554
Russell C. Coile
"Disaster planning, according to Coile," by Susan
Cantrell, Monterey Herald
The Sand City Police Department had an interesting tradition. If a Police
Offi cer were mentioned by name in the newspaper or interviewed after
arresting a bank robber, he or she had to buy enough pizzas for lunch for
all the other Police, Public Works and City Hall employees. I just happened
to be interviewed by a woman reporter for the Monterey Herald newspaper
who wrote a weekly feature column each Sunday called `Quotable Notables.'
This cost me $67.97 for lunch for everyone. Here it is.
"Disaster planning, according to Coile," by Susan Cantrell - Quotable
Notables, Monterey Herald newspaper, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2004
When there's an oil spill, a bio-terrorism attack, an earthquake or
tsunamiwho ya gonna' call? No, not Ghostbusters.
Russell Coile, www.DisasterMan.com, is your man. He lives in Pacifi c
Grove and serves as disaster preparedness coordinator for the Sand City
Police Department.
With more degrees than a thermometer, including a Ph.D, he has
lectured to scientists, governments, military institutions and universities
around the world on how to prepare for a disaster and its aftermath. And
he and his English wife, Ellen, walk their talk.
We meet at their home, surrounded by lush English gardens pulsing
with fl owers, grasses and herbs. Nestled into one corner is an earthquake-
proof storage shed fi lled with everything from emergency food to sleeping
bags and fl ashlightsall labeled meticulously and re-supplied every six
months. Their home is bolted down.
Russell stands tall in a crisp white shirt and red tie. `When I was at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I got brainwashed into thinking you
had to wear a coat and tie,' he says. `I'll never be a Californian.'
Ellen is more casually dressed and arranges freshly-cut fl owers while
her husband gives me the grand house tour. First, we note his brag room,
where he announces, with a modicum of modesty, `Next year I will be in
`Who's Who in the World.' I consider it a great honor.'