Tupelo leaders activate emergency plan ahead of winter storm
The plan allows department heads to coordinate efforts during an emergency or crisis
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Before daybreak, public works crews were clearing major roads with snowplows.
The work continued throughout the day.
On Thursday, January 9, Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan declared a state of emergency that went into effect early Friday. By mid-morning, everything was going as planned.
“We are just now finishing up about thirty of our local streets, then go back to main streets and have street sweepers out trying to get drains cleaned out, so as it melts, it can run off and it won’t puddle up,” Mayor Jordan said.
The Emergency declaration is part of a contingency plan outlining the chain of command, communication, and duties of department heads and city employees in a crisis.
While many were enjoying a rare snow day, city leaders were keeping tabs on weather forecasts and road conditions.
“We always try and be proactive, get out ahead of it, where we can use resources if needed,” Jordan said.
Whenever a state of emergency is declared, Fire Chief Brad Robinson is the emergency management director.
“I coordinate between police , fire, public works, police, fire, nothing really changes for us we are still doing normal we do,” Chief Robinson said.
That means having a plan in place to keep firefighters safe when answering calls in the extreme winter weather.
“We have to consider these guys, they go in, get soaking wet on outside of gear , inside they are sweating, its so hot they come out to a cold environment, their turnout gear freezes, oxygen bottles will freeze, we have to have a warming area, depending how long we are there we may have to bring a trailer in to keep guys warm,” Robinson said.
Not long after an emergency or disaster, everyone involved in the response will attend a debriefing. It provides a chance to identify what went right and areas that can be improved , so response, policies and procedures can be tweaked before the next critical incident.
