Elementary students get safety tips
Students of the Libby Elementary School’s after school program received a special presentation in the school library Tuesday, Dec. 8. On behalf of the Lincoln County Emergency county Emergency Management Agency, Bill Cunnane told the students, grades two to six, what they should do in emergencies.
In his presentation, Cunnane went over important safety rules with the students, telling them what they should do in different kinds of emergencies. He taught them how to handle such situations as fallen power lines, fires, flooding and blackouts.
One of the things that Cunnane stressed in his presentation was the importance of a “go bag” or “bug out bag.” Cunnane said a go bag should contain anything that might be needed in an emergency and should be ready to go at a moment’s notice, so that it can be retrieved immediately in the event that the owner needs to evacuate.
When preparing a bag, Cunnane suggested to the students that they pack food, water, money, clothes, flashlights, batteries and things to pass the time until the emergency ends, such as a few toys, or a game or two.
As another part of the presentation, Cunnane showed the students how ham radio can be helpful in emergency situations.
As a former resident of New Jersey and the former director of ham radio communications in Ocean County, New Jersey, Cunnane said he helped coordinate with authorities over ham radio after the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
“I was responsible for passing, via ham radio, logistics to the governor’s office in New Jersey, and then to McGuire Air Force Base and then back again,” said Cunnane. “I did that for 18 hours a day for two weeks.”
“I lost several friends up in the towers, including a ham radio operator who was on top of one of the towers at the time. I came out here 12 years ago. As soon as I came out here, I saw the need for communications help. After Sept. 11, 2001, it was found that ham radio was a key instrument during Sept. 11, 2001 and the recovery. The FCC recognized that fact and mandated that all counties include ham radio operators in their emergency programs.”
Cunnane said he is retired and that he gave his presentation on behalf of the Emergency Management Agency on a volunteer basis. He also said he serves as liaison between the agency and the county.
According to their section of the Lincoln County Website at www.lincolncountymt.us, the Emergency Management Agency, or EMA, is Libby’s lead emergency response team and is responsible for coordinating mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery activities related to natural and man-made disasters that Lincoln County faces.
Agency director Kirk Kraft serves as the County Fire Warden and Chair of the County Fire Co-op. Kraft also serves as chair of the Local Emergency Planning Committee, or LEPC, maintains status of FCC two-way radio communications and represents the county for disaster-related incident command functions, emergency operations planning and preparedness grant funding activities.