Stephen Willoughby ,Director for Emergency Communications, Preparedness & Response at the City of Richmond, holds decades of experience in emergency management to his credit. With a thorough understanding of the overall public safety operations of the city, Willoughby prioritizes public safety services to ensure a recovery from emergencies without harm.
In an interview with Govt Business Review, Willoughby talks about the need to incorporate the needs of the vulnerable population while dealing with disasters.
What are the changes that your organization has witnessed in the recent past?
Emergency management, which used to be a civil defense, has now evolved into modern-day crisis management. As we’re good at managing crises, my team and I often get involved in situations that are not traditionally considered emergencies. Our engagement in crisis management during the pandemic exemplifies our efficiency. We were able to organize the individuals, bring about a plan and build a structure around it. This goes beyond emergency management and extends to crisis management.
Along with providing emergency management services to the city as a whole, we try to incorporate specific measures like an emergency operation plan to ensure the safety of the groups in need of help
In the city, we have merged the office of emergency management and emergency communications in the city’s public safety technology, which isn’t a part of the traditional police force or firefighting operations. In cities of the size of Richmond and smaller, the 911 center, a part of emergency communications, has situational awareness of the significant incidents in the city. As we merged the two offices, our emergency management capacity services have become a situational awareness unit, reimagining emergency management.
This has given emergency management a voice, and I’m on the mayor’s cabinet now. This is a direct role under the city administrator, elevating our work in emergency management in the city of Richmond. Additionally, we also incorporate innovative technology to deliver our services in the city with our public safety partners.
Can you explain the projects that you’ve been involved in recently?
We center our focus on vulnerable populations as Richmond has a high poverty level compared to many other cities. Fewer than 20 percent of our population lives in poverty, and we have been able to make a considerable dent in the rate in the last seven years. The impact of any emergency on the vulnerable population will be high because of the lack of safety systems such as proper housing facilities. Along with providing emergency management services to the city as a whole, we try to incorporate specific measures like an emergency operation plan to ensure the safety of the disadvantaged groups in an emergency.
One of the ways in which we do that is by using grant dollars to buy backpacks consisting of core emergency preparedness supplies like flashlights and disaster alarm devices. We then deliver those to low-income housing communities. Having grown up in a financially challenged household, I understand they would rather spend on essential than emergency supplies. We also work with the Office of Community Wealth Building and are currently working on various projects to ensure the inclusivity of vulnerable populations through our outreach programs. We are associated with Virginia Commonwealth University to study the most effective way of reaching out to that population of our community. We are also updating our recovery plan because it is a challenge for them to recover from the effects of an emergency. We focus our priority on preparedness for recovery in the event of a disaster for those in need.
What is your piece of advice for the budding professionals in the industry?
Understand the section of people needing help in your community who cannot recover from a disaster. When people have no means to recover, it can harm them. It is important to recognize that the myriad of lands you deal with will have such communities, and include their needs in your risk management plans.
The key to emergency management is collaborating and working as a team. This profession will need you to leave your ego at the door and work with different organizations regardless of who leads the team. As long as the project is making the community better prepared to respond and recover from an emergency, the organization does not matter.
