South Holland E.S.D.A.

John Thomas, Jr. Director

Station is located at 1459 E 168th Street Phone: 708-210-2919

Ralph Turner Deputy Director

ABOUT E.S.D.A.

E.S.D.A. is an entity of the Village of South Holland, headed by a Director who is responsible to the President of the Village Board. Members, all of whom are volunteer, give their time and talents without pay to serve the community.

E.S.D.A. is designed to work when either man-made or natural disasters or emergencies occur in South Holland or the surrounding area.

E.S.D.A. is the modern, better trained version of the old Civil Defense Corps which protected our nation during and after World War II.

E.S.D.A. has its origins in the Federal legislation which created FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. E.S.D.A.s are the local arm of FEMA, although they are not under Federal or State control unless an officially declared emergency situation exists in a community, state, or region.

WHAT DOES E.S.D.A. DO?

• Traffic control
• Crowd control
• Search and Rescue (land and water)
• Weather spotting
• Disseminate public information
• Mutual aid (assisting other suburban E.S.D.A. units)

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:

• Provide support to Village departments and organizations.
• Provide support for community events
• Protect the environment
• Work with other E.S.D.A. units
• Provide necessary facilities and training
• Provide needed vehicles and facilities
• Recognize volunteers annually

JOIN THE SOUTH HOLLAND E.S.D.A.

If you would like to become on of the proud volunteers who make up the South Holland E.S.D.A., call us at 708-210-2919.
An application may be obtained from the Village Hall at 16226 Wausau Avenue.

To be a member, you must:

1. Have a clear driving record.
2. Have a clear criminal record.
3. Be willing to respond to "ALL CALLS" at all hours of the day or night. (Exceptions to this rule are made for persons who cannot leave work or school.)
4. Be able to attend bi-monthly meetings. (first and third Tuesday of each month)
5. Members are also expected to serve as the extra eyes of the Police Department through routine Village patrols.

E.S.D.A. members are both men and women.

Who are the members of E.S.D.A.? - People from all walks of life and professions are members of the South Holland E.S.D.A. Here are samples of member backgrounds: Teachers, truck drivers, security guards, firemen, policemen, engineers, retired persons, high school and college students, and self-employed persons.

Related Web Sites:

• Allstate safety information
• President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection
• FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Chicago Weather Radar
• Radar, Gary, Indiana
• U.S. Storms
• National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA)
• Illinois Severe Weather Fact Sheet
• Interactive Weather Information Network
• The Weather Channel - National Precipitation Forecast
• Weather Underground - South Holland, IL

S.M.A.R.T. (Suburban Mutual Assistance Response Team)

The South Holland E.S.D.A. is a member of S.M.A.R.T. (Suburban Mutual Assistance Response Team). S.M.A.R.T. is a group of suburban E.S.D.A. units in emergencies. In our case, this means we can call on 100 extra men and additional equipment when a disaster strikes.