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Emergency Management with Minnesota Department of Public Safety Division of Homeland Security and <br /> Emergency Management Director Joe Kelly <br /> Lotter stated welcomed Joe Kelly to the City stating he would be providing the Council with a presentation on <br /> Emergency Management. <br /> Joe Kelly, Emergency Management Director, thanked the Council for their time. He explained New Brighton <br /> has a special relationship with the State. He commented on the training that occurs in New Brighton for the <br /> Public Safety Division of Homeland Security and how the community served as an Emergency Command <br /> Center for his organization. He discussed how his organization worked to keep people safe and how worked to <br /> assist communities in crisis. <br /> Mr. Kelly described the importance of being prepared for emergency situations and commended New Brighton <br /> for their incredible Public Safety and Public Works Departments. He reported Minnesota was one of the most <br /> disaster-prone State's in the country due to flooding, rainstorms and tornados. He commented further on <br /> emergency situations that had occurred throughout Minnesota in recent history. He discussed the hail storm <br /> that occurred in Blaine/Lino Lakes two years ago and the extent of the damage that was caused from that <br /> storm. <br /> Mr. Kelly commented on the amount of funding that was provided to cities in Minnesota when disasters occur. <br /> He described when an event becomes an incident. The major incidents that could occur in New Brighton were <br /> discussed. He reviewed how events became incidents, emergencies and disasters. The life safety priorities that <br /> must be addressed during emergency situations were discussed with the Council. <br /> Mr. Kelly showed the Council a short video and reviewed how a community was impacted by a train <br /> derailment. He commented on how this community worked quickly to protect lives and the environment. He <br /> highlighted the importance of non-governmental agencies in emergency situations. He discussed how <br /> emergency events are coordinated and commanded. <br /> Mr. Kelly explained how his organization defines incident command system as being a standardized approach <br /> to the on-scene management of an emergency or disaster situation. He described who does what with respect <br /> to command, operations, logistics, finances, and planning. <br /> Mr. Kelly called for a short recess of the worksession meeting at 6:28 p.m. <br /> Mr. Kelly reconvened the worksession meeting at 6:33 p.m. <br /> Mr. Kelly congratulated the City of New Brighton on their emergency response plan. He commented that not <br /> all communities in Ramsey County have a plan in place. He reviewed the policy issues communities had to <br /> address during an incident. He described how an Emergency Operations Center was vital during an emergency <br /> situation. The power under a local declaration was discussed. He described several local disasters and how <br /> they were managed by local entities. <br /> Mr. Kelly commented on the types of assistance that were available to communities as being public assistance <br /> and individual assistance. He reported public assistance was offered by the Federal and State governments. <br /> He provided further comment on how the City would go about receiving a reimbursement. He explained it <br /> could take the City anywhere from six month to six years to be reimbursed. He commended the State of <br /> Minnesota for the programs it has in place to assist communities in crisis. <br />