Once again The Star has laid bare for everyone to see just how out of touch with reality your newspaper is when it comes to the chemical stockpile in our back yard.According to The Star’s editorial last Friday, the Calhoun County EMA, the state of Alabama and the five surrounding CSEPP counties should participate in the upcoming chemical exercise even though Calhoun County does not have 500 Level A protective suits, 36,000 protective hoods, a vital software upgrade for our command center, collective protection for the remaining 28 of the 37 schools, hospitals and other facilities FEMA promised to overpressurize five years ago, plans and resources for our special needs individuals who have been identified as being unable to evacuate or properly take sheltering actions, hundreds of 800 MHz radios for our first responders, vehicles to move critical rescue equipment. The list goes on and on.
Apparently The Star thinks Calhoun County EMA, Alabama EMA and our sister county EMAs should join them in their land of make believe.
For example, our policemen, firemen and emergency personnel can begin this mock exercise by saying, “I am now getting into my imaginary Level A protective suit that does not really exist so I can pretend I will not die when I go out to direct traffic or attempt to rescue people who are in contaminated areas.”
Special needs individuals — people in wheel chairs, confined to beds, latch-key children, etc. — can say, “I am now going into my imaginary safe room which has not been built so I can pretend the toxic plume will not enter my home and make me sick or kill me.” Our teachers and principals in Anniston, Oxford, Saks, Weaver and Ohatchee can say, “I am now pushing the imaginary button to turn on the over pressurization and filtration system my school does not really have so I can pretend the children will be safe.
In its editorial, The Star asked, “Where is the logic in not drilling your first responders?” Since the federal government has not funded the critical items on our safety checklist, and those items are not in place, that logic should be obvious. The real question is why The Star would want to continue to endorse and support the Army and FEMA’s annual “exercise” which can only be seen as creating a false sense of security in our community.
Half a loaf might be fine for making sandwiches, but it is not acceptable for emergency preparedness for our citizens and first responders.
Michael A. Burney, Director
Calhoun County EMA
The passing of a friend
I was saddened recently to learn that Star editorial writer Randy Hall (See: Playwright, newsman Randy Hall dies at 52), a fine colleague and wonderful person, had passed away. When I knew him in the early 1990s he was very much involved with his own plays, but never too busy to work with younger writers just learning their craft. One of the tips he used to give about ending a story was “as soon as the climax has happened, waste no time in getting everyone off the stage.” But it seems far too soon to see Randy go.
Anyone who saw the 1993 Alabama Shakespeare Festival production of his play, Grover, must agree that the state has lost a huge resource.
I do hope that theater companies around the state will consider Hall’s plays for many seasons to come, and that those who knew him well will continue to support the arts as he did: with hard work and undying generosity.
Eric Larson
Anniston Star reporter 1993-1996
Bikenibeau
Island of Tarawa
Republic of Kiribati
