Lake County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Patrick Maddox explained how his department responds to emergency situations such as bad storms.
Star photo/Shanna AveryBALDWIN — Members of the Baldwin Lions Club gained some insight about how emergency situations in the county are handled when Lake County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Patrick Maddox spoke at their meeting Nov. 9.
Maddox was invited to speak and help present a check for $200 from the Baldwin Lions Club to the Avery family, of Chase, whose home received damage from a tree which crashed through the roof during a Sept. 7 storm.
After the presentation of the check, which the family expressed many thanks for, Maddox thanked the group for inviting him to speak.
Maddox, who also is a dispatcher, said emergency management works closely with other agencies, and continually plans on how to deal with disasters to reduce fallout.
"That was a really bad storm a month and a half ago. We had the Red Cross come in to see what kind of damage was out there, and connect with other groups like yourselves, who help like you did with Miss Avery. Last time there was flooding, you helped three families," he said to Lions members.
Maddox said emergency management works with the National Weather System, and if they know a bad storm is coming, he programs a Code Red to send an alert to the public.
"I send those out (Code Reds). It could be weather-related, or like the forest fire this past summer in Webber Township," he said. "We coordinated with Dial-A-Ride to get the dogs out of the animal shelter. If we know it's coming, we get the warnings out. This last storm came very quickly."
Maddox said a lot of his position as emergency manager involves coordinating.
"When a bad storm hits, right away we see if there needs to be rescue efforts, and what roads need to get cleared. Dispatch takes on a lot of this. We work closely with law enforcement folks, with the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the State Police, Department of Natural Resources, mutual aid, fire crews, the road commission, the Red Cross, and so many people," he said. "Hopefully by always trying to stay in prevention mode, we can reduce fallout and impact."
When not dealing with actual emergency situations, Maddox sets up training with hypothetical situations, such as at the GEO Prison, Grand Oaks Nursing Center, and even the courthouse with tornado and fire drills. Training (not counting real-life events) is required to keep emergency management funded.
Maddox said a big part of his job is to educate and reach out to the public, such as speaking at schools and at meetings.
He also encourages people to sign up to get Code Reds by going on the Lake County website, and get notifications that aren't just emergency situations.
