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LARGER VERSION

Capt. Jeff Maslan

Coral Springs PD

CITY PREPAREDNESS

The speaker today is no stranger to Rotary.  A number of years ago Jeff Maslan was a member of a group study exchange team to Australia and he is profoundly grateful for that opportunity.

He grew up on Long Island wanting to be a fireman, but after moving and having his brother become a police officer Jeff decided to become a cop, and he joined the Coral Springs Police in 1987.

Emergency management started out dealing with weather situations and was called SWEOP = Severe Weather Emergency Operations.  That was later changed to deal with all sorts of hazards - chemical spills, terrorist threats, and other matters which would threaten the citizenry of Coral Springs. 

To be successful it was necessary to organize the program beyond the borders of Coral Springs - adjacent cities needed to be brought into the program as well as adjacent facilities such as all Broward medical facilities - each prepared to react in the event of an emergency.  Even the employees of the city are involved in the program. 

The city has organized several ways to inform citizens of potential matters of concern  - Code Red, a voice messaging system which contacts subscribers by phone to give alerts; Community Alert and E-news, providing security and tropical weather alerts; and broadcast media on 1670 AM radio and City TV 25 on Advanced Cable.

The city has also organized Community Emergency Response Teams throughout the city to handle local emergencies, including matters such as missing children.

Applications to become members of CERT teams or to be included in the alert notices are available on the city web site at www.coralsprings.org