County leader is making sure we're ready for anything

County leader is making sure we're ready for anything

By Susan Weich
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/25/2008

Homeland security begins at home. That's the mantra of Mark Rosenblum.

He's the new chairman of the St. Charles County Citizen Corps Council and has been working hard to beef up the citizen response to emergencies since he took office in January.

"It's something I'm very passionate about," he said. "It scares me to death that some are trusting the national government to do everything.

"Rosenblum, 45, has a good reason for his strong feelings. He was a supervisor for Savvis Communications on Sept. 11, 2001. He had taken the day off because his daughter, Emily, was sick. They were spending the day at home, which was in Hazelwood at the time.

He got a phone call that morning from a relative asking him what he thought about what was going on in New York. When he clicked on the television, he saw that a plane had crashed into the first tower. Besides the shock of what he saw, Rosenblum was thinking of something else: 10 of his employees were working in the other tower.

"I immediately called my people, and I said, 'Look, I don't know what's going on, but I think that tower could possibly fall over and hit your tower. You guys might want to get out of there,'" he said.

A few minutes later, a plane crashed into the second tower, but every one of his employees got out safely.

As he continued to watch the coverage of the disaster, he heard that all airline flights had been grounded, and he started to think about the travelers who were stranded at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

He called Lambert and offered his home to anyone who needed a place to stay, but he didn't know what more he could do to help.

Rosenblum said he had worked with his father as a volunteer for the Red Cross several times, but Sept. 11 changed him.

"I knew I had to do something more," he said.

When he and his family moved to Wentzville in 2003, he contacted the emergency management director and helped start that city's Citizen Emergency Response Team, or CERT.

Its members go through an initial 20-hour training course and refresher courses every quarter. They provide support to police, fire and ambulance personnel, assist victims and organize volunteers at a disaster site.

In 2007, the cities united into a countywide effort, which Rosenblum now leads.

About 500 residents in St. Charles County have been trained to respond to everything from heat waves to terrorist attacks. Rosenblum is hoping to build those ranks with anyone who wants to participate.

Although the Citizen Emergency team gets most of the publicity, Rosenblum said other opportunities exist. Those include USAonWatch, an expanded version of the neighborhood watch program, and Volunteers in Police Service and Fire Corps, which allows citizens to assist police and firefighters in nonoperational roles. Another program is the Medical Reserve Corps, where citizens assist doctors and nurses in large-scale emergency situations.

"Anything that's going to help the citizens to be better prepared, that's my goal," Rosenblum said.

He said he is taking the program forward by forming partnerships with other agencies, such as the Red Cross, which can help Citizen Corps members get CPR training. The group also is teaming with places such as the Crider Center, which can assist with psychological wellness in a disaster, and Sts. Joachim and Ann, which can help with things such as housing and clothing.

In addition, he is training teams of teenagers and soon will have the first team in the state made up of hearing- and sight-impaired volunteers. Both will be needed in an emergency, he said.

"This is what I think the Citizen Corps was meant to be — a network of all these people so that we can pull on each other's strengths," Rosenblum said.

Mike Hays, who is vice chairman of the corps, said the group has made great strides already under Rosenblum's leadership.

"Mark energizes programs through his positive nature," he said. "His sense of public involvement drives people to want to help and get behind a project and work together."

Volunteer Doris Clark described Rosenblum as "unbelievably wonderful" and said that, like Rosenblum, it is in her nature to get involved. "We need to be concerned for our neighbor, and we need to reach out that helping hand when it's needed," she said.

To learn more, contact the Division of Emergency Management at 636-949-3023 or the Red Cross at 636-397-1074.

Pacific, Eureka officials, volunteers working feverishly against flood

Preparation better than it was in 1982

By Danette Thompson
Saturday, March 22, 2008 7:05 AM CDT

Aided by dozens of volunteers, local emergency and city officials are focusing on resident safety and doing what they can to protect homes and businesses as area rivers continue to rise.

Flood waters from the Meramec and Big rivers have closed roads and forced many Eureka and Pacific residents out of their homes into local hotels, friends' or family's houses or to emergency shelters.

"Eureka has become four different islands," said Kate Moore, public information officer for the Eureka Fire Protection District. "We've got several areas that are completely shut off - Hoehne Springs (along Highway W), the Highway FF area, Highway 109 and Allenton. We encouraged people in those areas to leave, and most of them evacuated, but we've got about 10 people who just aren't going to go."

Eureka firefighters already have been called to rescue several people who tried to drive through flooded areas, and Moore said emergency officials expect they'll be called out again before the flood waters recede late this weekend.

Many times those rescues become a necessity because people try to drive or steer a boat through flood waters, Moore said.

"We try our best to warn people against it, but there are people who underestimate the force of the flood waters and who think their vehicle or their boat can get through," Moore said. "But they can't see what's underneath that water. The road could be washed away or there could be a swing set or a car that a boat could hit.

"It's not worth risking your life or the lives of the emergency responders. If people would just heed the warnings, then most of these incidents could be avoided."

Pacific officials coping with the evacuation of the city's south side also tried to curb the potential for traffic congestion and other problems by asking people not affected to stay away.

"We've had difficulty with people coming into the area and gawking," said Dian Becker, city emergency management director. "It adds to traffic congestion and it interferes with our efforts to monitor water levels on streets that will need to be closed for citizen safety. We're asking people who are not from the potential affected areas to please stay away."

Becker said the Pacific Police Department has increased patrols in the area to help control traffic in and out and to provide additional security.

Both cities also are coordinating volunteer sandbagging efforts and looking ahead to the end of the weekend, when the flood waters recede and a major cleanup effort begins.

"We're doing all we can to save homes and businesses from damage," said Pacific City Administrator Harold Selby. "We can only do so much because while we know where the water is going to go, we don't know what role development in the community over the last 25 years is going to play."

The last record flood in the area was in December 1982.

Eureka Mayor Kevin Coffey said there are some areas of Eureka severely affected by record 1982 floods that have been converted to green space or park land.

Eureka's Kircher Park on Williams Road once was a trailer court. The city also negotiated a buyout of several properties in the Meramec River bottoms area around Eureka.

That doesn't mean the flooding predicted for Eureka - expected to exceed the record high crest of 42.9 feet in 1982 - will leave the city unscathed.

Businesses along Central Avenue and in the old downtown area surrounded their buildings with sandbag walls in anticipation of flooding in that part of town. Other areas of the city, including the Elk Trails subdivision and along Highway 109 and Alt Road, were expected to be affected by flood waters.

Nearly 200 people, from children to senior citizens, showed up Thursday along the Highway W spur to help fill about 15,000 sandbags and deliver them to potentially affected areas of the city.

Coffey said once the waters recede, the city has about 150 trained Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers and another 50 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts ready to help assist with the cleanup efforts.

"Our priorities are first and foremost, that no one is hurt or killed," Coffey said. "Then we want to protect property as much as possible and, finally, minimize the inconvenience. Hopefully, when it's all said and done, the worst of it will be the inconvenience."

Although church groups, students, civic organizations and individuals offered Pacific help in preparing for the impending flood, Selby said more help will be needed with the cleanup effort.

Officials in both cities were coordinating response efforts through St. Louis County and Franklin County emergency management agencies, and working with the American Red Cross to ensure there is emergency shelter available to those who need it.

"We've got good emergency response plans in place, and there's been a tremendous outpouring of help in the community," Coffey said. "Compared to 1982, we have a much better coordinated response effort. We will survive this, and help will be there for the people who need it."

Red Cross volunteer teaches kids preparedness

By Sarah Whitney
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 11:13 AM CDT

Warrenton resident William Dennager reads every piece of fan mail he gets - which is a lot - but he's not a movie star or an author. He's a volunteer with the American Red Cross.

Hundreds of elementary school students have sent Dennager - whom they affectionately call "Mr. Bill" - letters thanking him for teaching them about disaster preparedness.

Dennager will visit 10 to 15 elementary schools throughout St. Charles County four times this school year to teach the American Red Cross's "Be Ready Program" on earthquakes, tornadoes, fires and winter storms. He's also presented to seniors at Lakeview Estates in Warrenton.

Brad Farber, supervisor of the St. Charles County Service Center and Dennager's boss, said he gets a kick out of how much fan mail Dennager receives and even displays some of the letters at the service center.

The 67-year-old retiree received an even bigger thank you Friday for his presentations when he was awarded the Community Disaster Education Award during the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter and the St. Charles Service Center's Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon.

Dennager said he appreciates the recognition, but wants to emphasize it's not just him.

"It's not an individual thing, its a community thing. That's the strength, people partnering with each other no matter if they're from Wentzville, St. Charles or Warrenton," he said.

Dennager joined the Red Cross in 2005 at the encouragement of his wife Nancy, 65, also a Red Cross volunteer. The couple also are volunteers for the Warren County Community Emergency Response Team and have traveled to Atlanta to provide disaster relief after a 2004 hurricane swept through the area.

If it wasn't for citizens like the Dennagers, programs like CERT and the Red Cross wouldn't be as effective, said Mike Daniels, director of Warren County's Emergency Management Agency.

Dennager received the award because last year he helped the Red Cross teach more than 20,000 school children about disaster preparedness, Farber said. This year the program has already reached more than 13,000 school children.

What makes Mr. Bill so unique is his ability to connect with children on an individual level, Farber said.

"They hang on his every word," he said.

Rachel Damlow, second-grade teacher at Twin Chimneys Elementary School in O'Fallon, echoed Farber's observation, describing Dennager - who visited her class Tuesday - as patient and understanding with children.

"He's very good at getting the message across so they understand it," she said.

She said her class gets excited when Mr. Bill visits.

Dennager brings stuffed animals that act as mascots for that presentation. For tornadoes, there's Twister Turtle. For fires, there's Cool Cat. For winter storms, Ready Rabbit. And earthquakes, Disaster Dog.

"Twister Turtle, Ready Rabbit will help ease that tension. That way, they feel more comfortable learning about the different disasters," he said.

Dennager is not the only volunteer to give such presentations, but Farber said he is the volunteer schools request by name on a repeat basis.

"That's another real indicator of his effectiveness and ability to reach children and adults," he said.

Red Cross volunteer teaches kids preparedness

By Sarah Whitney
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 11:13 AM CDT

Warrenton resident William Dennager reads every piece of fan mail he gets - which is a lot - but he's not a movie star or an author. He's a volunteer with the American Red Cross.

Hundreds of elementary school students have sent Dennager - whom they affectionately call "Mr. Bill" - letters thanking him for teaching them about disaster preparedness.

Dennager will visit 10 to 15 elementary schools throughout St. Charles County four times this school year to teach the American Red Cross' "Be Ready Program" on earthquakes, tornadoes, fires and winter storms. He's also presented to seniors at Lakeview Estates in Warrenton. Brad Farber, supervisor of the St. Charles County Service Center and Dennager's boss, said he gets a kick out of how much fan mail Dennager receives and even displays some of the letters at the service center.

The 67-year-old retiree received an even bigger thank you Friday for his presentations when he was awarded the Community Disaster Education Award during the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter and the St. Charles Service Center's Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon.

Dennager said he appreciates the recognition, but wants to emphasize it's not just him.

"It's not an individual thing, its a community thing. That's the strength, people partnering with each other no matter if they're from Wentzville, St. Charles or Warrenton," he said.

Dennager joined the Red Cross in 2005 at the encouragement of his wife Nancy, 65, also a Red Cross volunteer. The couple also are volunteers for the Warren County Community Emergency Response Team and have traveled to Atlanta to provide disaster relief after a 2004 hurricane swept through the area.

If it wasn't for citizens like the Dennagers, programs like CERT and the Red Cross wouldn't be as effective, said Mike Daniels, director of Warren County's Emergency Management Agency.

Dennager received the award because last year he helped the Red Cross teach more than 20,000 school children about disaster preparedness, Farber said. This year the program has already reached more than 13,000 school children.

What makes Mr. Bill so unique is his ability to connect with children on an individual level, Farber said.

"They hang on his every word," he said.

Rachel Damlow, second-grade teacher at Twin Chimneys Elementary School in O'Fallon, echoed Farber's observation, describing Dennager - who visited her class Tuesday - as patient and understanding with children.

"He's very good at getting the message across so they understand it," she said.

She said her class gets excited when Mr. Bill visits.

Dennager brings stuffed animals that act as mascots for that presentation. For tornadoes, there's Twister Turtle. For fires, there's Cool Cat. For winter storms, Ready Rabbit. And earthquakes, Disaster Dog.

"Twister Turtle, Ready Rabbit will help ease that tension. That way, they feel more comfortable learning about the different disasters," he said.

Dennager is not the only volunteer to give such presentations, but Farber said he is the volunteer schools request by name on a repeat basis.

"That's another real indicator of his effectiveness and ability to reach children and adults," he said.

St. Charles County Citizen Corps Council Seeks Volunteers to Strengthen Homeland Security Effort

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rita Konertz-Lee, Secretary/Treasurer
St. Charles County Citizen Corps Council
(636-332-0790 or 636-279-1726)
(cstarsc@hotmail.com)

St. Charles County Citizen Corps Council Seeks Volunteers to Strengthen Homeland Security Effort

(March 3, 2008 – St. Charles County, MO) Homeland security begins at home. At least that is the assertion of St. Charles County Citizen Corps Council, which is continuing to grow throughout the county to strengthen local communities against the dangers of terrorism, crime and natural disasters.

The formation of Citizen Corps on a national level is the result of selflessness and heroism that followed the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. As a result, people began to question: how such a disaster might be prevented in the future, and if such another disaster should occur, how they could best prepare for and respond to it. Citizen Corps was created to help all Americans answer these questions through public education and outreach, training, and volunteer service.

"Citizen Corps is a critical component of our work to prepare the homeland by getting citizens prepared, trained and involved," said Tracy Henke, Executive Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Grants and Training, and Chair of the National Citizen Corps Council. "We firmly believe, as does our President, that everyone has the ability to help out their community in their own special way. The success of this endeavor is totally dependent on the spirit of volunteerism in the state of Missouri – we can’t do this without engaging volunteers in each community," added Henke.

"The primary goal of the Citizen Corps Council is to create and support a network of community-based volunteer efforts, utilizing existing networks and organizations," said Mark Rosenblum, Chairman of the St. Charles County Citizen Corps Council, "to make their communities safer from threats of all types, educate the public on safety, protection and prevention, and to spearhead volunteer and educational efforts." The Council also brings together firefighters, emergency health care providers, law enforcement, and emergency managers with volunteer resources. "This organized network allows professional first responders to focus on saving lives during an emergency, and empowers the Citizen Corps volunteers to quickly mobilize and focus on tasks such as staffing shelters for disaster victims, traffic control or debris removal," added Rosenblum.

The St. Charles County Citizen Corps Council coordinates the efforts of programs such as Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Fire Corps, Medical Reserve Corps, Neighborhood Watch, and Volunteers in Police Service, as well as groups such as the American Red Cross, American Legion, Civil Air Patrol, Department of Education, National Fire Protection Association, Points of Light Foundation and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, just to name a few.

Since the creation of Citizen Corps in January 2002, DHS has worked in close collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the fire service community to develop programs that provide an integrated approach to citizen participation.

• There are over 2,000 Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs across the country that offer a minimum of 20 hours of hand-on instruction for citizens in emergency preparedness, disaster medical operations, fire safety, and basic search and rescue. CERT helps train citizens to be better prepared to respond to emergency situations in their communities. When emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that help improve the safety of the community. The program focuses on preparing communities to be able to respond to acts of terrorism or other disasters that breach the security and safety of their citizens. The best defense is a strongly interconnected community that is able to handle a disaster or an act of terrorism. Your local community is in the best position to determine appropriate strategies for integrating service and volunteering into homeland security efforts. There are several CERT programs in the St. Charles County area: Cottleville, Dardenne Prairie, Lake Saint Louis, St. Charles City, St. Charles County, St. Peters/Central County, Weldon Spring, and Wentzville, as well as a St. Charles County Teen CERT program.

• The HHS Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Program has more than 350 units around the country that engage citizen volunteer physicians, nurses, pharmacists and others with an interest in a broad range of skills in medicine, public health and other support fields. MRC coordinates the skills of practicing and retired physicians, nurses and other health professionals as well as other citizens interested in health issues, who are eager to volunteer to address their community's ongoing public health needs and to help their community during large-scale emergency situations.

• One of the oldest and best-known crime prevention concepts in America, the National Neighborhood Watch Program, has registered over 14,000 Watch Programs, many with a revitalized mission to include neighborhood emergency preparedness. In 2002, the Neighborhood Watch Program launched USAonWatch, a program that expands beyond traditional crime prevention and provides resources, education, and tools to neighborhoods on disaster preparedness, emergency response, and terrorism awareness.

• Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) has more than 1,300 registered programs participating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. VIPS provides support and resources for agencies interested in developing or enhancing a volunteer program for citizens who wish to volunteer their time and skills with a law enforcement agency. The program's ultimate goal is to improve the capacity of state and local law enforcement to utilize volunteers.

• Fire Corps, started in December 2004, has nearly 400 registered programs. Fire Corps brings citizens into local fire and emergency service departments to assist in non-operational roles, allowing firefighters and emergency medical responders to focus on critical, life-threatening situations. Through the use of citizen advocates, Fire Corps increases the capacity of volunteer, combination and career fire/EMS departments and creates a vital link between the fire and emergency services and citizens who want to make a difference in their community.

To learn more about the Citizen Corps and volunteer opportunities in St. Charles County, contact the Division of Emergency Management at (636) 949-3023 or the Red Cross at (636) 397-1074.

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