LEPC seeks emergency preparedness funds
Internet service blocked grant alert leading to near panic
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The organization responsible for planning how to deal with hazardous material problems at Blair County businesses that handle such material almost lost its opportunity for a critical grant because its internet service blocked an email alert from a state agency about the need to apply, after flagging it as spam.
The Local Emergency Planning Committee ultimately found out about the opportunity the day before the deadline to apply for the $87,900 grant from an email discussing applications that had been done improperly by other counties, according to Cris Frederickson, operations and training officer for the county Emergency Management Agency.
That led to near panic in the office, work on the application into the wee hours of the next day and submitting the request two minutes before the noon deadline, Frederickson told the LEPC Thursday.
The organization is hopeful of obtaining the funding, which is awarded on a three-year cycle to cover activities related to transportation of hazardous materials, Frederickson said.
The Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grant is funded by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation, with money disbursed through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, Frederickson said.
The LEPC uses the money to pay for annual countywide training exercises and every-three-year commodity flow studies, Frederickson said.
It also has used the money for its Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Plus One (HAZWOPER+1) program, which trains first responders, along individuals in businesses that handle hazardous materials, how best to interact with one another in emergencies, to ensure the first responders know quickly where to go and what to do, according to LEPC Chairman Tim Rea.
That might involve a plant employee showing the responders the location of a critical electrical shutoff or valve, Rea said.
The grant pays for 80 percent of projects, Frederickson said.
The county commissioners ratified the grant application at their next meeting, Frederickson said.
The service blocked the email from PEMA at a level that didn't allow it to reach her own spam folder at work, Frederickson said.
The LEPC is also trying to work out the logistics of the HAZWOPER+1 program to ensure that volunteer firefighters, who are among the first responders in emergencies, receive the necessary training in connection with the hazardous materials handling companies, Rea said. That has proven to be a problem, because while paid first responders and participating companies' workers are generally available during the day, the fire company volunteers, who usually have regular jobs, often are not, Rea said.
Conversely, company workers are likely unenthused about training at night, he said.
One possible solution may be for training sessions during the day for those for whom it's convenient and during the evening for those for whom that's better, Rea said.
Drug testing studied
The LEPC is trying to determine how to pay for drug testing of volunteers at events that it hosts, after learning such testing will no longer be available for a nominal cost to the county at the county probation office.
The issue came up recently in a conversation with the county's Human Resources Department in connection with plans for an amateur radio operators group to use the LEPC's new pickup truck and incident command trailer at a gathering to demonstrate how well amateur radio can function as a communications network in the absence of regular communication systems -- and to "exercise" the truck and trailer to ensure everything works properly and to practice with the equipment.
The LEPC learned that the new drug testing protocol called for getting the tests at an agency in Altoona at an approximate cost of $50 per person, Frederickson said.
It was suggested that the LEPC might be able to help pay -- or find a way to help pay -- and that other agencies have endowment funds for such purposes, according to Frederickson.
A meeting is scheduled with HR to help clarify the matter.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is available at 949-7038.