@disasterdiscourse.bsky.social
Your Friendly Neighborhood Emergency Manager, Professor, and Show Host.
Mayor fires CEMA head based on dubious investigation by Carmody law firm same day Board of E&A (Mayor, Comptroller, Board Prez) increase 'equity' counsel contract w/ Carmody + new optional extension up to 3 yrs
Fire Dept reputation upheld, scapegoat found, entire purpose of so-called investigation
There are more details in my request, but two months is more than enough time to at least release the call log from one device and roll out the rest as they clear it.
19.08.2025 06:19 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0I submitted a Sunshine Law request regarding timestamped communication before, during, and after the storm.
I’ve been receiving the same message since my request was made on 6/20. But I imagine that something as simple as a call record for one device was made available for this report?
![The events of May 16, 2025 revealed an utter lack of policy and procedures regarding both
the activation and maintenance/repair of siren system, as well as a breakdown in leadership and
responsibility for responding to a disaster scenario.
The only written documentation of a policy regarding activating the siren system that we
uncovered is a document on the CEMA website titled “Outdoor Warning Siren Activation
Standard Operating Procedure” which states that “[t]he outdoor warning siren system is to be
activated at the primary activation point, the Fire Alarm Office at St. Louis Fire Department
Headquarters.”13 This document clearly states that the OWS is to be activated by dispatchers in
the Fire Alarm Office and was last updated in 2021. However, the interviews we conducted support
our finding that in practice there was no clear policy regarding who was responsible for activating
the siren for either the monthly tests or during severe weather.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:xxzttkyvhgo3jqjqaacj6nf7/bafkreie6desqgolwn342f6lhtudadf4ybu2uorulxrf3zi2c3dwspgnadq@jpeg)
The events of May 16, 2025 revealed an utter lack of policy and procedures regarding both the activation and maintenance/repair of siren system, as well as a breakdown in leadership and responsibility for responding to a disaster scenario. The only written documentation of a policy regarding activating the siren system that we uncovered is a document on the CEMA website titled “Outdoor Warning Siren Activation Standard Operating Procedure” which states that “[t]he outdoor warning siren system is to be activated at the primary activation point, the Fire Alarm Office at St. Louis Fire Department Headquarters.”13 This document clearly states that the OWS is to be activated by dispatchers in the Fire Alarm Office and was last updated in 2021. However, the interviews we conducted support our finding that in practice there was no clear policy regarding who was responsible for activating the siren for either the monthly tests or during severe weather.
"The majority of the time the monthly test is conducted by the Fire Department."
"utter lack of policy"...next paragraph “[t]he outdoor warning siren system is to be activated at the primary activation point, the Fire Alarm Office at SLFD HQ.”
And yet the report concludes CEMA is responsible?
