Kane County emergency management reports record volunteer hours, debuts mobile operations center

The Kane County Emergency Management director told the Judicial and Public Safety Committee on Sept. 11 that August produced about 1,800 volunteer hours and 37 incidents and details, numbers the director described as unusually high absent a single large disaster. The office reported growth in social-media reach during National Emergency Management Awareness Month and said outreach contributed to increased public engagement. The director announced that the county99s new mobile operations center arrived a few weeks earlier and has begun a demonstration tour that started with county staff. "One of the things I'm most proud of is we've made a lot of connections with county staff," the director said, noting scheduled demonstrations for fire chiefs, emergency management coordinators and attendance at the new-member academy graduation on Oct. 1. For Preparedness Month the office will host a "touch a truck" event on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Judicial Center parking lot to display the mobile operations center and partner agency vehicles, the director said. The director said outreach and training efforts are intended to increase the public's familiarity with emergency services and noted the mobile operations center will be used for training and coordination with other agencies. The committee did not take formal action; staff encouraged board members to attend the graduation and public event.