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Monroeville leaders praise public works, police after severe storm; emergency management training discussed
Summary
Mayor and staff credited public works, police and fire for storm response after high winds knocked out power and damaged traffic signals; officials discussed National Incident Management System training and local emergency-management roles.
Mayor Griesock opened the May 6 agenda-setting meeting by commending municipal employees for their response to a damaging storm last week that knocked out power and traffic signals across Monroeville.
The praise came as municipal officials described widespread outages and infrastructure damage: council heard that the borough now maintains 41 traffic signals after one was destroyed, about 25 signals were without power during the outage, and public works received dozens of calls for service. “I just want to start by commending you and your staff,” Mayor Griesock said.
Why it matters: failure of electrical service and traffic control during a severe weather event can create public-safety risks, strain emergency responders and disrupt essential services. Council members and staff used the meeting to explain response steps and to discuss emergency-management training and organization.
At the meeting, Doug Cole, identified himself as chief of police and emergency management coordinator for Monroeville and said the borough is recognized by the county and PEMA and that personnel fulfilled regional obligations during the event. “We fulfill all our obligations to the region as well as to, PEMA,” Cole said. He noted that police, fire and EMS personnel and many public-works employees had completed NIMS training as part of accreditation efforts.
Public-works staff reported deployment numbers and damage tallies. Council heard that roughly 30 public-works employees were deployed within 30 minutes of the storm and that public works logged about 70 calls for service during the response. Staff described five signals as significantly damaged and one as catastrophically damaged; generators were used to maintain critical signal and communications equipment until power was restored.
Several residents and a council member urged that the borough maintain clear, consistent emergency-management responsibilities and training. Community member Lois Drumheller recommended that council members complete National Incident Management System (NIMS) training and that the borough maintain a dedicated emergency management coordinator rather than a shared duty. Chief Cole and other staff said the borough meets NIMS standards and that officers, firefighters and EMS providers have NIMS training, in part through the police department’s recent accreditation process.
Council did not take formal action at the May 6 meeting; the mayor announced proclamations for National Police Week and National Public Works Week to be entered into the record. Officials said follow-up items (including after-action reviews and any staffing or training proposals) will be considered during future meetings and that any legislative action would be scheduled for the May 13 regular council meeting.
Council members repeatedly thanked public-works crews, police, fire and EMS for working long shifts during the outage and urged patience from residents while remaining cleanup and repairs continue.
