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214 S. Wagner Ave. Wapakoneta, OH 45895 Phone: (419) 738-3410 Fax: (419) 738-7818 |
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Auglaize County Health Department |
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Emergency Planning |
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Four Phases to Emergency Management Mitigation: action designed to either prevent the occurrence of an emergency or to minimize the long-term potentially adverse effects of an emergency.
Preparedness: activities, programs, and systems that exist prior to an emergency and are used to support and enhance the response to an emergency or disaster.
Response: action taken immediately before, during, or directly after an emergency to address the immediate and short-term effects of the emergency or disaster.
Recovery: involves restoring system to normal.
Direction and Control The Auglaize County Health Department will function as part of the Auglaize County Emergency Management Agency. Since the Health Department’s jurisdiction extends over the entire county, it will respond to emergencies involving a single political subdivision as well as involving the entire county. The Health Commissioner is responsible for internal direction of the Health Department. When a county emergency is declared, the Commissioner activates the Health Department Emergency Response Plan, and the Commissioner or his/her designee will report to the Auglaize County Emergency Operations Center.
Nuclear Event: Nuclear materials pass through Auglaize County by rail and motor carrier frequently if not daily. The Health Department maintains a Radiological Emergency plan to protect the public. The Auglaize County Health Department can be notified 24/7 by emergency pager. In the event that medication, to protect against radioactive, needs to be distributed the department will activate a modified plan of the Emergency Vaccination Plan. County residents will be notified by radio and television as to details of the plan. Refer to the Emergency Vaccination Plan.
Chemical Event: Chemicals pass through Auglaize County daily. Clouds of chemicals could accidentally be released form manufacturing sites inside and outside of the county. If there is a noted chemical spill or cloud release of hazard to the general public an emergency will be notified and instructions will be given according to Health Department policies. The Hazardous materials group will be dispatched by the emergency dispatch to manage the scene.
Biological Event: There are natural biological agents in the soils of the county that can cause disease and illness. In addition there are biological agents that contaminate food and water and cause illness. The sanitation department of the Health Department oversees well and sewage installation to minimize illness. This department also oversees food preparation establishments to reduce incidence of illness by poor preparation. The emergency plan also prepares for bioterrorism. For more information se the Terrorism and Emergency Vaccination Clinics pages this site.
Related Web sites of interest: www.odh.state.oh.us
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Contact Info:
Phone: 419-738-3410 Fax: 419-738-7818 Email: mwurst@auglaizehealth.org |
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Chemical Agents: Facts About Sheltering in Place
What “sheltering in place” means Some kinds of chemical accidents or attacks may make going outdoors dangerous. Leaving the area might take too long or put you in harm’s way. In such a case it may be safer for you to stay indoors than to go outside. “Shelter in place” means to make a shelter out of the place you are in. It is a way for you to make the building as safe as possible to protect yourself until help arrives. You should not try to shelter in a vehicle unless you have no other choice. Vehicles are not airtight enough to give you adequate protection from chemicals.
How to prepare to shelter in place Choose a room in your house or apartment for your shelter. The best room to use for the shelter is a room with as few windows and doors as possible. A large room, preferably with a water supply, is desirable—something like a master bedroom that is connected to a bathroom. For chemical events, this room should be as high in the structure as possible to avoid vapors (gases) that sink. This guideline is different from the sheltering-in-place technique used in tornadoes and other severe weather, when the shelter should be low in the home. You might not be at home if the need to shelter in place ever arises, but if you are at home, the following items would be good to have on hand. (Ideally, all of these items would be stored in the shelter room to save time.)
· First aid kit · Food and bottled water. Store 1 gallon of water per person in plastic bottles as well as ready-to-eat foods that will keep without refrigeration at the shelter-in-place location. If you do not have bottled water, or if you run out, you can drink water from a toilet tank (not from a toilet bowl). · Flashlight, battery-powered radio, and extra batteries for both. · Duct tape and scissors. · Towels and plastic sheeting. · A working telephone.
How to know if you need to shelter in place · You will hear from the local police, emergency coordinators, or government on the radio and television. · If there is a “code red” or “severe” terror alert, pay attention to radio and television to know if an immediate shelter-in-place is announced for your area.
If you are away from your shelter-in-place location when a chemical event occurs, follow the instructions of emergency coordinators to find the nearest shelter. If your children are at school, they will be sheltered there. Unless you are instructed to do so, do not try to get to the school to bring your children home.
What to do Act quickly and follow the instructions of your local emergency coordinators. Every situation can be different, so local emergency coordinators might have special instructions for you to follow. In general, do the following: · Go inside as quickly as possible · If there is time, shut and lock all outside doors and windows. Locking them may provide a tighter seal against the chemical. Turn off the air conditioner or heater. Turn off all fans, too. Close the fireplace damper and any other place that air can come in from the outside. · Go in the shelter-in-place room and shut the door. · Tape plastic over any windows in the room. Use duct tape around the windows and doors and make an unbroken seal. Tape the vents closed and any electrical outlets. Sink and toilet drains should have water in them (You can use the sink and toilet as you normally would). If it is necessary to drink water, drink stored water, not water from the tap. · Turn on the radio. Keep a telephone close at hand, but don’t use it unless there is an emergency.
Sheltering in this way should keep you safer than if you are outdoors. Most likely, you will be in the shelter for no more than a few hours. Listen to the radio for an announcement indicating that it is safe to leave the shelter. After you come out of the shelter, emergency coordinators may have additional instructions on how to make the rest of the building safe again.
How you can get more information about sheltering in place
You can contact one of the following:
· Auglaize County General Health District: 419-738-3410 · mwurst@auglaizehealth.org · Ohio Department of Health · Center for Disease Control: Phone: English: 888-246-2675 Espanol: 888-246-2857 TTY: 866-874-2646 Email: cdcresponse@ashastd.org Mail: Public Inquiry c/o BPRP |
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Emergency Vaccination Clinics (EVC) in Auglaize County The Auglaize County Health Department in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is developing a plan in the event that one case of Smallpox disease is discovered in the United States. Upon discovery of a case of smallpox the Federal Government would declare a State of Emergency. In turn each Governor would declare a state of Emergency in their State. Ohio’s State of Emergency would order the closure of Schools, factories and all businesses that were non-emergency. People would be told to go home and stay home.
Smallpox is an airborne disease and under normal conditions spreads from the infected person to the people within a 7-8 foot radius of the infected individual through the air they breath. Smallpox can also be contacted by direct contact with the contents of the pustules of the infected person. For more detailed information on Smallpox please visit. www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/index.asp or www.hhs.gov/smallpox/index.html
The plan calls for four Vaccination clinics to be established across Auglaize County. Although specific sites will not be identified the clinics will be established tin the Waynesfield area, the Wapakoneta area, the St. Mary’s area and the New Knoxville/New Bremen/Minster area. The plan is a living plan and changes and refines as time goes on.
Trained volunteers from the county will man clinics. When all four clinics are in operation the number of volunteers needed will be a minimum of 308 per 8 hour shift with two eight hour shifts each of the four days the clinics are open.
The Auglaize County Health Department will be notified by the ODH through the 24/7 emergency number. Once the Ohio goes into a State of Emergency the CDC with activate the National Pharmaceutical Supply and begin the shipment of vaccine to the Local Health Departments. In the interim volunteers and the clinic sites would be activated. The Emergency Management Agency (EMA) would establish the Emergency Operation Center and the Health Commissioner or her representative would join the center along with other agencies.
EMA will make announcements as to where the centers are located, Who should report first and when should people report for voluntary vaccination against smallpox. People will be called up alphabetically by last name and told where to report by which township they live in.
The clinics are designed handle up to 400 people per hour, in an orderly manner. Residents will be asked to listen to the radio and television announcements and proceed in an orderly manner as to allow maximum operation of the clinics. Over crowding will only slow down operations.
To enhance the performance of the clinics please have the following: 1. Photo ID with SS# & birth date a. Driver’s license will do b. State ID card obtained at the driver’s license office will do c. Other valid photo ID such as College student currently enrolled card d. Persons failing to produce a photo ID must have someone with a valid photo ID vouch for them e. Bring a carbon based ink pen with you f. Bring health records with you for reference. g. Wear lose fitting shirt or blouse that can have the sleeve rolled up h. Come to the clinic in the order of name being called
Volunteer to help work at the clinic during the emergency Upon arriving at the clinic each person will be given a packet of information they will need to read and a packet of four pages of personal information. All information needs to be completed. Information will be check by the registrar group in the clinic. If you are unsure how to answer a question there will be medical personnel to answer questions.
Clinician Education sites: Public Health Nursing Training Network www.phppo.cdc.gov/phtn/default.asp National Laboratory Training Network www.phppo.cdc.gov/nltn/default.asp
Volunteering for clinics There are many positions that need to be filled to make the Emergency Vaccination Clinics work for all the residents in Auglaize County. The Health Department is seeking volunteers to help. All positions will have training before they will be allowed to help in the clinic, training will be scheduled at a later. All positions are vital to the success of the clinics.
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The Auglaize County Health Department maintains Emergency Plans for Emergency Management in the event of a terrorist or accidental event related to Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological agents. |