Cleburne County - The Responder

Emergency Management Preparedness For All HazardsClay Times JournalThursday, April 21, 2011

(Having the ability to respond before, during and after a serious emergency.)

Emergency Management Preparedness For All HazardsSt. Clair Times

ResponderEmergency Preparedness For All Hazards

ResponderCleburne NewsWednesday, September 14, 2011

Contact Cleburne County EMA at (256) 463-7130 or log on to www.areyoureadygoEMA.com or www.cleburnecounty.us

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Paid for by the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program

The Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) is a joint venture between the U.S. Army and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist state and local govern-ments to improve emergency planning and preparedness in communities near the eight chemical weapons storage sites in the U.S. Alabama’s CSEP Program includes federal, state and local agencies, the private sector and volunteers.

Since the early 1960s, the Army safely stored approximately seven percent of the nation’s original chemical weapons stock-pile at Anniston Army Depot. The chemical weapons originally stored at the depot con-sisted of various munitions and chemical agents, containing GB or VX nerve agents or HD blister agent. In 1986, Congress man-dated that chemical munitions stored at the depot and seven other sites be destroyed. In August 2003, the Army began disposing of chemical weapons at the Anniston Chemi-cal Activity Disposal Facility. In March 2006, Anniston completed destruction of GB nerve agent followed by the completion of VX agent munitions in December 2008. De-struction of the remaining munitions is ex-pected to be completed in September 2011.

As part of CSEPP, Congress mandated

maximum protection for the public, the en-vironment and workers involved in destroy-ing the chemical munitions. Federal funding is being provided to communities that sur-round the storage sites to upgrade emergen-cy capabilities.

In Cleburne County, CSEPP funding has been used to improve the local emer-gency alert system, provide training and equipment for first responders, enhance school safety and educate the public about emergency preparedness. Emergency plan-ning and response has been made possible through CSEPP, but it can be used for any emergency that impacts Cleburne County.

As the CSEP Program ends with the completion of the destruction of chemical weapons at Anniston Army Depot, Cleburne County faces the challenge of maintaining its level of emergency preparedness with-out federal funding from CSEPP. Since fed-eral funding will no longer be available to maintain many of the resources provided by CSEPP, FEMA requires county officials to create and implement a plan for those re-sources. Some resources will be transferred from EMA to other local agencies. Some re-sources will no longer be available if other agencies cannot assume responsibility for them.

CSEPPChemical Stockpile Emergency

Preparedness Program

Hazards that could possibly affect

your communityBe Prepared All Ways

Thunderstorm & LightningTornado

FloodHeat Wave & Fire

Flu & VirusChemical Accident

provided by: Cleburne County EMA

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Emergency Preparedness For All Hazards

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Cleburne NewsPage 2Wednesday, September 14, 2011


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EOCEmergency Operations Center

Cleburne County Emergency Management Agency

(EMA) was founded in 1974. The newly-formed agency, lo-

cated in an office adjoining the county’s Public Works Barn,

had the same basic mission as it does today.

“EMA evolved out of the civil defense initiative. Plan-

ning, mitigation, training, coordinating, exercising, train-

ing, responding and recovering from emergencies was the

mission,” said Steve Swafford, Cleburne County EMA Di-

rector and County Administrator. “In the 1970s, the mis-

sion was focused on the possibility of a nuclear or conven-

tional attack by the Soviet Union.”

As times changed, Alabama’s CSEP Program took cen-

ter stage. The counties surrounding the Anniston Army

Depot began preparing their communities and first re-

sponders for the possibility of a chemical weapons accident

at the depot’s incineration facility. CSEPP funds allowed

Cleburne EMA to move into its current facility located be-

tween Heflin and Edwardsville. The current facility houses

EMA and 9-1-1 offices as well as the county’s emergency

operations center (EOC).

When the EOC is activated, representatives from local

law enforcement, medical services and fire departments

use the EOC to coordinate their emergency response ef-

forts. They are joined by representatives from the local

school system, public health department, American Red

Cross, Alabama National Guard, Cleburne Department of

Human Resources along with other agencies involved in

the response and recovery.

Through a partnership with CSEPP, Jacksonville State

University (JSU) and Forte Power Systems, Cleburne

County is building a new facility which will include an

EOC along with offices for EMA, 9-1-1 and county adminis-

tration and classrooms for JSU. While the new facility will

be a multi-use resource for Cleburne County, the state of

the art EOC will improve the county’s emergency response

and recovery capabilities. The upgraded EOC will be built

to be storm-resistant.

Over the past year, flooding, snow and ice, tornadoes

and other severe weather have affected Cleburne County.

The storm-resistant EOC will help keep first responders

safe and provide new resources while they coordinate local

response and recovery efforts during an emergency.

“When a deadly tornado struck Tuscaloosa in April, it

not only devastated their community it also struck a blow

to their response and recovery capabilities by destroying

their emergency operations center.” Swafford said. “With

Cleburne’s new EOC, our emergency response agencies

will have a safe place to coordinate resources and activi-

ties to take care of our residents before, during and after a

disaster.”


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SirenSOutdoor warning sirens are meant to provide alerts to peo-ple who are outdoors only. Do not rely on sirens to alert you when you are indoors.

Sirens are tested on the first Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m. unless there is a threat of severe weather.

Sirens are activated for severe thunderstorm watches and warnings between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. Severe thunderstorms can create hazardous conditions such as lightning, flash flooding, heavy rains, high winds and hail.

Tone AlerT rAdioSTone Alert Radios (TARs) were distributed to residents who registered with the CSEPP Special Needs Population Program. TARs provided an indoor alert to people who might require more time to take protective actions during an emergency. TARs also were distributed to schools, churches and other public places. TARs were part of a specialized network funded through the CSEP Program. Service for TARs in Cleburne County ended in 2009 and they will no longer receive alerts.

emergency AlerT rAdioSSince 2009, more than 6,650 Emergency Alert Radios (EARs) have been distributed to homes, schools, churches, businesses and other locations throughout Cleburne County. EARs are indoor alert devices which receive a wide range of emergency alerts through the NOAA National Weather Service All Hazards network of transmitters.

Your EAR should be programmed to receive alerts for Cleburne County. The county code is 001029.

A limited number of EARs are still available. Contact Cleburne EMA at 256.463.7130 for more information.

emergency AlerT SySTem rAdio And TV STATionS

Before, during and after an emergency, you should tune to a local Emergency Alert System Station.

Radio StationS televiSion StationS WTDR FM 92.7 WJSU ABC 33/40 WVOK FM 97.9 WBRC FOX 6 WJCK FM 88.3 WVTM NBC 13 WKNG FM 89.1 WIAT CBS 42

Cleburne County residents have grown accustomed to the familiar wail of outdoor warning sirens. The end of Ala-bama’s Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) also will bring an end to federal funding for the si-rens.

Since 1996 a network of sirens has ex-panded across Cleburne County through CSEP Program and mitigation funds. The CSEPP-funded sirens, located in western portions of the county, were primarily in-tended to alert residents if a chemical weapons accident occurred at Anniston Army Depot. The incineration of the chemical stockpile in Anniston is expected to be complete in September 2011. As the CSEP Program ends, federal funding for sirens will end too.

Local CSEP Program resources, including the out-door warning sirens, were implemented by the Cle-burne County Commission through the federal pro-gram. Without the federal funding, the County Com-mission cannot continue to pay for the upkeep of the sirens. Cities and communi-ties in the county will have to decide whether or not to maintain the sirens.

“The County Commis-sion is not aware of any avail-

able federal funds to replace CSEPP. Since the sirens were purchased and maintained through CSEPP, we have to follow the pro-gram guidelines and remove the sirens unless an organization or jurisdiction assumes responsibility,” said Steve Swaf-ford, Cleburne County Administrator.

Other sirens in the county were pur-chased with mitigation funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and funding from cities or local fire departments. In the past, Cleburne

EMA (EMA) assisted with maintenance of those sirens. With the end of CSEPP, the county EMA no longer has the re-sources to provide that assistance.

“Cities, communities and fire depart-ments have to make a decision soon,” said Swafford, who also serves as Cleburne County EMA Director. “They must decide if they want the sirens and are willing to pay for their upkeep. If not, the sirens will have to be taken down.”

If sirens are removed, they will be kept for spare parts for the remaining sirens. Cleburne EMA will maintain the equip-ment necessary to activate the sirens for tests and emergency notifications.

Swafford pointed out that more than 90 percent of homes in Cleburne County have re-ceived a free emergency alert radio. While the outdoor warn-ing sirens are meant only to alert people who are outdoors, the new radios provide an in-door alert potentially to every physical address in the county.

“We began the distribu-tion of emergency alert radios in 2009 as part of our plan for the end of CSEPP. After the ra-dio distribution program ends, the radios will continue to pro-vide alerts without any sup-port from the county,” Swaf-ford added.

SirenS

eAS – Emergency Alert System


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Cleburne News


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Page 4Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Mention the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Depart-ment and you may think of deputies on patrol, law en-forcement or the county jail. But the department also plays an important role in supporting other emergency response agencies. Through the CSEP Program, Cle-burne EMA coordinates opportunities for local emer-gency responders to work together in training and ex-ercises.

“Deputies secure the scene, control traffic and act as our ‘eyes and ears’ during an emergency response. That allows us to focus on our work at hand, whether it’s fighting fire or extricating a victim from a wrecked vehicle,” said Dan Hopkins, Chief of Hollis Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department (VFD). We couldn’t do an effective job without their support.”

“It’s important to develop a relationship with other emergency responders,” said Sheriff Joe Jacks. “Train-ing and exercises help us learn to work together before an actual disaster happens. When a real emergency oc-curs, we’re better prepared to support other agencies and protect the public.”

With assistance from the Sheriff’s Department, Hollis VFD undertook an extensive exercise on a Sun-day afternoon. All roads in the VFD’s jurisdiction were ‘closed’ with traffic control points while fire depart-ment volunteers and deputies practiced providing as-sistance to people who were relocating due to a CSEPP event in Calhoun County.

“We had volunteers who would come through our reception points with questions and problems that were designed to test our emergency responders. Potentially we could have thousands of people come through our district if a major disaster struck in a neighboring coun-ty. They might need something minor or it could be vi-tal. Either way, we have to be prepared to help them.”

Cleburne County law enforcement, fire depart-ments and other agencies have participated in an an-nual regional CSEPP exercise. While a chemical weap-

ons accident at Anniston Army Depot would no longer impact the county, the effects on communities closest to the depot could affect Cleburne County. Responders use the experiences from CSEPP in other emergencies.

“Working with EMA, we set up a scenario with a school bus accident. We used live ‘victims’ and chil-dren to practice the extrication. Handling a real child in that situation ensures that you won’t forget what you’ve learned,” said Hopkins. “We were practicing for a traffic accident related to a CSEPP event, but now the fire department and deputies have those skills ready to use in any situation.”

Training and Exercises

Dan Hopkins, Chief of Hollis Crossroads VFD

Sheriff Joe Jacks


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Page 5Cleburne News

In early 2011, an online survey was conducted to assess emergency prepared-ness among residents in Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah, St. Clair and Talladega counties – Alabama’s CSEPP community. The annual survey attempts to measure the effectiveness of public outreach activ-ities, knowledge of protective actions and level of preparedness in the six counties. Cleburne County’s scores rank among the highest in the survey.

Cleburne County residents contin-ued to be leaders in their awareness and practice of emergency preparedness. Eighty percent of Cleburne survey partic-ipants knew that the destruction of chem-ical weapons at Anniston Army Depot is almost complete. Only Calhoun County, where the Depot is located scored higher. Fifty-six percent of Cleburne participants knew that their community was no longer

at risk from chemical weapons destruc-tion which was the highest score in the six-county area.

Ninety-four percent of county partic-ipants know they should plan for natural and manmade hazards. Sixty-six percent reported they had created a family emer-gency preparedness plan which was an increase from sixty-three percent in 2009. Cleburne County was the leader in both categories in Alabama’s CSEPP area. Na-tionwide, only 40 percent of individuals are aware that a natural disaster could af-fect their community, according to a Citi-zen Corps study.

Cleburne residents are paying at-tention to the local public information campaigns. Eighty-nine percent reported they had received information from Cle-burne EMA which was up from 63 per-cent in 2009. Ninety-two percent said

they are confident of receiving a quick notification of emergencies. Only Etowah County scored as well in the notification category. Throughout the year, emergen-cy preparedness materials such as calen-dars, newsletters and booklets are mailed to homes and businesses throughout the county. Publications also are available at the county courthouse, city halls and oth-er public places. Free resources are avail-able online at www.cleburnecounty.us.

In Cleburne County, 93 percent of survey participants have received free emergency alert radios but only 89 per-cent said their radio was programmed to receive alerts for Cleburne County. Pro-gramming assistance and a limited num-ber of radios are available from Cleburne EMA. Call 256.463.7130 for more informa-tion.

Preparedness Survey Results


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Page 6Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Cleburne EMA’s public outreach efforts have often targeted the county’s youngest residents. Through partner-ships with the local school system and other organizations who work with children, EMA provides information and resources about emergency preparedness for children.

“Educating children serves a two-fold purpose. When you introduce planning for emergencies to a child, they will go home and talk to their parents and other family members about what they’ve learned. The child will ask if their home has resources like a disaster supply kit or smoke detectors. They will encour-age their family to be better prepared. That helps create a safer home and community now,” said Steve Swafford, Cleburne County Administrator. “By teaching children that preparedness should be part of their daily routine, they will grow up to be safety-conscious adults. They can help us build a stronger community for the future.”

Through CSEPP funding, Cleburne EMA has provid-ed resources such as the American Red Cross Masters of Disaster curriculum. The Red Cross program offers tools to help teachers include emergency preparedness in their classroom activities. Age-appropriate publications have been distributed to county schools and other organizations.

To support county fire departments’ efforts in local schools, Cleburne EMA purchased a mobile education unit (MEU) with CSEPP funds. The MEU is designed to feel like a home so children can learn to escape from a house fire. Along with fire safety, children are taught severe weath-

er safety and how to call 9-1-1 for help from emergency responders.

“When children can actually practice the steps while we are talking about fire safety, it makes more sense to them. In the MEU, a smoke detector sounds an alarm and then ‘smoke’ starts filling the rooms. The fireman will walk them

through the steps of how to get outdoors safely,” said Patrick Nolen, chief of Tur-key Heaven Volunteer Fire Department. “During the presentation, children can call 9-1-1. There’s a fireman in a hidden room in the MEU acting as the dispatcher. Children should know when and how to call for emergen-cy help.

“By training children, we are empowering them to, not only help their family create emergency plans, but they also can help in their family’s response to an emergency,” Nolen added.

As part of the county’s CSEPP Closeout Plan, the MEU has been transferred to the Cleburne County Fire Preven-tion Association. Volunteer fire departments in the central and southern communities in Cleburne County assumed responsibility for the MEU to ensure its use in their local schools.

Learning opportunities also have been available to older students through CSEPP. In 2011, Cleburne Coun-ty Career Technical School partnered with EMA to offer American Red Cross training to students in their Health Sciences program. Students from Ranburne and Cleburne County high schools completed the Red Cross program.

School Outreach


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Page 7Cleburne News

Through the CSEP Program and federal agencies, Cleburne EMA has secured funding to provide resources for local organizations to create safer, better-prepared communities. A few examples include:

• Cleburne EMA partnered with the American Red Cross and local agencies such as the Department of Human Resources, Public Health Department and the Baptist Association to create a Recep-tion and Mass Care Plan. Shelter locations and resources have been identified and local volun-teers received training to prepare for disasters that might affect Cleburne and surrounding counties.

• Emergency preparedness plays a vital role in the Cleburne County School System’s day-to-day op-erations. Whether it’s severe weather or a man-made disaster, student safety is its top priority. School officials work with Cleburne EMA, local law enforcement and fire departments to plan for different types of risks that could affect county schools. Cleburne EMA identifies opportunities to enhance school safety such as:

– Installing two-way radios on county school buses to allow drivers to stay in contact with the central education office, schools and emergency responders

– Participating in exercises to evaluate school safety plans to shelter in place or evacuate during emergencies

– Providing emergency alert radios for school offices, gyms, field houses and other school facilities

– Securing more than $6,000 in federal funding to purchase medical supplies and equipment. Bandages, cots, gauze, gloves, disinfectants and splints were among the supplies that could be essential during a large scale emergency but can also be used for daily care of students.

To support Cleburne County Emergency Medical Services mission of providing life-saving care throughout the county, Cleburne EMA secured more than $45,000 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to equipment county ambulances with heart monitors.

Resources for Other Agencies

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“Through the resources provided by the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, public safety and emergency response capabilities in Cleburne County have been greatly enhanced. Our Partners in Preparedness include law enforcement depart-ments, volunteer fire departments, emergency medical services, 9-1-1 and other local, state, and federal agencies along with people who live and work in Cleburne County. By working together, we are creating a better-prepared, safer, and more resilient county.”

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Cleburne County - The Responder