As part of an ongoing lecture series sponsored by the Greater New York Chapter's Disaster Planning & Response Department, Michael Spall, Emergency Manager for Consolidated Edison of New York, Inc., spoke at ARC/GNY headquarters on January 30, about the important partnership between our two organizations.

New Yorkers should marvel at the world beneath their feet, and be a tad cautious, says Spall. Standing in front of a cutaway diagram of a city street, he talked about the density of population in Manhattan, the age of our buildings and infrastructure, our multiple languages, cultures and levels of acceptance of authority—and the resulting pressures and demands, on both Con Ed and ARC/GNY. Spall praised ARC/GNY"s response capabilities: "The emergency plans, drills, responses and relief efforts… all are things you do very well.”

New York, he said, is important as the financial and media capital of the country, if not beyond. Life moves in every direction in the city—up and down, east and west, north and south. There are lots of potential hazards, including those facilitating life and commerce in the Big Apple – electricity, gas and water.

When trouble strikes, a call to 311 will bring the responsible department, agency or provider to the scene, along with the Fire and Police departments—and the Red Cross.  Which Spall, along with his colleagues at Con Ed, appreciates.

Spall cited these lessons to remember:

1. Do not assume Con Edison knows about outages or other emergencies: Call 311 and report yours.
2. Install a smoke detector AND a carbon monoxide detector in your home.
3. Always Be Red Cross Ready: Get a Kit, Make a Plan, and Be Informed.