Dear Residents,
The recent power outage has prioritized our emergency response planning. As background, this past February, we held our first emergency management meeting in many years where we discussed contingency planning and improvements to our response efforts. The minutes of that meeting can be found here: https://mayorsblog.villageofkinderhook.org/emergency-management-meeting/
As a resident of the Village of Kinderhook, your first line of defense during an emergency is your family, friends, and neighbors. I encourage all of you to have conversations with your family, friends, and neighbors to discuss how you would support one another during periods when the power is out for an extended period.
However, the village government has a responsibility to assist residents most in need.
If you are elderly, have a disability, are utilizing oxygen tanks, are unable to leave your home without assistance, or otherwise would like to request a “check-in” from a village representative during an emergency situation, please call or email the village office at 518-758-9882 or okvillagehall@villageofkinderhook.org. We will follow-up with you on who and when a village representative will check-up on you during an emergency.
If you would like to volunteer with the Palmer Engine and Hose Company to check on a neighbor during an emergency or supervise a heating or cooling station to enable our volunteer fire fighters to respond to calls, please contact the village office at the phone or email above. You will be provided with training and be matched with a resident to check on during an emergency.
We only have 15 active members of our fire department. They cannot respond to calls and simultaneously check-up on residents. We need YOU to step up and help your neighbors most in need.
This will be a formal program in which volunteers will work closely with members of the Palmer Engine and Hose Company, be provided formal training, and have a village ID card. Matches between residents and volunteers will be supervised and mutually approved by both the resident and volunteer. Volunteers will not enter homes. The “check-up” will be a phone call or door knock to ensure the resident in need is okay. Any requests for support will be relayed to the volunteer firefighters for follow-up and action.
The Palmer Engine and Hose Company is our primary building for heating, cooling, and power during an emergency. All residents are welcome here during an emergency. The village has also requested funds from New York State to renovate Van Buren Hall to make this building suitable for residents during emergencies as well.
We are also rolling out a new village website within the next few months and we will have the ability to text message residents (who sign-up to receive messages) during emergency situations.
Our volunteer firefighters are the heroes of our community. With only 15 active members, they must prioritize their efforts to 911 calls during emergency situations. We need YOU to help check-up on our most vulnerable neighbors during emergencies.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email us at mayor@villageofkinderhook.org. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Mike Abrams – Mayor, Village of Kinderhook
Matt Cohn – Chief, Palmer Engine and Hose Company
