The EOC, which became operational in February, is home to The Madison County Emergency Management Agency (EMA)/ Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP), the Madison County Fire Department and Madison County Enhanced 911.
“Being able to effectively and efficiently direct citizens in the event of an emergency is critical,” said County Judge/Executive Reagan Taylor in a release. “Having the Blue Grass Army Depot and the demilitarization taking place directly in our county requires we have a facility that enables all partners who participate in emergency situations to be housed in one location. This provides the best results in crisis situations.”
According to the release, funds for the renovations, which began in 2014, were paid through the U.S. Army and the FEMA.
While the release states the building function remains the same, the new space is roomier with an additional 12,000 square feet, allowing for more staff, and more technologically advanced systems, which provides enhanced emergency monitoring in Madison County.
A training room was added for continued education, and for first responder training, according to public information officer Kelley McBride. The Madison County Fire Department and Madison County Enhanced 911 also have more space for living quarters and administrative offices.
“We have a state of the art facility that was actually designed to be a 911 center,” said Madison County 911 Director Wendy Lynch, adding that they will also benefit from the additional space and technology.
Madison County Fire Chief Jim Cox noted having the other agencies close by as a benefit for communication.
The facility was also improved by adding carbon fiber within the walls, letting them withstand up to 200 mph wind, an important precaution in the event of a weather disaster.
A watch room was added as well, where staff can monitor situations such as severe weather, among other events and activate emergency sirens.
The building includes a newly renovated and updated Emergency Operation Center (EOC), which according to Deputy EMA Director and CSEPP Administration Manager Michael Bryant, could be referred to as a “nerve center.”
Bryant said in the case of an emergency situation at the depot, or extreme weather incidents, disaster coordination would take place within this room. The room includes computer stations, with specific areas set up for health and medical, law enforcement, fire, schools and daycares, and operations.
If an emergency should arise at the Blue Grass Army Depot, Bryant said one of the first orders of business would be for the fire department to set up a decontamination site, while law enforcement would set up traffic control and access control points.
Schools would be in charge of making sure that the individuals inside are sheltered in place until advised otherwise, said Bryant, and hospitals will be prepared to set up decontamination centers outside their emergency rooms.
“We will all work together to solve the problem,” said Bryant, adding that there are checklists in places so that everyone knows exactly what to do if a chemical release should occur.
“By law, if something happens at the depot, they are required to notify us within five minutes,” said Bryant. “They have to tell us we’ve had this happen, it involves this chemical, and they have a program called WebPuff, which allows us to know exactly where those chemicals are going to go.”
Bryant explained that based on the depot’s findings and monitoring, EMA/CSEPP has eight minutes to make a decision for the 13 Madison County zones, whether that is to shelter in place, or evacuate, etc.
Bryant said that within those same eight minutes, the emergency sirens would be activated, emergency alert system notifications would be activated as well as the advisor alert radios, and press releases would be sent out informing people of actions needing to be taken.
According to Bryant, Madison County is approximately a year and a half away from the actual dematerialization of the chemical agents at the Blue Grass Army Depot, and that the renovation of the EOC was done with the upcoming event in mind.
“They (the Blue Grass Army Depot) will probably be 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Bryant. “We’re going to have someone here 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So we’re going match them. I always tell people the bad news is we have these chemicals right here in the heart of Madison County, but the good news is that because we have these chemicals here we have the funding to provide the protection to the residents of Madison County.”
The EOC will hold a ribbon cutting for leadership and partners on Friday, June 10 at 10 a.m., and a open house for the public is planned for July.
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