Key to emergency response? Having a plan CSEA members in several Long Island communities are playing leading roles in preparing for severe weather, including having a plan to respond to severe weather storms that can bring road closures, downed trees and power outages. When the emergencies occur, CSEA members will be the workers on the front lines, working non-stop to keep their communities safe. In addition to clearing roads and responding to emergencies, CSEA members who work maintenance at office or school buildings are also hard at work making sure their walkways and parking lots are clear of snow and ice. In the Town of Brookhaven, CSEA members have developed an in-house emergency operations center, saving the town about $45,000 over three years and time in completion. Brookhaven’s emergency operations center serves as support for employees, who can be alerted to incidents from a central location. This central messaging helps CSEA members coordinate and plan during bad weather. Saving dollars “We saved the town quite a bit of money from Hurricane Sandy,” said Walter Dunn, Town of Brookhaven White Collar Unit president. “From here, we keep track of invoices. We then can take our documentation, turn it over to FEMA and get the town’s money back.” CSEA members have also developed an in-house incident management system, which “With this system, there’s no delayed reaction. We save time by having real-time information.” tracks incidents in real time so town highway workers can promptly respond and resolve situations before they worsen. Town workers have also developed another emergency operations center based in the Highway Department, helping keep Merrick Sanitation Yard workers make sure the plows stay ready for use. From left, Kenneth Hill, Anthony Lobello, Harold Pinder and Johnny Vereen. local roads safer. “With this system, there’s no delayed reaction,” said Wally Greene, Brookhaven Highway Department Unit president. “We save time by having real-time information.” Preparation for winter also starts early in the Town of Hempstead, where highway workers have been mixing 3,000 tons of sand, dirt and road salt, a task they do all winter. Town workers also stock supplies and maintain plows and other vehicles to ensure they are ready once the snow hits. “This is a 24-hour operation when the weather’s bad. We have to be ready,” said Anthony Lobello, a shop supervisor at Hempstead’s sanitation yard. When a storm is predicted, workers jump into action in anticipation of many stressful hours, or even days, of nonstop work to keep the roads safe. John Sullivan, a CSEA member and Town of North Hempstead highway worker, said that stress often sets in while he and his co-workers are getting ready. Sullivan and other town workers are featured in a town-produced video that chronicled the workers’ response to Winter Storm Juno in January 2015. The North Hempstead members are also featured in CSEA’s Get the Edge on Ice print and broadcast ads that will be running statewide. The campaign urges drivers to slow down and allow plow operators space to safely clear roads during winter storms. (See page 20) “The anxiety starts to set in and you often can’t sleep or rest in the hours before a storm, which can be a problem because a long shift is on the horizon,” Sullivan said. “We don’t leave until this is done.” — Wendi Bowie Town of Brookhaven White Collar Unit President Walter Dunn checks updated information posted at the Emergency Operations Center. Town of North Hempstead highway worker John Sullivan driving during the new CSEA Get The Edge on Ice broadcast ad. 12 The Work Force December 2015
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