To Whom it May Concern,

I just wanted to take a few minutes and share some of my thoughts. As we all know and have experienced the past few days the weather has been crazy. During this time there have been several minor to major incidents happen in Kiowa County. Not only did the weather throw us a curve ball but it created many dangerous incidents as well. The first that will come to most will be the horrible accident south of Eads involving several vehicles. Also, that day there were a couple on Highway 385 near Sheridan Lake. The very next evening there was another accident south of Eads. This one Mother Nature will not get the blame for. On Monday we had a small backyard fire, but Tuesday was a day. Tuesday a fire in Otero County consumed a large part of the day with many of our responders going to assist. This fire could have affected communities in Kiowa County if the winds shifted. Haswell and Arlington were put on Pre-Evacuation notice just in case. Luckily things turned out in our favor. That evening another accident happened on Highway 287 south of Eads.

So back to my thoughts...during each of these incidents First Responders jumped and went into action with no questions asked. Many people felt a huge inconvenience, most of these were people traveling our highways to and from other parts of the United States. When you live in a rural community you know that the weather can definitely create a change of plans. Sadly, travelers don't understand why they are being stopped for an incident. They have an agenda and time frame to get there and show disregard in most situations. Comments such as, "I can drive in this weather". "It doesn't look that bad". "You don't understand I have to get to_____". "Is there another way I can get there?" "How long do I have to sit here?'. These are just a few of the many comments I heard over a 7-hour period at a roadblock. Please check road conditions before you travel and reference CoTrip.org for road closures.

Thought number 2, in January, Kiowa County changed dispatch centers and for everyone who once had the Reverse 911 system, that changed as well. I published articles about this change, hung up flyers and posted them on social media giving an opportunity to sign-up for the new Reverse 911 system. Why is this important...the Pre-Evacuation notice would have been sent out on this system. It will be used to notify people of hazardous weather and other hazardous or dangerous incidents in Kiowa County. This is your responsibility to sign up for this system. If you NOT receive an Alert and Warning it is your fault. Please consider this.

Point 3, not only do we need to thank ALL those First Responders who go and help, protect and aid others, for their selfless dedication. Most of these men and women are VOLUNTEERS and get nothing but a thank you for the job they do. They put their life in danger to help and serve all hours of the day or night. But also remember they too have families that sit at home and wonder and worry if their loved ones will come home safe. Their families also sacrifice during these incidents. family dinners, holidays and kids activities are missed. Thank them for sharing their loved ones/Volunteer.

Lastly, just plan ahead, be prepared and respect. These three things will go a long way if done right and done consistently.

Shellie Engelhardt

Kiowa County EM

PO Box 172

Eads, Co 81036

719-688-0506 cell

sengelhardtoem@gmail.com