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Jan. 18, 2008 For Immediate Release MRPC Brings Local Leaders Together To Make Local Decisions On Emergency Planning, Homeland Security St. James—Ever wonder what would happen if a tanker truck carrying chlorine overturned in your downtown? Ever wonder what impact a flu epidemic would have on your community or what if a contagious disease infected area livestock barns? Fortunately for residents in the Meramec Region, local leaders and emergency response agencies are thinking about those situations, and others like them. Two special committees—the Meramec Regional Emergency Planning Committee (MREPC) and the Region I Homeland Security Oversight Committee (HSOC)—plan for situations like those and provide training and funding to better prepare cities, counties and emergency response agencies for handling such situations. “Our local governments and emergency response agencies are taking pro-active approaches to address potential situations,” said Richard Cavender, executive director of Meramec Regional Planning Commission. “We are a rural area, and many people think that epidemics and terrorists acts won’t happen here, but we must plan for all types of disasters—whether they are natural disasters, like tornadoes, or man-made, like hazardous materials spills.” Planning ahead for hazardous materials incidents is actually a reaction to the 1984 Bhopol, India, chemical release that exposed a half million people to a deadly gas and killed thousands, Cavender noted. A federal mandate—the Community-Right-To-Know-Act—was handed to the states. Missouri passed the responsibility of developing emergency response plans for hazardous materials incidents to county governments. Because the mandate initially came without funding, MRPC’s original six counties—Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps and Washington—banded together to develop a hazardous materials emergency response plan. MREPC was formed in 1988. Local governments appointed representatives from government, fire departments, ambulance districts, health departments, hospitals, private business and other interested persons to develop a plan that identifies the hazards within the region, the resources available to deal with those situations and protocols for handling and communicating emergencies. “A filing fee is now in place that provides some revenue to carry out the mandate,” explained Cavender. “When Osage County became a part of MRPC, they also joined the MREPC so now it is a seven-county committee.” The MREPC’s work now goes beyond the mandate of the law. Today the committee also provides tabletop trainings and coordinates classroom courses for local response agencies and offers a $1,000 grant program to area fire departments. The MREPC is chaired by Kraig Bone of Washington County and meets on a quarterly basis at MRPC. While the MREPC deals with hazardous materials planning, another committee deals with homeland security planning. Throughout 2005 and 2006, the State Emergency Management Agency and the Missouri Associations of Councils of Governments developed a grassroots, regional process to identify homeland security needs and allocate grant dollars to those needs. The process was modeled somewhat after the public involvement process used by the Missouri Department of Transportation, in partnership with Missouri's regional planning commissions. Homeland security oversight committees were established across the state along highway patrol regions with regional planning commissions coordinating committee work. Region I HSOC, which was formed July 31, 2006, and administered by MRPC, includes the counties of Crawford, Dent, Phelps, Maries and Laclede. Other MRPC counties—Osage and Gasconade—are in Region F, and Washington County is in Region. C. The committee is made up of 14 people representing police, fire, sheriffs, mayors, county commissions, emergency management, volunteer organizations, schools, 911, county health departments, emergency medical services, public works, private industry/public utilities and homeland security response teams. Paul Rueff of St. James chairs the group, which meets quarterly. One of the main functions of the group has been to allocate grant dollars for homeland security needs within Region I, Cavender said. In the past, SEMA selected projects. Now the oversight committee issues a request for proposals based on state guidelines, evaluates needs and determines what cities, counties, schools, volunteer groups and emergency response agencies are approved for grants, based on state and federal guidelines and the needs of the region. In 2006, the group allocated some $578,000. In January 2007, the group approved $305,000 worth of grants after receiving requests exceeding $1.6 million. The amount of funding allocated to each region is determined by SEMA based on several factors, including federal funding, region population and risk and vulnerability factors. “Our local agencies are receiving more money under this regional process, which we believe is a good thing,” Cavender said. “The last year that the state selected projects, agencies in our five counties received about $150,000. The first year under the regional process, we were able to fund $577,933 worth of projects. The money is being spent on things that local people believe are the most needed.” Under the partnership with SEMA, MRPC handles all purchases on behalf of the grant recipients. Additionally, MRPC is developing an interoperability plan to help guide the committee on radio grant requests. “We need to know what kinds of radios our emergency response providers have and began helping those response agencies update their equipment so that we can ensure that they can talk between agencies in a multi-jursidictional emergency,” explained Tammy Snodgrass, MRPC’s environmental programs manager and MREPC administrator. MRPC staff is also recruiting and training volunteers and identifying shelters for use during emergencies and disasters. “The people represented on the HSOC are the very people who have to work together in an emergency,” Cavender explained. “Having them meeting together, sharing experiences and ideas, is a tremendous resource. They become familiar working together, and they know who to call for help and resources.” Snodgrass also pointed out that the committee has made purchases that will benefit the region in a variety of disasters. “We have purchased trailers, cots and blankets for Red Cross, and these will be located in the counties. If they are needed at a shelter, they will be available. Several of our ambulance headquarters will have back up generators and oxygen systems, so they can fill oxygen bottles in emergencies,” Snodgrass explained. “The committee is being pro-active and making decisions that will enhance the region’s ability to help itself during all-kinds of emergencies,” she concluded. Meetings of the MREPC and the Region I HSOC are open to the public. For more information, contact Snodgrass at 573-265-2993 or by email at tsnodgrass at meramecregion.org. Next week: MRPC’s Role in Economic Development Sidebar: Region I Homeland Security Oversight Committee Chair: Paul Reuff, St. James, representing the Phelps County Disaster Committee The Oversight Committee is also comprised of ex-officio representatives from various agencies, including Missouri State Emergency Management Agency Area Coordinator, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Missouri Division of Fire Safety, Missouri Department of Agriculture, Missouri Department of Transportation, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Water Patrol, Meramec Regional Planning Commission, Fort Leonard Wood, University of Missouri Rolla, Mark Twain National Forest, United States Geological Survey, National Park Service and United States Department of Agriculture. |