Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Emergency Management outlines ham-radio training, hazmat education and volunteer recruitment
Summary
Christian County Emergency Management reported Q1 work: coordination with regional partners for major events, hazmat and community education after a train-derailment exercise, ham-radio licensing and an expanded CERT and volunteer training program.
An official from Christian County Emergency Management briefed the commission on first-quarter activities, describing regional coordination, training and volunteer recruitment.
"Christian County Emergency Management has been hard at work during the first quarter working on, meeting with, community partners, exercising, and educating volunteers, employees, and the community," the presenter said.
The office said it met with the Southwest Healthcare Coalition and the Southwest Missouri Emergency Support Organization to coordinate communications and readiness for upcoming large events, including FIFA-related activity in the region. Staff described work with Ozark on an active-shooter exercise and participation in an integrated preparedness planning workshop covering education and exercises for the next five years.
Following a train-derailment exercise last year, the presenter said the office identified a need for broader community hazmat education; staff has drafted educational materials and plans to deploy a public campaign after the storm season.
Emergency Management also prioritized alternative communications: staff completed ham-radio licensing and began attending Amateur Radio Emergency Services meetings. The office ran a CERT academy that trained more than a dozen community members and a second annual volunteer conference that educated close to 80 participants from Southwest Missouri, including some attendees from Oklahoma and northern Missouri. Several attendees signed up as volunteers.
The presenter noted other training efforts, including advanced weather-radar and tornado response classes, medical reserve corps tours of a Red Cross facility, and volunteer training in cybersecurity and 9-1-1 operations.
Commissioners thanked the presenter for the updates and praised the office's outreach and volunteer recruitment, with one commissioner saying that the county's weather updates had been especially useful.
No formal action was required; the briefing was informational and commissioners asked staff to proceed with the planned education campaign and continued regional coordination.
