The Flossmoor Board of Trustee meeting Jan. 22 focused on village safety protocols in cases of emergencies.
The board approved amendments to article 2 chapter 105 of the village code to bring it into alignment with state law. The section goes over the power the mayor has in calling states of emergency and plans for what actions village officials will take.
Trustee Rosalind Mustafa said it’s good to have a document establishing the responsibility of the mayor in cases of emergency and wondered what procedure will be put in place for communication between officials and residents.
“It’s very clear what’s covered, so how will we communicate this to our residents if we have an emergency?” Mustafa said. “We have good social media and Instagram, village newsletter and the Chronicle, but we don’t have time for (messages to) those vehicles to be created and disseminated.”
Assistant Village Manager Jonathan Bogue said one thing being done is practice scenarios for emergencies with public safety officials. The village is still working on proper communication.
“How are we going to communicate amongst each other (officials) let alone our residents and our students?” Bogue said, as an example of the questions officials are working on.
Bogue said some communication might include a short-term radio system that has been used in the past, using the reverse 911 push system and having emergency vehicles with bullhorns to alert residents.
One of the main ways of communication practiced the most is directing people to the village website, Bogue said. He noted that village hall has emergency power supply in a crisis, so staff would still be able to post community messages online.
