There isn't a need to reinvent the wheel. So, when someone who has gone through multiple disasters, learned what to do in such cases and has a method in place to work through them, it's a good idea to take advantage of that person's knowledge and experience.
Keith Hillman has spent the past 26 years in the fire service. He began his career as a firefighter in the Little Rock Fire Department and has served the past 15 years as the chief of the Vilonia Fire Department. He has been through a lot, including two tornados that hit Vilonia. The first was an EF2-rated tornado in April 2011 that killed five people. Then, just three years later, an EF3-rated tornado left eight dead. The same storm killed three people in neighboring Mayflower.
The Newton County Local Emergency Preparedness Committee invited Hillman to come to one of their meetings to share his experiences and give some advice on what to do when a disaster strikes.
The LEPC committee is reorganizing after a year's hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the first meeting in May, Byron Mann accepting the chair. He is a volunteer with the Arkansas United Methodist Church Disaster Response Mission.
About a dozen LEPC members representing local government, fire departments, EMS, public health and the media welcomed Hillman Monday, June 28, at the Methodist Church Fellowship Hall in Jasper.
Hillman said he took disaster training courses with the thought that he would never use the information. Then the tornado of 2011 hit his city. He said he thought he knew what to do. He thought taking the courses would prepare him. They didn't. "You can't be too prepared," he said.
That lesson made him think what he would do differently if another tornado or similar emergency struck.
That is when he came up with the idea of the "Disaster Box."
It's a simple, plain, black plastic file box that you can buy at any office supply store. It's just a little bit bigger than your average lunch box, but its what's inside that makes it useful and valuable in a time of emergency.
The contents include not on paper and pens, but step by step instructions on how to respond appropriately to the task at hand. The box also stores necessary FEMA reporting forms that are needed to file with the federal agency to receive reimbursement for the response's costs.
The first step, and probably the most important instruction is to "Stop." That is to take time to gather your thoughts and to organize the responders. Set up a command post and the various staging areas for supplies and resources. Ideal locations are area schools and churches which have facilities that can be utilized.
There should also be multiple disaster boxes located in a variety of places including a fire station, plice department, city hall, the county courthouse and sheriff's office. Hillman advised. He noted that the Vilonia Fire Station was blocked when officials went to retrieve a box kept there.
Everyone in the fire department is trained on how to use the box, the fire chief said.
The box contains names of departments, agencies and individuals to call for help. Contact should be made with officials with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, local government officials, city and county department heads even area equipment rental businesses and hardware stores that have the resources that will be needed. Security is a priority to protect the disaster area and to allow in only those working the response.
Hillman said some items that will be needed are portable light towers, port-a-potties, generators, a fueling station, even a person dedicated to repairing vehicle tires. ATVs may be handy and even boats might be needed if there are areas that became flooded due to a storm. Other items to have on hand include extra hand-held radios and mobile repeaters to keep in contact with workers, canopies and chairs, portable shelters, medical supplies and lots of barricades. All of these things are written down as reminders and kept in the box.
Documentation is critical to ensure the various responders are reimbursed by federal assistance.
The box has instructions for making an incident action plan, conducting safety operation briefings and instructions for filling out the various FEMA forms. Document everything by writing it down on whatever is available, even paper napkins or on a discarded paper coffee cup, Hillman advised. He said there was a plastic tote full of notes that were made during the tornado recovery. They were all gleaned for reportable information.
Hillman presented all of this information by way of his own disaster box that he said he keeps in his vehicle. He then gave a disaster box with minimal instructions and supplies to Jasper Fire Chief and LEPC Vice Chairman Pam Emerson.
Need for emergency shelters
The LEPC is trying to make contact with every fire department in Newton County to see what emergency plans they have in place and to list possible shelter locations in case there is a need for them.
There are currently no large shelters in the county, however, the Jasper School District has received a grant to build a 4,000-square-foot FEMA approved safe room on the Jasper School campus. The school board recently selected the site for it located behind the elementary building in the asphalt area beside the playground. Modus Studio of Fayetteville is the project's architectural firm. Circle M Construction Management, Inc., is the project's construction manager.
The FEMA-approved design includes restrooms and a backup electricity generator.
As a safe room it is designed to house people only during an emergency event such as a tornado, but not as a long term shelter afterward. At 5 square feet per person, it will technically have the capacity to hold 800 people, but 600 or so would be more manageable.
The school district was notified last March that its application for federal funds had been approved for the safe room. The grant awards the school district $981,618.20 or 75% of the project cost. No completion date is available.
This reinforced structure would be available as a safe gathering place for students and staff in case of a tornado or other emergency during the school day, but would also be available to the community during after school hours.
Hillman said safe room rules will have to be made including some restrictions. "I love animals," he said, but he strongly suggested prohibiting pets from the building. He also strongly suggested that firearms not be allowed inside.
Hillman said the safe room at Vilonia automatically unlocks when the town's emergency siren system is activated.
COVID-19
The spread of COVID-19 has declined with the growing availability of vaccine. Erika Houston, manager of the Newton County Health Unit related that the unit continues to give shots as the number of active cases recently spiked state-wide. All Arkansans age 12 or older are now eligible to receive the vaccine.
The Arkansas Department of Health COVID-19 Case Update as of Tuesday, June 29:
COVID-19 vaccinations for Newton County
Total Number of Doses: 3,463
Percent of Population Partially Immunized: 5.36%
Percent of Population Fully Immunized: 22.98%
