EMA director wants to update county radios

Much of an Emergency Management Agency meeting held last week was centered on updating radios in the county. EMA Director Troy Anderson wants a related study to move quickly so they can take necessary action to upgrade equipment. VHF Radios are being phased out.

“We are pushing to get this thing done to move along with the project,” Anderson said.

Anderson said only one company bid the study and are awaiting final estimates. The

study will be partially paid for by a grant from Homeland Security.

He said the study will involve meeting with every police and fire departments and

other stakeholders in the county to determine where coverage is an issue and monitor accordingly.

Anderson said the tower they currently own has most of its

bandwidth being used by state agencies according to load usage data.

“We don’t have a lot of traffic,” Anderson said.

He said they are currently in the process of upgrading two tornado sirens in Pusheta Township and St. Marys Township. The cost of those sirens are 90 percent covered by federal dollars and a 10 percent local match from local trustees.

Anderson estimated there are about 23 sirens across Auglaize County.

Anderson also wants to be involved in discussions about potential increases to fuel compensations due to inflation. He

suggested that scheduling larger budget hearings first

such as the County Engineers office would allow other agencies to plan accordingly.

Anderson told board members there are about 55 to 60 homeless people the homeless coalition is aware of in the county. A dashboard with a

heat map on the EMA website currently shows generally where those homeless people are located. Some are hidden

staying with relatives, while others are more visible. The dashboard also tracks various anonymous demographics.

He said coalition agencies are currently compiling a report of how much money they have spent so far towards the

effort for future grant opportunities.