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Ashland Home Depot Garden Center
By MISSY LOAR
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T-G Staff Writer
Emergencies and disasters can't consistently be predicted, but with the appropriate resources, it is accessible to be prepared.
The Ashland Canton Emergency Management Agency's primary purpose is planning for disasters and analogous assets back they happen. The office's Emergency Operations Centermost will be set up as if a absolute emergency bearings were occurring back it opens its new appointment to the accessible with an accessible abode 3 to 7 p.m. today, Feb. 9.
The centermost is advised to advice the canton cross aggregate from floods to snow storms to actinic spills. The move to the Canton Service Centermost began in November to advance ability and consolidate services, according to EMA administrator Mark Rafeld.
"It's consistently nice to accept aggregate you charge at your fingertips," he said.
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Before, the EMA appointment was in the Canton Appointment Architecture while the operations centermost accessories was stored at the Sheriff's Office. It wasn't able to be set up on a circadian base due to amplitude limitations.
Serving primarily as a ability center, the affection of the new operations centermost includes radio advice systems, 10 phones, a SMART Board, a projector and screen, whiteboards, maps and three flat-screen TVs for ecology account and weather. During a disaster, assembly from government agencies and assurance forces, such as blaze and badge departments, use the operations centermost to adviser the situation, acquisition and administer assets and acquaint with added agencies.
"We all assignment actual carefully together, so the bigger ability we accept to accommodate casework to those groups, the bigger we can handle an event," Rafeld said.
The move to the Canton Service Centermost puts all EMA casework and operations in a breadth axial to the canton and beneath one roof. Rafeld said this allows the appointment to be added organized and efficient.
"Everything you did was bifold before," he said. "Now, we've automated that process, which will save time and money. Should we charge it during an event, I anticipate it's activity to action abundant smoother than it did before."
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When the operations centermost was stored at the Sheriff's Office, it took two hours to set up everything, according to Rafeld, and amplitude was added restricted. Now, the operations centermost is set up 24 hours a day, acceptance burning admission in case of an emergency.
According to Rafeld, the aftermost time the operations centermost was acclimated in Ashland was the summer of 2011 back calefaction acquired a ability abeyance in the burghal and southern portions of county.
Before that, it was set up in 2008 back apprehension from Hurricane Ike advance inland.
"We're actual advantageous that we alive in Ashland Canton so we don't accept a lot of above disasters like what you see on the account every night," Rafeld said.
Tornadoes, floods and snowstorms are the best acceptable threats to this area, according to Rafeld. Another achievability is chancy spills if a barter comatose on one of the abounding highways that canyon through the county.
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For chancy spills and added disasters independent to abate regions, the operations centermost additionally has a carriageable assemblage alleged an Embox. Made by EOC2GO, the Embox is absolutely that -- an operations centermost to-go that can be taken on the alley to acquiesce the EMA to set up afterpiece to the disaster. It has is able with six laptop computers and can be acquainted into the Internet to action as a calling center.
The new appointment additionally acclimated grants to enhance its casework through new accessories and improvements to the facility.
The operations centermost is amid in the basement of the Canton Service Center, which acclimated to be Heartland Home. A admission through the Home Depot Foundation provided about $10,800 account of architecture abstracts bare to clean the basement, according to Rafeld. New beam tiles, attic tiles, dry wall, carpet, lights and a bank were installed.
The capital allowance of the operations centermost acclimated to be the association allowance at Heartland Home. A bead beam and carpeting were added to deaden complete due to the cardinal of bodies who could be application it during a adversity -- about 20 -- and the aggregate from assorted phones and TVs, according to Rafeld.
The Emergency Management Performance Grant, adjourned by FEMA and administered through the accompaniment EMA office, accurate the all-embracing project, abnormally the acquirement of new accessories like the SMART Board and flat-screen TVs. The $48,000 admission was about a 50 percent bout to funds provided by the county.
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The added amplitude in the new breadth additionally allows the operations centermost to be a acting aborticide armpit for residential accessories such as a nursing home. The EMA appointment has 20 beds, with 20 added accessible at Samaritan Hospital, and four MasCache units that accommodate gloves, syringes and added supplies.
n Missy Loar can be accomplished at 419-281-0581, ext. 237, or at mloar@times-gazette.com.
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