Posted on June 22, 2018
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
The Local Emergency Planning Committee determined a few more details about the tabletop exercise scheduled for later this year that will allow local emergency responders to test the county’s All-Hazards Plan.
Members are required to hold at least three planning meetings prior to the exercise. They held the first meeting last week and their second one on Wednesday. They established that final planning session will be held after their regular meeting in August.
Members intend to the hold the exercise at the Knox-Center Township Fire Station during the month of October.
LEPC members will be working over the next month to put together a list of people who should attend the exercise. The list will include representatives from law-enforcement, the fire departments, EMS and other individuals who would play a role in responding to a hazardous emergency.
Starke County EMA Director J. Nier said that specific details about the exercise itself cannot be shared publically. She said this is so participants won’t have time to prepare for the simulated disaster beforehand and they can work together during the exercise to come up with a solution in real time.
Showing posts with label Local Emergency Planning Committee of Starke County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Local Emergency Planning Committee of Starke County. Show all posts
Friday, June 22, 2018
Thursday, June 21, 2018
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.
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.
Thursday, June 14, 2018
LEPC Starts Discussion Over Tabletop Exercise to Test All-Hazards Plan for Starke County
Posted on June 14, 2018
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
The Local Emergency Planning Committee of Starke County was scheduled to hold a meeting on Wednesday but there were not enough members present to have a quorum.
However, since no quorum was required to hold the first planning meeting for a tabletop exercise that will be held to test the County’s All-Hazards Plan, members went over some preliminary information about that.
A tabletop exercise is a meeting to discuss a simulated emergency situation where officials talk about their individual roles and responsibilities when it comes to responding to a situation.
Starke County EMA Director J. Nier mentioned that municipalities typically hold these exercises in the fall and said that the deadline to get it done is sometime in October. She asked the members if they had any suggestions and mentioned that she does have a template they could utilize.
Members recommended going with the template and working to customize it over the next few months so it will fit the needs of the County.
Additionally, members discussed ways to get better attendance at the meetings, since they’ve had issues with reaching a quorum the last few times. A few different possibilities were considered, but eventually, they landed on holding the meetings earlier in the day.
EMA Director Nier said she will send an email out to members to inform them that the make-up meeting for this month will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20th.
She added that she will also include the template for the All-Hazards Plan Exercise in order to get some feedback about any potential changes. The second planning session for the exercise will be held immediately following the regular meeting next Wednesday.
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
The Local Emergency Planning Committee of Starke County was scheduled to hold a meeting on Wednesday but there were not enough members present to have a quorum.
However, since no quorum was required to hold the first planning meeting for a tabletop exercise that will be held to test the County’s All-Hazards Plan, members went over some preliminary information about that.
A tabletop exercise is a meeting to discuss a simulated emergency situation where officials talk about their individual roles and responsibilities when it comes to responding to a situation.
Starke County EMA Director J. Nier mentioned that municipalities typically hold these exercises in the fall and said that the deadline to get it done is sometime in October. She asked the members if they had any suggestions and mentioned that she does have a template they could utilize.
Members recommended going with the template and working to customize it over the next few months so it will fit the needs of the County.
Additionally, members discussed ways to get better attendance at the meetings, since they’ve had issues with reaching a quorum the last few times. A few different possibilities were considered, but eventually, they landed on holding the meetings earlier in the day.
EMA Director Nier said she will send an email out to members to inform them that the make-up meeting for this month will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20th.
She added that she will also include the template for the All-Hazards Plan Exercise in order to get some feedback about any potential changes. The second planning session for the exercise will be held immediately following the regular meeting next Wednesday.
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