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“Today’s storm is a perfect example — although a mild one — of how you should be prepared,” Hanson began.
She told the business association members who were able to make it to the meeting at the Westview Inn that they should be thinking about what to do if, for example, snow caused their roof to cave in or a furnace went out.
“Is your business prepared to survive in an emergency or disaster?” Hanson asked.
She repeatedly emphasized the importance of having steps prepared in advance of an emergency.
“It’s human nature to think ‘It’s never going to happen to me,’ but history has shown that many businesses do not recover from a disaster,” Hanson said. “The quicker you can open your doors after an emergency, the better it will be for you and for your community. The longer your doors are closed, the more likely customers will go somewhere else. Businesses that do not open soon often do not survive.”
Because La Crosse County received a $25,000 grant from the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance to enhance and build public/private partnerships in the event of a major disaster, Hanson has been visiting every fire and police chief in the county as well as municipal officials.
“The reason I talk with them is that, in an emergency they are the ones people look to, plus they know the business leaders in their communities,” Hanson said. “The idea is to encourage folks to make a written plan that they can follow or have someone else follow in their absence. We want to minimize down time.”
Holmen Police Chief Mike McHugh met with Hanson and the fire department a few weeks ago. “We already have emergency plans with some of our industries — places that store hazardous materials —but this (having other businesses make their own plans) could be valuable, too,” McHugh said.
One of the main points Hanson stressed at the business association luncheon and in her meetings with community leaders was that in a major emergency the public sector only has so many resources.
A business that has bulldozers, for example, could provide valuable help in a community’s recovery after a major tornado but, as Hanson put it, “It’s pretty hard for business to be a partner if they don’t have their own ducks in a row first.”
As part of her talk in West Salem, Hanson handed out Open for Business Tool Kits. These kits are available to any business in the county. Anyone interested in obtaining a kit can contact their local police department or call the county’s emergency coordinator, Keith Butler, at 789-4811.
Also, beginning in 2010, there will be icons on each municipality’s Web site with links to more information related to disaster planning.
In essence, the Open for Business kits task the owners of each business to identify their critical functions and what steps they would have to take to maintain them in an emergency. The resulting plan should be accessible to employees or other responsible parties.
Another important but easily forgotten consideration, according to Hanson, is the business owner’s family. Here again, thinking about the unthinkable is something that needs to be done ahead of time. “Would you know that your family is safe if you have to leave them to take care of your business?” Hanson asked.
West Salem Village President Dennis Manthei was in attendance for Hanson’s talk and he encouraged business owners to take her warnings to heart. “All we want to do is have you stay in business,” he said.
West Salem Police Chief Charles Ashbeck offered to keep business plans on file at the police station. “We can certainly store a copy of your plan there if you like,” he said.
There are certain to be more meetings on the subject in the months ahead as Hanson was successful in getting the grant extended for another six months.
“It’s a little too soon to see how all this is going to work out,” McHugh said, “but after our next go-round we should be able to tell more.”
CERT training course planned for February
A free training course offering information and skills on how to respond in a large-scale emergency will be held at the La Crosse County Health & Human Services Building, 300 Fourth St. N.
The 20-hour course will meet over four sessions and include hands-on training in scene assessment, fire safety, emergency medical response, light search and rescue; as well as information on local threats and hazards, county emergency management and incident command and terrorism.
Classes meet 5:45 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20; 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26; and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 27. Attendance at all classes is required for a completion certificate.
After a major disaster, first responders might not be able to immediately reach all community members requiring their services. The CERT program helps train people to be better prepared to respond to emergencies in their communities. People who complete CERT training have a better understanding of the potential threats to their home, workplace and community and can take the right steps to lesson the effects of these hazards on themselves, their homes or workplace.
If a disaster happens that overwhelms local response capacity, CERT members can apply the information and skills they learned in the classroom to give critical support to their family, neighbors or associates in their immediate area until help arrives. CERT volunteers may also be active in their community’s events and services, such as distributing smoke alarms and assisting at community events.
For more information, or to register for this CERT course, call 789-4811 or visit www.publichealthprepare.org for a registration form.
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