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Linn County Emergency Management updates Marion on CERT, storm watch and recent community events
Summary
Linn County Emergency Management presented on staff changes, CERT revitalization and trainings, storm-watch coordination with Marion Fire, the CERT rodeo on Sept. 27, community preparedness open-house activities, and partnership work supporting Marion events.
Linn County Emergency Management delivered its annual update to the Marion City Council, detailing personnel changes, community volunteer training and recent operational support for local events.
Vijay (BJ) Dvorak reported that Pete Brisbine joined Linn County as the new operations and readiness officer (start date 12/23/2024) after Tom Ulrich’s retirement. He described activation procedures for the emergency operations center and storm-watch coordination with Marion Fire, including use of the outdoor warning sirens and real‑time information from field crews.
Dvorak described efforts to rebuild the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) beginning in 2020, monthly training offerings (fire extinguisher use, backboarding, traffic control), and community deployments such as staffing the rapid trailer and command center during the city’s fireworks/fireflies event. He said the CERT rodeo (Sept. 27) hosted seven teams from across Iowa and about 35–40 participants and provided presentations and interactive drills.
On public engagement, Dvorak highlighted a community preparedness open house at Fire Station No. 1 with hands-only CPR and extinguisher training, attended by roughly 20 residents, and thanked Marion staff for ongoing stakeholder planning sessions.
Council members commended the relationship and planning efforts. No formal actions or votes were taken; the item was presented as informational.
