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County reviews building safety, tornado sirens, generators and AED replacements
Summary
Officials discussed building safety and emergency preparedness after staff raised concerns about inoperable tornado sirens, inadequate building security, generator capacity at facilities including the coroner’s office and a high-rise, and expired AED batteries; officials said upgrades and reviews are planned.
County officials raised concerns about building security, emergency communications and backup power during the meeting and described planned or completed fixes.
A speaker who summarized recent staff strategic planning said participants identified workforce challenges, aging infrastructure and “safety, physical safety and security in our buildings.” The speaker said many county buildings were built before modern security planning and asked Buildings and Grounds to review sites for the ability to lock down, staff safety and fire safety.
Board members discussed tornado sirens, noting the county’s siren network is largely inoperable and that replacement was not funded in the past. The National Weather Service's criteria for issuing warnings also meant some alerts did not reach residents, and staff encouraged continued signup for text alerts even though not all residents can be reached by cell phone.
Separately, board members reported on generator needs. Scott Barrett (Speaker, Edgar County official) told the board he purchased a small generator for use in his building because a prior power hookup did not supply sufficient capacity to run added equipment and a coroner’s office. Board discussion also noted that the high-rise building had an inadequate generator and was in the process of wiring in a larger unit.
On medical equipment readiness, Anna Brand (Speaker, hospital representative) ran an AED training and found some infant battery packs were expired; the county will replace battery packs at an estimated cost of about $1,000 to ensure AED readiness.
Board members said they will refer building security and emergency-preparedness concerns to the appropriate committees and departments for evaluation and recommended an after-action review of recent incidents to identify breakdowns in communication and response.
