Mayor Spencer Creates Winter Weather Unified Command and Departmental Activation Protocols

Today, Mayor Cara Spencer issued Executive Order 93, creating a Winter Weather Unified Command and departmental response activation protocols.

“With many St. Louisans living in tents, cars and unheated homes because of the May 16 tornado, in addition to our existing unhoused neighbors, this winter is going to be extremely tough on our community,” said Mayor Spencer. “By creating a Winter Weather Unified Command and departmental activation protocols, we formalize the City’s responsibilities and actions so everyone involved in our winter response knows exactly what is expected of them and when, both this winter and in winters to come.”

The Winter Weather Unified Command will ensure a coordinated, timely and National Incident Management System-compliant response to all significant winter weather events that threaten public safety, critical infrastructure or continuity of City services, including extreme cold, snowstorms, ice storms, and mixed-precipitation events. 

This unified command will be coordinated by CEMA and include the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, the Street Department, the Fire Department, the Department of Parks, Recreation & Forestry and any other City departments, divisions or agencies deemed necessary.

The unified command will be activated when winter weather conditions reach or are forecast by the National Weather Service to reach threshold conditions specified by the executive order. It will consolidate operational leadership, ensure unified awareness and consistent public messaging, preserve departmental autonomy and provide the mayor and director of the Department of Public Safety with a single, coherent operational picture.

Executive Order 93 formally establishes four departmental response activation protocols for the City of St. Louis, while allowing for additional activation protocols to be developed by other City departments, agencies, and divisions as needed:

• Department of Human Services - Code Blue Activation: activate a plan to provide temporary shelter and related services to unhoused residents during extreme cold, by directing City departments, agencies, and divisions to coordinate with community organizations and other partners to open warming centers, expand shelter capacity, and increase outreach efforts.
• Streets Department - Winter Snow Plan Activation: activate a plan to manage snowfall, including but not limited to protocols for pre-treating roads and road clearance.
• Department of Health - Extreme Temperature Response Plan Activation: activate a plan for public health messaging and operational response to extreme cold temperatures.
• Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry - Snow Call Activation: activate a plan for snow clearing of sidewalks and driveways for critical City buildings and other non-City-owned buildings deemed essential.

Notably, a Code Blue activation will be made by CEMA in coordination and consultation with the Mayor’s Office when the following circumstances are or are likely to be present:

1. Nights of each year when the temperature drops to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below, and is accompanied by added forms of precipitation; or
2. When the NWS forecasts wind chills are at or below 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

This activation will formalize the City response from its November 9-11 operations, where it partnered with the St. Louis City Continuum of Care, the United Way of Greater St. Louis, Peter & Paul Community Services, Biddle Housing Opportunities Center, Gateway 180, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and Diamond Diva Empowerment Foundation to make over 160 shelter beds and related services available. These partnerships, alongside the $13.7M in funding passed by the board and signed by Mayor Spencer, will drastically enhance the services for the unhoused this winter.

Executive Order 93 specifies that all operational plans and protocols be made public by Dec. 15. More details will be announced in the coming weeks as the City finalizes its plans. The order also specifies that CEMA will lead at least one winter preparation exercise before Nov. 19 each year. Such an exercise was conducted with the participation of all departments and agencies included in the unified command, the Mayor’s Office, and several other City and outside agencies on Nov. 18.

These plans were developed by the Mayor’s Office with strong collaboration from the departments and agencies tasked with bringing them to life, as well as incoming CEMA Commissioner Gregg Favre, ensuring they are both ambitious and realistic. Between Favre, Chief Operating Officer Ben Jonsson and Deputy Chief Operating Officer Bryan Barroqueiro, the unified command and Code Blue activation will have strong leadership with high-level military and emergency management experience.

“With this executive order, Mayor Spencer is bringing national best practice to St. Louis, enabling us to respond swiftly and effectively with a broad but unified group of partners when weather conditions put our community at risk,” said Jonsson.