Hazardous inspections back for Auglaize County

At the Auglaize County Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting Wednesday, Emergency Management Agency Director Troy Anderson said hazardous facility inspections are back, and he will be targeting hazardous facilities first. As part of the inspection process, Anderson wants to examine potential runoff locations near facilities.

Jeff Clouser, a safety representative from Setex, reported some manufacturers are changing up suppliers and that some chemicals coming in from overseas are being delivered in different containers than employees are used to. He said as a result spills have been occurring.

“They are having to adjust and that doesn’t always go well,” Clouser said.

LEPC Chair Jim Williams announced Midwest Electric is offering free power line safety training for those who find it necessary.

Anderson said he will have two speakers coming in Sept. 11 for a Disaster Prep presentation at Memorial High School in St. Mary. He said the presentation was aimed toward law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel, although if facilities wanted to be represented there they could. Thomas Anderson of North Carolina will be speaking about using thermal imaging during search and rescue. A Toledo Fire Department member will be on hand to talk about building inspections, and reviewing an apartment complex fire as a case study for inspections and liability for citizen injury and line-of duty-deaths.

Then on Oct. 5, Anderson plans to hold a presentation for businesses organizations, and anyone who wants to attend. Speakers include Bath Township Fire Chief Joe Kitchen discussing commercial structures and St. Marys Police Chief Jake Sut

ton discussing active shooter situations. The Allen County Bomb Squad and St. Rita’s hospital EMS coordinator Brian Anderson will also address those attending.

Troy Anderson is also trying to schedule the FBI to discuss cybersecurity and ransomware. A $10 fee for that presentation will be charged with proceeds benefitting the CERT disaster assistance

fund.

Don Jump reported COVID-19 cases have been trending down, with 43 cases reported in June, down from 138 cases in May. Health Commissioner Oliver Fisher said they have seen some variants, but added they have not seen the Delta Variant in the county yet. That variant has been especially contagious.

Jump said the department is slowly returning to normal and are working on an after action report for the pandemic to review what they learned and how plans worked. Fisher said factors like adverse reactions from vaccines are being tracked at the state and federal level. Fisher said reactions locally have been minor and might have involved fainting or

something similar.

Jump said there has been a change to FEMA’s funeral assistance policy that allows victims to submit a statement or death certificate attributing a death to COVID that occurred between Jan. 20 and May 16 of 2020. That assistance is up to $9,000 provided there was no other burial insurance.

Troy Anderson said Auglaize Veteran Services Director Rob Wiss had cautioned a lot of death certificates were being labeled COVID and in some cases if they took FEMA assistance they could lose the Veterans Administration assistance with those kinds of costs. He recommended consulting with the county veterans services office about assistance.