional emergency management entity, I am working so closely with them that we're acting as a regional entity.

I think it's important to understand that Bucks County is almost at large at the state of Rhode Island, and it's got three distinct "zones" if you would. The southern zone is a crowded suburb of philadelphia, very dense. The middle zone is a blend of open space and broad suburban tracts of housing. It's very nice, very "Norman Rockwell" in many ways.
Then there's the North section - where I live. Up here, it's still rural. There are hunting grounds, people have rifle ranges in their back yards, you'll find wide open spaces and huge forested areas. There are plenty of places up here with no cell service. We have no police department, just a state police barracks. Townships are the government entity and they are small and provide very limited services. For example, the township we're talking about with this letter has no full-time administrative staff. The board of Supervisors consists of three people, all part time. There's one person on the road crew. They own a small dump truck (a Ford F550) with a plow and a front loader. There's no "township park" There's no pool, no library - really nothing much more than a roads department, a zoning officer (part time) and meeting minutes for the township generally take up one sheet of paper.

So into this context, we bring in a new government "service" - which is mandated by state law. They have to have an emergency plan. They have to keep it up to date and they have to provide the county with the plan. So it's into this context that "Emergency Management" will be introduced. Thus my need to set low expectations from the get-go.

This is great that you are doing this.

My little neighborhood has "fire meetings" since that's the very serious danger we could face here, on our street we have a volunteer fire department.

I like what you are doing! I will see what is said in my next newsletter about emergencies! You can never be to prepared especially so far away..

Great job!

You know your area best (of us, anyway). On a scale of 1-10, what do you think is the level of expectation of the people within your township? You have to start somewhere, the others are watching.

You've assisted with the three floods, what percentage do you think didn't evacuate when told? If they didn't, WHY didn't they?

Do you have a local newspaper? Would they be interested in helping? Could they devote a page (free) to a questionnaire about disaster planning, and receive the results from you to put in a follow-up issue? This wouldn't cost you what it would to send individual mailers. For instance:

Did you evacuate from your home in any of the last three floods? (insert any other local disasters of the last few/10 years)

If you did evacuate...
* What was your greatest fear?
* What was best unexpected thing that happened?
* What was the worst unexpected thing?
* What happened afterward that you didn't expect?
* Would you be willing to evacuate sooner next time?
* If you evacuated in time, would family members outside the disaster area be willing to take your family in?
* What would be the most basic thing you felt you needed for your family in a shelter?
* Did you feel that you needed more help for special-needs family members such as babies, children, elderly, handicapped?
* Was worry about your pets an issue?
* Have you made more personal preparations for yourself and your family since the last disaster that affected you?
* If you haven't made any preps, what would you need to get started?

* If you didn't evacuate, what was your reasoning?
* Do you think you would evacuate the next time?
* What would it take to get you to evacuate next time?
* Have you made more personal preparations for yourself and your family since the last disaster that affected you?
* If you haven't made any preps, what would you need to get started?
* What problems did you encounter by not evacuating, that you didn't expect?
* What did you do right that helped your situation?
* Did you receive help from your neighbors? Did they help you?

With a newspaper survey, the people who responded would be providing the stamps.

The newspaper should see that the survey would probably sell papers, and do it without charge.

You might discover things that you hadn't considered, and be able to direct solutions in that direction.

Sue

Good ideas as usual, Sue.

Good idea! And I think that's a regional planning tool, not just the township level. We have a good local paper, they definitely would help.

I was wondering how you are going to mail it out.
Would including it with the tax assessment statements be possible.
If you could include some of the ideas you explained to us about it being a new federally mandated service and that you are limited in what you can do without tax increases it might help them.
If it was piggy backed in the tax notice envelope you might save a bit of your budget and it would be less likely to be just disregarded and trashed.
You could place a copy in the paper to reach the people who don't get tax notices.

Hmmm, how hard is it to work up into a story for the reporters? You might even be able to get an editor doing a comment piece for you.

First choice is Shiner Bock (or better yet the limited edition Shiner Smokehouse) but after that, yeah Lone Star. To me it has a more...distinctive...flavor than Bud lite or that sort of near-beer stuff.

Plus I'm a cheap SOB.
-Blast

Been to Shiner? Worth the trip.

Try the 100, but be careful... A little stronger than normal. I was caught, um, unaware one evening.

Have you considered some form of training classes that area NGO's might provide for free? These in conjunction with local VFD fundraising cookouts might get folks leaning in the right direction for learning.

Maybe negotiate with local retailers to have different preparedness booths. Like a big box home improvement store with home prep ideas, etc. I bet PANG or other reserve would help also. They love large groups to speak with/recruit from.

Since you are relatively well connected with the press, maybe you can network through to the new "common sense" FEMA director. He might surprise you by showing up or sending help.

Just brainstorming now. More later