The Grundy County 911 Committee met Tuesday night, agreeing on a new procedure for dispatching some fires in the west part of the county and discussing a storm alert system that would be effective in the county’s school systems.
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The Grundy County 911 Committee met Tuesday night, agreeing on a new procedure for dispatching some fires in the west part of the county and discussing a storm alert system that would be effective in the county’s school systems.
The committee voted that when a 911 call comes in from a person who has a membership in the Edinburg-Leisure Lake-Brimson Fire Department, the ELB Department will be paged out first, but if the person resides in the Grundy County Rural Fire Protection District, that department will also be paged out.
There was also a discussion concerning a problem with the Spickard Fire Protection District not being paged to emergencies in Mercer County, which is part of the SFPD. Trenton Police Bob Lewis said he would look into the matter and attempt to have it resolved and Grundy County Presiding Commissioner Kenny Roberts said he would talk with the Mercer County Commission about the situation. It was noted that persons in the Spickard Fire District who reside in Mercer County should tell the dispatcher when they call 911 that they wish to have Spickard paged out.
Philip Sayer voiced his concern about the Plectron storm warning system, asking if the alert system still works since he was under the impression it did not. Grundy County Sheriff Greg Coon said this morning that the system, which originates in his office, does work and is used to alert all Grundy County schools, Wright Memorial Hospital, Eastview Manor Care Center and Sunny-view Nursing Home and Apartments of approaching storms. Sheriff Coon said he personally tested the system at 1:40 p.m., March 9 and received a response only from WMH. Coon also said that his office used to run a test each Monday morning, but did not receive responses from anyone. The dispatcher normally calls the entities to see if they heard the alert and there are times when the receiver cannot even be found. Basically, Coon said, the sheriff’s department is doing its part with the Plectron system.
Tony Ralston, chairman of the Local Emergency Planning Committee, discussed the possibility of putting up a tower that would allow individuals, businesses and school districts to receive a storm alert through a radio transmitter that they could purchase for between $20 and $80. The general consensus at the meeting was that the best system would involve the Plectron plus the radio system. A committee of Sayer, Roberts and Lewis was appointed to look into the matter.
Following the 911 meeting, the Local Emergency Planning Committee met, agreeing to look into the purchase of a hazardous materials trailer.
The LEPC has applied for $2,438.64 in funding this year, which would bring the total funds available to approximately $10,000. The cost of a trailer has been estimated at $4,000 to $4,500. Different sources will be checked to see what the best price is and a decision on where to house a trailer will be decided at a later date. Sayer suggested that the committee check with Sullivan and/or Mercer County about going in with Grundy County to purchase the trailer, which could then be used by all three counties as needed.
Ralston said an Emergency Response To Terrorism training session will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 23 at the City Public Safety Complex. Ralston said he will be sending letters to the various departments and those interested in attending should let him know as soon as possible. There is a minimum of 20 participants needed to hold the class.
Roberts noted that the GCRFPD station at Brimson was recently burglarized, with the 911 printer, two air packs, a chain saw and dehumidifier being stolen. The Grundy County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the burglary.
The 911 Committee will meet again at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16, with the LEPC meeting to follow.