On Monday of this week, Chasing4Life’s Jim Dills was named Emergency Manager of Doniphan, Nebraska. In an effort to introduce Jim to you and to give you the opportunity to get to know him better.
Doniphan, Nebraska is a small town of just under 800 people and is located in Southern Hall County near Interstate 80.
Here is our interview with Jim:
Was the decision to accept the job of EM a difficult one?
Yes, being an effective emergency manager takes time and education. The field is changing almost everyday. (Example: the H1N1 information keeps changing by the minute it seems like.)
How long have you lived in Doniphan? I moved here in 2000 so going on 10 years.
What is your opinion of Doniphan? Doniphan lives up to the community sign: "it’s a good life.
What is your opinion of the READINESS of Doniphan? Like all communities Readiness can always be improved no matter how ready a community is.
What do you hope to accomplish as EM in Doniphan? As EM I hope to establish the community in being prepared and to create an effective disaster recovery team if a disaster were ever to happen to our fine community.
What do you think the obstacles will be? Like all things change and new ideas sometimes takes time.
Why were YOU chosen to be EM? The prior EM was stepping down, he chose me because of my interest in Emergency Management, and experience working three major disasters with the Red Cross and the Nebraska National Guard..
Of all the disasters that could hit Doniphan, what is your GREATEST fear? Like most communities in Nebraska we are a farming community, we have two major suppliers of anhydrous in the city. My Greatest fear is a major rupture or a major leak during the night when everyone is a sleeping.
What do you remember as your biggest success or best story from your history doing disaster response work? I don’t consider my success so much as the organizational success of the people that work the disasters. I guess if you need a story I would have to say seeing how an effective and organized disaster team makes a difference in those that are suffering from the disaster.
The worst? Seeing how people suffer during a disaster whether it is a major or individual disaster.
How do you plan on being the BEST EM you can be? By education, training and working with other Emergency Manager and their teams.
