Holmes EMA maintaining its diligence
Holmes County Emergency Management Association will turn its attention to maintaining a working amount of PPE as the COVID-19 pandemic moves into a less stressful time.
Holmes County EMA remains diligent in collecting PPE items, even as the nation relaxes its COVID-19 regulations.
When June 2 rolled around, many people in Ohio gave a sigh of relief as Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine lifted many of the restrictions related to COVID-19. For many it felt like a turning point as the state could finally take steps toward a return to some semblance of normalcy.
While Holmes County Emergency Management Association director Gary Mellor and assistant director Luke Hall could celebrate, it also became a time to reflect on the past and to put in motion the idea of preparing for the future should anything come along akin to what the world had just gone through.
Several weeks later Hall said the county’s diligence in staying out in front of any possible disastrous scenario remains a priority.
“Regardless of the governor’s declaration, we as an emergency-management team will always be walking that balance beam of being prepared versus budgetary concerns,” Hall said. “We don’t have infinite amounts of money, nor do we have an infinite amount of space where we can store all of our PPE items, so we do have to pick and choose as to how we want to approach a prudential path.”
Holmes EMA struggled to obtain PPE items like gloves, sanitizer, masks and other needed items during the pandemic, with national and state entities gobbling up those items at a rapid pace, leaving the smaller county teams to scrap and claw to find materials for their county.
Hall said he put his sales background to good use and began scouring every possible avenue in finding PPE material. Holmes EMA front-loaded the vital organizations like fire and EMS and local law-enforcement organizations early on. They then began stockpiling as well as they could under the circumstances in which every county in every state was doing the same thing.
Now with the pandemic regulations lifted, the frenetic pace at which organizations were acquiring PPE has waned, but Hall said Holmes County will remain diligent in making sure the county remains fluid in collecting PPE items.
“That was a real wake-up call for everyone,” Hall said. “That’s why it makes sense to continue to have a reserve stockpile on hand.”
He went on to say Holmes County doesn’t have a storage facility that would facilitate the process of collecting and storing huge volumes of PPE items.
“There are other EMAs cross the state that have warehouses at their disposal,” Hall said. “Their counties went out and bought these facilities specifically for that. More power to them, but because we don’t have that kind of facility available to us, we have put mini stockpiles in place for every department where each department can maintain a certain amount of specific PPE items geared toward their specific needs.”
Gloves, paper gowns, nitro gloves and other items are on the list, and EMA will continue to collect a back-up to each departments’ back-up supply. Should something arise again, the EMA would be able to quickly aid departments in meeting needs.
In the meantime Hall said the EMA is beginning to pare down the number of items it currently has in stock because there is a shelf-life on these items.
“We will cycle all of these items through once a year and move them into the general supplies of the various departments because they need to be used,” Hall said. “We can’t just stock them and keep them forever, so we will probably work on cycling everything through sometime in December or January and then begin to purchase new items to keep on hold.”
He said all of the items are marked with an expiration date, so about one year out from expiration, EMA will begin moving the PPE products out to the county departments, which can then cycle through them. He said the Holmes County commissioners have already provided the EMA with a budget to purchase new PPE equipment.
“It’s a worthwhile endeavor, and we will see where it takes us,” Hall said. “Who knows when the next huge disaster might come along? We will certainly have some threat, some bug or flu strain that will challenge us and create runs on supplies, so we have to remain diligent. It’s always a game of where you put your focus.”
Using the available funds to make wise decisions is something the EMA team continues to make a priority, looking into the future even as it deals with everyday situations that arise on a daily and weekly basis.
Hall said he credits the commissioners for their insight and awareness and their willingness to look into the future, creating the funds that will allow the EMA to be prepared for whatever disaster might befall the county.