October 25, 2002
BY GEORGE DAVIS
The preparations for this year's Angels' Night will give this area two big benefits. Everybody knows this communitywide effort helps lower the number of arson fires in the city and exorcises the memory of Devil's Nights past. Equally important this year, Angels' Night will be one of the largest full-scale annual disaster exercises in our nation and great preparation for possible terrorism.
The activities that the City of Detroit undertakes during this time test all the systems needed to manage a crisis situation. The Federal Emergency Management Association recommends that communities prepare for all hazards, making sure elements such as notification, health and medical responsiveness, communications and public safety are operating at the highest levels.
Detroit adopted this approach years ago as the city met the Angels' Night challenge. Some 30,000 workers and volunteers will take to the streets Oct. 29-31, working with law enforcement from around the state to stop potential arsonists or looters. The city lighting department will work with DTE Energy to make sure all the street lights are on. Children will be given safe places to play. Area fire departments, along with the city water department, will work together to battle any blazes that crop up.
The functions tested on Angels' Night have allowed Detroit to successfully manage several major emergencies over the last several years, including the 1997 tornado, the Organization of American States conference that drew protests in Windsor and at home, and, of course, Sept. 11. These same functions will be needed as the nation and potential terror threats linger for Detroit.
Leading experts list Detroit as high on the potential target list for terror. Its position as an international border city, its importance as the home of the auto industry, the production of anthrax vaccine in our state and various other factors give Detroit a unique luster under the spotlight of homeland security. A national report released last year, Defending the Homeland, used Detroit as a case study for a terrorist attack. Detroit must continue its tradition of emergency preparation as the Bush administration continues its war on terror.
This is not to diminish the City of Detroit's primary focus of eliminating arson. The city has been very successful in reducing this problem over the years. But the outgrowth has allowed Detroit to become uniquely prepared to handle crises that require citywide operations. This is a pleasant benefit in the post-9/11 era.
Some have questioned the continuance of the Angels' Night effort as fires have abated. But these activities must continue, if nothing else to keep the critical competencies of disaster management at a high level, not to mention keeping the potential hazard of arson at bay.
Detroit's tradition of overcoming disasters goes back to the great fire of 1805. Our city motto -- "We hope for better days; from the ashes we will rise" -- is a tribute to this legacy and serves as the fountain from which the community spirit of Angels' Night wells. Detroit will meet future challenges with this same fervor, especially if we stay true to our time-honored traditions.
Safety and security in our city are a function of our community spirit. As we strive to keep our part of the homeland secure, let's remember that the efforts of Angels' Night, and all who volunteer to make it a success, lay the cornerstone to Detroit's future safety.
GEORGE DAVIS is an emergency preparedness instructor for the Michigan State Police and an analyst for Detroit City Councilwoman Alberta Tinsley-Talabi. Write to him in care of the Free Press Editorial Page, 600 W. Fort St., Detroit, MI 48226.
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