Butler County EMA E MERGENCY MANAGEMENT M ONTHLY

B UTLER C OUNTY EMA TO Volume 2, Issue 1 January 2018 H OST NWS S TORM S POTTER C OURSE is a significant Training hazard faced by the residents of Butler County and prepared- Opportunities: ness is essential to ensuring you and your family stay safe • February 3—Ice Water during a weather-related emer- Rescue gency. To increase prepared- ness in Butler County, Butler • February 6—ICS/EOC County EMA is excited to host Interface the ’s Storm Spotter course. • February 8—Storm The National Weather Service’s Spotter Training Storm Spotter course is de- signed to train citizens on how • February 16—HazMat to participate in the National Tactical Technician Weather Service’s SKYWARN program. According to the Na- Over 75 people attended the 2016 NWS Storm Spotter course. The • April 9, 11, 16, 18 & tional Weather Service, course is designed to train local citizens to identify severe weather 23—ICS 300 “SKYWARN is a volunteer pro- and to share that information with the National Weather Service. gram with between 350,000 This information is then used to better predict the weather. • April 24-26—HSEEP and 400,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volun- Service Wilmington Field Office. Volunteers include police and • May 9, 14, 16 & 21 — teers help keep their local com- These reports, along with vari- fire personnel, dispatchers, ICS 400 munities safe by providing time- ous weather stations and radar EMS workers, public utility ly and accurate reports of se- indications, help guide the workers and other concerned Information for registering vere weather to the National watches, warnings and adviso- private citizens. Individuals for any of the above courses Weather Service.” ries issued by the National affiliated with hospitals, can be obtained on our Weather Service. schools, churches and nursing These reports help the National homes or who have a responsi- website at Weather Service better inter- butlercountyohio.org/ema “NWS encourages anyone with bility for protecting others are pret the radar signatures re- an interest in public service to also encouraged to become a ceived in the National Weather join the SKYWARN program. spotter.” Butler County EMA This year’s course will be held 315 High Street, Suite 670 on February 8th at 7:00 pm in Hamilton, Ohio 45011 the Level A Plaza Conference Office (24 Hr) - (513) 785-5810 Room at UC Health West Ches- EMA Hotline - (513) 785-5800 ter Hospital. Training is free, however prior registration is required. Those interested may Butler County EMA register at the Butler County EMA website. Attendance is Mission Statement limited to 75 participants. ■ Coordinating people and resources to protect the lives For more information, contact and property within Butler EMA Planning & Operations County by working together to Manager Jim Bolen at BolenJA achieve one goal for @ButlerCountyOhio.org or visit Mitigation, Preparedness, the National Weather Service’s Response, and Recovery for NWS SKYWARN website at Disasters and Emergencies https://www.weather.gov/

skywarn/ Page 2

O HIO E M A R ELEASES O HIO S AFE R OOM R EBATE PROGRAM

The Ohio Safe Room Rebate Ferryman, Ohio EMA mitiga- Program is once again accept- tion branch chief. “A safe ing applications. The program room is built to withstand provides a rebate for the pur- these and resulting chase and construction/ airborne debris and provides installation of safe near absolute protection for rooms for Ohio homeowners occupants.” selected for the program. A safe room is an extreme- “The entire state of Ohio is at shelter or space that risk of an EF5 tornado, which provides protection to people produces 250 mile per hour during a tornado. It can be winds capable of destroying constructed/installed in one most structures,” said Steve of several places in the home: in the basement, beneath a concrete slab-on-grade foun- dation or garage floor, or in an A tornado safe room survives after being struck by a tornado interior room on the first floor. A safe room may also be bur- ied in the yard or be a stand- safe room – up to a maximum For more information on the alone structure near your of $4,875. To apply for the Ohio Safe Room Rebate home. Ohio Safe Room Rebate Pro- Program, please contact EMA gram, homeowners have until Planning & Operations Residents selected for the 5 p.m. March 19, to register Manager Jim Bolen at BolenJA An in-ground tornado Safe room program are eligible for a on the Ohio EMA website: @ButlerCountyOhio.org or by can be installed in homes with rebate up to 75 percent of the https://sharpp.dps.ohio.gov/ phone at (513)785-5810. no tornado-safe areas. cost to install or construct a ohiosharpp/ ■

S T . C LAIR T OWNSHIP F IRE D EPARTMENT TO H OST I CE W ATER R ESCUE T RAINING

sheer number of water haz- first responders. To register ards we have here in the for this training, contact St. county. Certainly everybody Clair Fire Department Lieu- knows we have the Great tenant Dustin Pearson at Miami River running through dpearson the county, but the farm @stclairtownshipohio.org .■ ponds, private lakes and For more information on this dams are also hazards which course, go to http:// must be addressed. Every fire butlercountyohio.org/ema/ department in the county has index.cfm? these hazards, in one form or another, within their jurisdic- tion. This is why training, such as the St. Clair Township Fire Department’s Ice Water Res- cue Training, is essential to ensuring Butler County is a safer place to live, work and St. Clair Township Fire De- form shore-based and on-ice play.” partment will be hosting Ice rescue. Water Rescue Training for St. Clair Township’s Ice Water local fire departments in But- This training is essential to Rescue Training will be held ler County. The 8-hour train- ensuring the safety of Butler of February 3rd, at 8:00 am ing course will include both County’s citizens. Butler at St. Clair Township Fire De- classroom and live water County EMA Director Matt partment Station #201. The First Responders from Butler County training designed to train first Haverkos stated, “Many peo- training will last approximate- participate in the 2017 Ice Water Rescue responders on how to per- ple don’t understand the ly 8 hours and is limited to Training