EMA gives commissioners annual update

In the midst of COVID-19 preparations and a train derailment in Tiffin, Seneca County Emergency Management Agency Administrator John Spahr provided Seneca County Commissioners an update from the past year. In his first year on the job, Spahr said he has attended many training meetings. "I've learned a ton and made a lot of great contacts at the state level," he said. Spahr said he thinks of emergency management as "when" instead of "if." "It's a great phrase to remember," he said, because it's a better mindset for preparedness. Spahr said he's been working on getting grants and spending money effectively. "The problem is to balance spending wisely and efficiently, while not leaving money on the table," he said. He encouraged all county jurisdictions to have pencil-ready projects ready to go for when the grant opens up again. Grants usually are funded at 75% with a 25% match, he said, and project that already are planned are most likely to get funded. He said he's expecting a new BRIC grant program to be started. According the FEMA website, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities the Federal Emergency Management Agency is designed to expanding pre-disaster mitigation by prioritizing the building of resilient infrastructure to make communities better prepared to withstand the next disaster, ahead of the disaster occurring and increasing community capacity. He said the Local Emergency Planning Committee has quarterly meetings to keep the lines of communication open among the county and cities. He said a training exercise is planned May 11 with Bascom Fire Department in command. "We really want them to be able to exercise themselves and find out how plan works with that response," he said. "We want to make sure that it works right." If not, he said the "soft spots" can be fixed. He said EMA responded to six hazardous materials events during the past year, all dealing with oil and diesel spills during accidents. He said all of them were handled by the shippers. Spahr said the county has three public safety answering points — at the sheriff's office and Tiffin and Fostoria police stations — as well as a backup center at the Public Safety Building. "It's important that we keep the redundancy available," he said. That point is important to remember as the commissioners consider a new building for emergency services, he said. Other parts of the department include cybersecurity plans, hazardous materials plans and a continuity of services plan in case of a large event such as a tornado. In the future, Spahr said funding will continue to be a top priority. "I'll be working on ways to bring more money into the department because the state and federal governments aren't providing as much as they used to," he said. He also plans to work on community education by providing a one-stop website for finding educational information and offering free classes for helping people make themselves self-sufficient. To get the latest updates on the COVID-19 virus in Seneca County, subscribe to texts from the county's Wireless Emergency Notification System for Seneca County. Text SenecaAlerts to 69310 for general county alerts, or be more specific about alerts by visiting entry.inspironlogistics.com/seneca_oh/wens.cfm?ep_id=, or by Googling Seneca County WENS. EMA Administrator John Spahr is seeking information from institutions that serve "vulnerable populations," such as nursing home, to contact him with information about their stores of personal protection equipment. He's making a list of items needed so he'll have the information ready when it's time to call the state for assistance. He also asks churches to contact him regarding their plans. As of 2 p.m. Thursday, there are five people confirmed to be infected with the virus and 52 persons under investigation, according the Ohio Department of Health web page.