County adopts proclamation declaring August Emergency Management Appreciation Month

Polk County supervisors voted during their July 15 meeting to adopt a proclamation designating August as Emergency Management Appreciation Month in recognition of local emergency-management personnel. The sheriff addressed the board and said the work of emergency managers is ‘‘often behind the scenes’’ and called them ‘‘the big picture people.’’ The sheriff introduced several local emergency responders in the room, including Dave Campbell of Allied Fire, Nikki Gullickson of Northwest EMS, Ben Strobach (certified emergency manager, Clear Lake), Lisa McMahon (county emergency manager) and Ray Helling of Turtle Lake Fire. A supervisor moved to adopt the resolution, another seconded, and the board approved it by voice vote; the chair called the motion passed after an ‘‘All in favor? Aye’’ and no recorded opposition. The sheriff told the board the proclamation is meant to acknowledge planning and preparedness work that emergency managers and partner agencies perform across incidents such as accidents and fires and to thank those staff for coordinating crisis response.