Local Emergency Planning Committee Brainstorms Ideas for Grant Application

Posted on June 21, 2018
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI

Starke County EMA Director J. Nier alerted members of the Local Emergency Planning Committee that she has received permission to proceed with the LEPC Grant process.

She mentioned that the grant is due July 13th and it is offered through the Indiana Emergency Response Commission. She said she wasn’t given a specific cap but she was told they could potentially apply for up to $10,000.

She also stated that there is a 12 percent “in-kind” match that wouldn’t require a monetary contribution. She said they would just need to hold meetings and record the time.

When members met on Wednesday, they were asked to come up with some ideas of the types of training, equipment and other resources that should be included in the grant application.

The main item that all members agreed to include is a Decontamination Trailer. The idea of buying specific types of HAZMAT suits was suggested but since members weren’t sure which types would be needed they just wrote suits for now.

They also noted that it could be useful to include a section in the proposal, asking for funds to either repair or replace the existing EMA trailer.

Director Nier added that a lot of counties utilize this grant funding to attend a week-long conference and that it could cover the attendance fees as well as the cost for hotel rooms. Since they couldn’t say how many people would definitely attend the conference, they estimated that about 4 people would attend and they would need two hotel rooms.

Nier said the grant can also help cover the cost of the required exercise and any potential training that emergency responders may need to take. The members weren’t sure of what kind of training they should invest in but since HAZMAT training is an annual requirement, they included that in the list of potentials.

The Committee members proposed utilizing some of the money to purchase additional firefighting foam for all departments in the county. The also said J. should include a line item for office supplies that are utilized for LEPC purposes.

The members voted unanimously to include the items they discussed in the grant application. Nier noted that she just needed an outline to submit and then adjustments could be made later if priorities happen to shift.