"One of the most vital, yet often overlooked roles is the responsibility held by local officials for emergency management. Ensuring that a community or county is ready for both natural or man-made disasters is one of the most important jobs that local officials can have."
- Mark Schouten, Administrator, Iowa Homeland Security & Emergency Management (2012)
As we've seen in just the past decade, the Cedar Valley is susceptible to natural disaster, as witnessed by the 2008 and 2016 floods, the F5 tornado that plowed through Parkersburg and New Hartford in 2008, and other major storms. Add to that a potential for an industrial incident, railway derailments, or other man-made disasters, and it's clear that we must have officials who understand and appreciate effective emergency management.
During my ten years with the Coast Guard (as a cadet and commissioned officer), I spent significant time studying and carrying out policy and procedure development with federal, state, and local emergency responders. I was trained (and trained others) in HAZMAT response, firefighting, and disaster response (particularly via the Incident Command System). As a City Council Representative, I won't micro-manage government emergency responders as they carry out their responsibilities....but will enthusiastically work to ensure that the system is working efficiently and effectively, has been planned out appropriately, and to bring attention to any roadblocks or gaps.
City Council reps are bound to have their own special focus based on their backgrounds and interests. Mine will be Emergency Management, as well as Neighborhood Development and Community-Wide Strategic Planning... because they really go hand in hand (your neighbors are your closest first responders!).
I hope you'll give me the opportunity to apply my background and strong interest in emergency management to Cedar Falls by voting for me on November 7th.
"Spread the word about Rob Green. I am military retired with much disaster education and a Liaison Officer with the Iowa National Guard, Rob is the only candidate with qualifications to preserve Critical Infrastructure for Cedar Falls during a disaster." Jerome Palas