Town names first full-time emergency management chief
NEW CANAAN — The Board of Selectmen appointed Russell Kimes III as the first full-time emergency management director in town to oversee the various emergency programs set in place to respond to crisis.
Kimes, who has served in the role part-time since September 2020 while concurrently holding the role of assistant chief of the New Canaan Fire Department, has also responded to on-track emergencies at various NASCAR racing events, including the Rolex 24-hour race in Daytona.
The selectmen voted unanimously for the creation of the position, which will pay $127,234.17, according to Human Resources Director Cheryl Pickering-Jones.
“Look at the press and look at what has been happening in this country,” Selectman Nick Williams said. “I think this makes eminent sense moving forward.”
FIrst Selectman Kevin Moynihan argued that emergency management requires more than responding to an incident when it happens, it also demands extensive preparation.
As director, Kimes will maintain and update the Emergency Operations Plan, which includes hazard mitigation, emergency response and recovery plans, according to the job description. He will participate with regional and state planning activities, organize training exercises, and direct public information programs.
As director he will be responsible for developing training curriculum and recruiting volunteers for the Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services and CERT. He will also work in conjunction with the New Canaan Police Department, EMS, Health Department and the regional Red Cross.
“It made a lot of sense to upgrade this position” since other towns are recruiting for similar positions, Moynihan said. Since his stroke on Easter Sunday, he said he is even more aware that “it’s critical that we have all of our first responders and our emergency service people on top of their form and available.” Moynihan attributed the town’s
EMS response, whom he calls both his “angels and his heroes,” as to why he was back to work a few days after the stroke.
Kimes’ compensation will be “commensurate with other similar positions in other towns,” while taking into account what other town department heads are paid, Pickering-Jones said following the BOS meeting.
Thew new emergency management director has been a volunteer with New Canaan Fire Company #1 for 24 years. He has been an assistant chief with the department for a decade.
“He holds numerous national firefighting and incident management certifications as well as being a certified emergency medical technician and has years of experience working in the New Canaan Emergency Operations Center,” the town said in a release.
Kimes is a member of the International Motor Sports Association Safety Team, responsible for on-track emergency response at various tracks across the US and Canada. Beyond his work with NASCAR, he has also worked IndyCar and Formula 1 events in varying capacities.
In addition to his service to the town, Kimes served the country for eight years in the US Marine Corps, having been deployed to Iraq in 2003.