The Osage County health department told commissioners Jan. 9 that a backup generator failed during the recent ice storm, producing a temperature excursion that left most refrigerated vaccines nonviable.

Jackie of the health department described arriving during the storm to find the automatic generator had not started: "I came in in the middle of the ice storm... I put the vaccine in a backup cooler... The frozen was okay. The frozen stuff's safe. Right? All of the refrigerated, that's something except for 2 kinds, which for the manufacturers were gonna be okay even though we had a bit of a temperature excursion. The rest of it is not." Jackie said she is not sure why the generator failed and that multiple service technicians have been unable to identify a single definitive cause.

Staff and commissioners discussed the generator's history. Jackie said the current unit was purchased with earlier ARPA funds and has repeatedly failed to start automatically; service technicians have offered differing explanations including wiring, switch or auto-start/delay settings. Commissioners asked staff to obtain quotes for a correctly sized, properly wired replacement and to explore options such as remote start and alternative generator brands.

No formal action or appropriation was taken at the meeting; commissioners directed staff to return with cost estimates and recommendations. Jackie asked the county to consider soliciting a new quote so the county does not continue to incur losses from spoiled vaccines and repeated service calls.

Commissioners and staff noted the courthouse has a different generator provider (Caterpillar referenced) and discussed comparing approaches. The health department will report back with price estimates and suggested specifications for a replacement or repair plan.