Among the City of Dearborn’s responsibilities to its citizens is to mitigate or minimize the effects of a man-made or natural disaster that may occur within the city limits.

The Emergency Management Division, led by Fire Chief Joseph Murray, works to identify and analyze potential hazards that may face the community. This information is used to develop plans and procedures to be used to prepare for and recover from the disaster. These plans are tested, refined, and retested, all with the goal of saving lives and reducing property damage. Chief Murray stays in constant contact with county, state, and federal response agencies to ensure our response procedures and plans are incorporated in their plans.

Listed below are links to various emergency management related sites, as well as information on developing a personal emergency plan. This includes items to maintain in your personal readiness kit, shelter locations within the community, and how to care for your pets. There is also information available specific to older adults, disabled citizens as well as the business community.

If you would like more detailed information or would like to schedule a presentation or guest speaker on various disaster related subjects, please contact the Emergency Management Division.

Personal Preparedness

The most important thing citizens can do is to prepare themselves and their families to withstand the effects of disasters. There are several things you can do to ensure your family if prepared. First, you should have a plan. This plan should include items such as where to meet, how to contact family members, and how to let someone know you are safe. Additionally, you should have a supply kit, which includes basic items such as cash, food, water, flashlight, radio, batteries, prescription drugs etc. Your kit should contain enough items to be sufficient for a minimum of three days. For more information on what should be included in your plan and supply kit, use the link to Ready.gov.

Business

The same basic principles for personal preparedness planning can be applied to business. All businesses should have a plan for how they will operate during disaster situations. These plans should include how to notify your workers on the status of the business. You should also have a plan to protect valuable information and equipment.

Older Citizens and Those With Disabilities

Many of our citizens face additional challenges during disasters due to age or disabilities. While we are developing additional plans and procedures to help these citizens, we need your help as well. Do you have a neighbor or loved one who needs additional assistance or special medical needs? If so, please make it a part of your emergency plan to check on those individuals. Also, please take a few moments to complete the survey on this website to help us identify those in our community with special needs. This will allow for us to make plans on how we can help them during disaster situations. There are several websites, which can provide invaluable information to help our citizens who may need special assistance during a disaster.

Useful links:   

• American Red Cross Disaster Preparedness
• Ready.gov        
• DisabilityPreparedness.gov
• MI Drive: Live MDOT cameras and real time travel information
• Pandemic Flu
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Michigan Emergency Management & Homeland Security
• National Weather Service