Morrow County EMA director seeks HMEP grant money for lithium-ion and hazmat training, schedules EOC exercise

Michael, identified in the meeting as Morrow County’s Emergency Management Agency director, told the Board on May 5 that the Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning (HMEP) grant is opening and that the county must submit project proposals by May 30.

"The hazardous materials emergency planning grant is opening up, and we have to submit projects by May 30," Michael said, adding that the county’s priorities would be lithium‑ion battery training and additional hazardous materials training. He said the county does not yet know who will submit the applications on behalf of the jurisdiction.

Michael also invited commissioners and county staff to an emergency operations center (EOC) exercise scheduled for May 22 at 8 a.m. "It's going to be an EOC exercise... part of that is a hazardous materials event as part of that," he said, and noted a final planning meeting is set for the coming Thursday. He asked for volunteers to help run injects and support the EOC during the exercise and said refreshments will be provided.

Why it matters: lithium‑ion battery incidents and hazardous materials events pose specialized hazards that require trained responders and interagency coordination. The HMEP grant is a federal program that many jurisdictions use to fund hazmat planning and training; Michael framed training as the county’s primary grant priority.

Next steps: Michael said the county will discuss project ideas with local fire chiefs at an upcoming meeting and intends to submit multiple projects by the grant deadline. The board did not take formal action on grant applications during the May 5 session.