MRPC News Release
Oct. 26, 2005
For immediate release
For more information, contact:
Tammy Snodgrass or Bonnie J. Prigge, (573) 265-2993
REGIONAL EMERGENCY PLANNING COMMITTEE OFFERS TRAINING GRANT TO FIRE DEPARTMENTS
ST. JAMES—A new grant program will provide some additional training opportunities to local fire departments, announced Dawn Warren, chairman of the Meramec Regional Emergency Planning Committee. The MREPC has set aside $7,000 and is offering grants to fire departments in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Osage and Washington counties. The maximum grant request was set at $1,000.
Only fire departments are eligible to apply, and they are encouraged to develop county-wide training opportunities involving all emergency response agencies, explained Tammy Snodgrass, environmental programs manager for Meramec Regional Planning Commission. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis, with a deadline of Dec. 31, 2005, for applications. The committee hopes to make at least one grant in each county. The MREPC will announce funded projects at its Jan. 18, 2006, meeting.
In other business, the MREPC board:
• Heard a report on the Weapons of Mass Destruction training developed by MRPC on behalf of the Vichy Volunteer Fire Department.
• Heard a report from MREPC member Buz Harvey on the activities of the Phelps County Disaster Committee. Harvey chairs the PCDC.
• Heard a presentation on earthquakes, presented by Tiffani Addington with the Onondaga Cave State Park.
The Meramec Regional Emergency Planning Committee periodically coordinates and offers education and training opportunities for emergency responders in the region. The purpose of the committee is to work with local governments as well as the private sector to maintain plans responsive to chemical hazards, which seriously threaten the area. Dawn Warren, Gasconade County Emergency Management Director, chairs the group. The committee meets quarterly, and meetings are open to the public. Persons needing more information the MREPC or chemicals in the region may contact Meramec Regional Planning Commission at (573) 265-2993. The planning commission, a voluntary council of local governments serving the Meramec Region, provides staff support for the local emergency planning committee.
Download Grant Application (Microsoft Word format, 58KB)