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Health department reports generator failure during storm; some vaccines deemed nonviable
Summary
County health department staff told commissioners a generator failure during the storm caused a temperature excursion that rendered most refrigerated vaccine doses unusable; staff described repeated generator problems and said repairs and options will be pursued.
County health department staff reported to commissioners on Jan. 9 that a generator outage during the winter storm caused a temperature excursion and loss of refrigerated vaccines.
The health department representative, identified in the meeting as Jackie, said a power outage occurred during the ice storm and the facility's generator failed to start. The department placed vaccine supplies into a backup cooler, but temperature monitoring later showed refrigerated doses were not viable. Jackie said freezer products remained safe, and two refrigerated products identified by the manufacturer were expected to tolerate the excursion, but "the rest of it is not".
Jackie told commissioners the generator has a history of unreliable automatic starting and that multiple technicians have inspected it without resolving the intermittent failure. She said the generator had been purchased using earlier ARPA funds but continued to malfunction. "If you go out and try and cycle it, you can get it to come on," she said, but the unit sometimes fails to restart after quick power losses because of its settings or wiring.
Commissioners and staff discussed options including obtaining quotes for a correctly sized replacement generator, proper wiring, or a different make, and possibly adding remote-start capability. Jackie asked the board to direct staff to obtain estimates for a new generator sized for the facility and for proper wiring work. Commissioners agreed that the county should get quotes and presented the courthouse generator (described elsewhere as a Caterpillar unit) as a reference.
No formal vote was taken on contracting; commissioners said they would pursue pricing and bring options back to the board.
