After exactly three years on the job, Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Kimberley White-Kaiser will become the new EMA Director for York County.
“It’s always hard to leave,” said Kaiser in an interview with The Lincoln County News April 26. “Lincoln County has made me what I am.”
The 40-year-old Topsham native said her job was initially billed as administrative but morphed into much larger roles.
“In the job description it said duties are assigned as needed,” said Kaiser. “There was definitely a need for other responsibilities as time went on.”
Before joining the LCEMA, Kaiser was an EMT for Central Lincoln County ambulance service, a job that gave her unique insight into the street level side of emergency services.
In her capacity as deputy director, Kaiser became a successful grant writer, assisted in hazard mitigation and the mass casualty plan.
“The oddest thing I experienced was a tidal disruption in October of 2008 in Boothbay,” said Kaiser. “It was classified as pseudo tsunami.”
In her three years, Kaiser has assisted in creating numerous disaster plans for the county.
According to her supervisor, EMA Director Tim Pellerin, Kaiser was a quick study.
“She had the ability to react quickly without much guidance,” he said. These are critical traits to have in disaster situations.”
Kaiser identified the fire, which destroyed Boothbay’s Washburn & Doughty in 2008 as her most challenging time.
“I was new to the job,” said Kaiser. “It was literally trial by fire.”
She also noted a string of “microburst” storms, defined as a localized column of sinking air that mysteriously occurred in the county in 2009.
Kaiser said learning any new position takes time but feels she handled her role successfully, a sentiment shared by Pellerin.
“When Kim started she was not the best at her position,” said Pellerin. “But by the time she left, she was. She gave her all for the county.”
Kaiser said Pellerin was a mentor who was strict and put her “through the paces.”
“It shows how serious he takes his job,” she said. “I’m the second deputy director to move on to a director position. He was great.”
As she prepares to move on, Kaiser said the biggest challenge facing the county is the economy.
“I was here at the beginning of the oil crisis,” said Kaiser. “Things did get better for a while but we have many vulnerable people. Our job is to save lives and these people are the most at risk during a disaster.”
This weekend Kaiser, her husband, and three daughters will move from their Woolwich home to Old Orchard Beach.
“I’ll basically have two days off before the new job,” she said. “But sometimes it’s better to throw yourself in there and start right away.”
