By Cathy Higgins
BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce concluded its 2011 Quarterly Breakfast series Tuesday morning with a focus on safety.
A group that had the Bay Minette City Council Chambers about 75 percent full listened as Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency Director John Perrett discussed the organization’s role in north Baldwin County.
“There are five phases of the EMA,” the Bay Minette native said.
Those phases of addressing weather-related emergencies in Baldwin County include planning, preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation, Perrett listed.
Bay Minette Fire Chief Phil Bryers pointed out that his department partners with the EMA to help in emergencies in and around Bay Minette.
“Some of the resources we have are a HAZMAT trailer and a mobile unit,” he said of the tools used in chemical or medical emergencies.
In explaining the preparedness portion of the EMA’s goal, Perrett pointed out the organization’s training classes for First Responders, which include First Aid and CPR.
“We teach those classes, too,” Bay Minette Mayor Jamie Tillery said, explaining another way the city partners with the EMA.
Although Perrett’s presentation focused on weather and health-related emergencies, Candi Lake of Huntington College asked about a new type of emergency.
“What are you doing about cyber- attacks?” she asked, pointing out potential threats against computers and mobile devices.
Perrett said those types of security issues were handled at the state and federal levels.
“We don’t get too involved with it at the county level,” he said.
Perrett invited attendees to visit the EMA website,
www.co.baldwin.al.us, to learn more and download checklists for emergency planning.
