McCracken Emergency Management begins new leadership | News

MCCRACKEN COUNTY, Ky. — McCracken County Emergency Management is entering a new era of leadership as former Chief Deputy Director April Watson—who served in that role for a decade—succeeds Rob Estes as Emergency Management Director.

Estes, whose resignation went into effect Friday, said his nearly five years in the position was the best job he’s ever had. He credited “tremendous” support from Judge Executive Craig Clymer and the McCracken County Fiscal Court, saying he never felt micromanaged in the role and work was a supportive, family environment.

Estes is leaving the position for a “dream job” teaching in the investigations branch at the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training in Richmond, Kentucky. Prior to taking on the role of Director of Emergency Management, Estes served for 20 years as a Paducah Police officer, retiring in 2014.

Estes said the decision was not an easy one, and he’s grateful for the community support he’s received over the years and following the announcement. He said Watson is more than ready to take the reins as emergency management director, and he was lucky to serve with her as his chief deputy director during his time in the role.

“April shines in her ability to get people together,” Estes said. “Everybody in the state—from the director’s office all the way down through our region and here in the county—everybody respects her for her knowledge. She gets along with everybody. She’s somebody who can gather a group together and get stuff done. That’s what emergency management is all about. That type of leadership—a servant leader. That’s who she truly is.”

Estes said Watson won’t miss a beat stepping into the role, as they began planning for the transition following his eventual departure from day one. He said while people will notice a new face, the mission and zeal will remain the same.

“April’s got great ideas,” Estes said. “I believe you should always have turnovers. When you have somebody in a spot way too long, people get complacent and stagnant. You’re not going to get that here. She’s young and has great ideas and moving forward it will be exciting to see what emergency management will do for the citizens of McCracken County.”

Estes said many people are unaware of what goes into emergency management outside of direct disaster response, and the planning and preparation that happens on days with “blue skies” to make sure the department is ready to keep people safe is often a long, patient process. He said emergency management will play a major role as the county expands with new industry, adding that the department has already been working hand in hand with forthcoming uranium enrichment plants General Matter and Global Laser Enrichment for a year to prepare emergency operation plans.

Watson said taking on the role of emergency management director has been a dream of hers for several years, and she feels a deep sense of fulfillment in being chosen for the position. She said the biggest change she hopes to make in the leadership role is a greater emphasis on local training, hoping to make McCracken County a training hub for first responders.

“We don’t have a lot of trainings offered in western Kentucky,” Watson said. “In this part of the state we usually have to travel to Frankfort, Owensboro, or even further—and it’s just not feasible for a lot of our smaller departments and our smaller counties to send someone away for four days and have that expensive travel. I want McCracken county to be a place where we have a training center and constant, everyday first responder training across all the disciplines happening here. It’d be a place where our local people can come here, stay at home and get the training they deserve.”

Watson said the successor to her previous role as chief deputy director is still in the works, but that she’s confident that whoever takes her place will be embraced with the same familial bond she has felt from her peers in emergency management. She shared gratitude for the support she’s received from the community following the announcement of her new position, and reiterated that emergency services will not waiver as she steps into the role.

“As far as our policies, the services we provide, the way we respond, the things we’re prepared for, they’re not going to notice any difference there,” Watson said. “We’re going to continue to provide the service they’ve come to expect out of emergency management. We have our citizens needs are at the at the heart of this organization, and we’re going to continue to protect them, work for them and serve with them.”