LEPC Meeting Minutes May 18, 2006
Al Baker called the meeting to order with 12
members present and one guest. Those attending were Al Baker, Emergency
Management, Tom Kramer, Road and Bridge; George Bushnell, Pioneer Electric
Cooperative Inc.; Debra McDaniel, Columbian Chemicals Co.; Richard Everett,
Southwest Kansas Health Initiative (SWKHI); Richard Banes, City of Ulysses
Water Department, Bud Newberry, City Administrator; Nahum Manzano and Luis
Sandoval, BP American Production Co.; David Wagner, Transfer Station; Maggie
Myers, Area Mental Health Clinic; Matt Traster, Grant County Commissioner and
Vivian Button, Emergency Management.
Don Button, Emergency Management Coordinator,
was in Salina at a meeting on the County Emergency Operation Plan on-line. Kansas officials are looking at putting all county emergency plans on line in the same
format. A format of what some of the information we would need for the
Emergency Operations plan was passed out. The new format has 15 ESFs. An ESF
is Emergency Support Function. Some of the ESFs are Transportation,
Firefighting, Communications, resources, Energy, and Public Works.
We discussed House Bill 2982 which is a Mutual
Aid bill. This bill would help set up and coordinate Mutual Aid for all 105
counties in Kansas.
We are looking at doing a full scale Foreign
Animal Disease Exercise in October. We received SLA Grant funds each year and
one of the requirements is an exercise.
KDHE is also looking at doing an exercise to
help prepare for a Pandemic Flu on July 10th in Hugoton, Kansas. This will be a regional exercise with the 5 counties in the Southwest Kansas
Health Initiative. Each County has to have 4 disciplines represented. For
example some disciplines would be EMS, Fire, Health Department, Clerk, Sheriff,
Police Department, Treasurer and Emergency Management. The Hospital in the
county has to be represented also.
Don will be teaching ICS 100 and NIMS May 23 and
24 in Garden City and on May 25 & 26 ICS/EOC Interface.
Requirements for NIMS compliance is IS-700
National Incident Management System (NIMS), IS-100 Introduction to Incident
Command System and IS-200 Incident Command System for Single Resources and
Initial Action Incidents at the minimum by October 2006. These are Federal and
State requirements.
Don presented three NIMS classes on May 10. The 9:00
AM class had 9 people. The 1:00PM class had 5 people. And no one attended the
7:00 PM class. Some of the organizations represented were USD 214, Civic Center, Road and Bridge, Health Department, Transfer Station, City of Ulysses, Bob Wilson Hospital, City Councilman, and private industry, Pioneer Electric Cooperative
Inc. and Treco, Inc.
Sherry Thompson from the Health Department sent
an update on Mumps. We only had one case in Grant County and it seems to have
been an isolated case. No one else has been diagnosed. The Measles in Harper County turned out not to be Measles. If you were born before 1957 you are
considered to be immune. If you want an MMR shot (Measles Mumps & Rubella
Vaccine) they are $54 each and you have to get two shots one month apart.
Avian (Bird) Flu Training will be June 17 at
10:00 AM at Pioneer Electric Cooperative Inc. meeting room with Dr. Hubert
Peterson, District Coroner and Dr Sam Graham, Kansas Animal Health. Lunch will
be served after the meeting. Pioneer Communications, Pioneer Electric
Cooperative Inc., Johnson Pioneer, The Grant County Gazette and Bob Wilson
Hospital have donated funds to help pay for the meal.
Richard Everett with SWKHI is working on arrangements for
the meal. Pioneer Communications has this information on Channel 9.
Grant County EMS and Midwest Lifeteam has a
Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support Class coming up in June.
Debra McDaniel with Columbian Chemicals Co
stated they had their First Annual Safety Coordinators Meeting on May 16. They
invited 117 people and 8 were at the meeting. It was a very informative
meeting. They decided to meet quarterly with the next meeting being on
September 15 at Grant County Emergency Medical Services building.
Richard Everett, SWKHI Regional Coordinator,
stated they have 30,000 surgical mask and 2,000 N-95 mask on hand, 250 cots and
two 10,000 watt generators and 6 site lamps and some other items. He will be
getting an updated inventory list to Grant County Emergency Management.
Richard stated they used the cots in conjunction with Red Cross in Garden City
when they set up shelters for the Katrina victims.
Grant County is covered by the American Red
Cross Garden City Chapter. They have responded for the house fires we have
been having in the community. We need to help support this organization.
Richard Banes with the City of Ulysses said at
this time it did not look like we would have to do water rationing but if water
usage increases rationing would be considered.
Bub Newberry, Ulysses Administrator, stated we
have a new one way street. It is Court Street between Oklahoma and Miller.
Traffic will be going North. The Colorado road improvements are ahead of
schedule. The railroad unloaded material to repair the railroad track at Oklahoma and Colorado.
Mr. Newberry also stated we needed to look into
trying to recruit more Volunteer Firefighters. During the daytime most of the
volunteers have other jobs and sometimes it is hard or impossible to respond.
We would like to thank all employers who allow their employees to leave and
respond to Fire Calls. We have several Fire Fighters and EMTs from the Mennonite
Community. We are very proud and thankful for the job that all of the Firefighters
do for our community. Matt Traster stated they were still looking into a Fire
Substation in the East part of the County. Deb McDaniel from Columbian
Chemical Co. stated they have an agreement with The Fire Department to us their
facility to refill water tankers during a fire. She stated this would also
include Road and Bridge’s tanker that they use for Fire Water.
David Wagner with The Transfer Station stated Seward County had picked up all of their Household Hazardous Waste that they received
during Spring Cleanup Week.
Matt Traster stated he went to the Kansas County
Commissioners Association and went to a Seminar on Incident Command System.
Next meeting will be at 1:30 PM on June 15, in
the basement of the Grant County Courthouse. The Committee discussed the time
and decided to keep it at 1:30 PM.
Meeting Adjourned at 2:23 PM.
Vivian Button