Local Emergency Planning Committee Minutes

August 4, 2005

 

            Don Button called the meeting to at 5:10 with fourteen members present.

 

Don Button                 Alfred Baker              Jeff Baier                   Richard Everett

John Crosby              Todd Hampton          Deb McDaniel           JJ Deckert

Maggie Myers           Alan Olson                 Vivian Button             Matt Mercer

Cindy H. Reeves       Richard Banes          John Leisher 

 

            On April 19, 2005 Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed an Execute Order establishing the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as the Kansas Standard of Operation for individuals responding to a disaster or other emergency. All State and County First Responder and Elected Official are required to take NIMS training.  Don will be setting up some classes in the near future.  They should run from 2 to 4 hours depending on how familiar you are with the Incident Command System.  The IS-700 National Incident Management System (NIMS) An Introduction can also be taken as an on line course at the FEMA.gov website.

            Winners of the Midland Radios at the fair were Flor Marquez and Donna Loewen. Fire, EMS, Law Enforcement and Emergency Management visited with community members and gave away coloring books, sticker, pamphlets, balloons, gunlocks and other items.

            Four more of our responder has completed the NFPA 472 certified HazMat Technician class held in Pueblo.  Two responders were from EMS and two from the Fire Department.

            All of the 2004 ODP Grant Monies have been spent.  We have received 50 new portable communication radios for Fire Department, Emergency Medical Service, Emergency Management, Sheriff’s Office and Ulysses Police Department.  The map plotter for the GIS System has been installed.  The only thing we have not received is the Communication Trailer.

            Don stated he would like to see our community support ICE for cell phones.  ICE is In Case of Emergency.   You put ICE in your contacts in your cell phone with the number of whom you would like contacted in an emergency.

            Colorado’s Southeast Regional Homeland Security Safety Committee is sponsoring an Informational Seminar and Workshop on Quarantine and Isolation on August 16 and 17 in Lamar, Colorado.  They will address both Agricultural and Human Response.

            Regionalization for Homeland Security and Kansas Emergency Management was discussed.

            Cindy Howard Reeves from Bob Wilson Memorial Grant County Hospital stated they are working on their Bio-terrorism Plan and have hired an infection Control Nurse.

            The August 30 Public Information Officer class to be held in Ulysses has been canceled due to the instructor not being available. 

            Matt Mercer, Southwest Kansas Region Homeland Security, talked about the seven county exercise in Liberal on July 28. Eight members of our community attended to learn how in a major disaster the counties would have to work together.  The next exercise will be October 18 in Garden City at the Finney County Emergency Operation Center.  We will need to send representatives from Law Enforcement, Emergency Medical, Fire, Public Health and Hospital at this exercise.

            Jerry Jo Deckert stated that Grant County Emergency Medical Service and Grant County Fire Department are setting up a Mass Casualty disaster drill.  The date will be announced later.  They are also setting up training in Hazardous Material Awareness and Incident Command.  She also invited the other department to participate and attend the exercise and training.

            Deb McDaniel from Columbia Chemical stated they have been working on Pollution Control and have received an award from KDHE and EPA Region 7 for their efforts.  They would also like to participate in a disaster drill perhaps next year.

            John Crosby stated that the Fire Department had been slow.  Jeff Baier, Don Button and John Crosby would be going to Topeka to attend a workshop on Operation Level HazMat training changes.  We have also been invited to attend an exercise at the Ethanol plant in Oakley.

            Richard Everett reported on the Strategic National Stockpile meeting in Hugoton.  They have to clarify who purchases the medication and who gives it out.

            The next LEPC meeting will be September 22 at 5:00 PM in the basement training room at the Grant County Courthouse.

            Meeting was adjourned at 5:40 PM.

Vivian Button