The Oxford County Local Emergency Planning Committee met on Tuesday March 31, 2009 at Oxford County EOC in South Paris. The following were in attendance:

I. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 4:15 PM by Chairperson Teresa Inman.

II. Approval of Minutes
Brad Frost moved to accept the minutes and Dennis Gray seconded the motion. Vote: Approved

III. Old Business
NIMSCAST – 20 of the 36 towns in Oxford County are now NIMS compliant. Towns have always informally embraced the process and have made great strides in formally adopting all aspects of NIMS. We have received 20 town plans and school districts are working on their plans. We have approximately 21 folks trained to 400 level, and over 90 folks trained to 300 level. Credentialing is also a requirement of 2009 compliance and we will be forwarding the information collection sheet out to departments over the next few weeks. The IMAT is a fully trained, 15 person team. Fire Chiefs at 300 level can train their departments for 100 and 700. Red Cross is interested in hosting a 100 and a 700 class.

IV. New Business
a. Treasurers Report
Scott Parker motioned to accept the Treasurers Report and Dick Knight seconded the motion. Vote: Approved

b. Chemical Spill Report
Report provided Kara Walker, DEP.

c. Training Scheduled for March/April/May
The CERT course at OHCHS will be ending on April 8th. We will be holding a 400 course on April 8th and 11th at Paris Fire. The Maine Partners in Emergency Preparedness is a two-day event scheduled for April 30th and May 1st. The 2009 Recovery Tabletop will be held on May 9th. On April 22nd & 23rd Michael Hatch from Stephens Memorial Hospital, in conjunction with Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School officials will be mapping out the Acute Care Site at the High School. Members of the LEPC, as well as local Fire Departments, EMS and ARC are welcome to view the site and provide comments.

d. Exercise Programs – Western Maine Regional 2009 Exercise
Tabletop on February 7th—Great turnout for both morning and afternoon sessions. We are looking at expanding the scope of the exercise by bringing in the next ring of mutual support.
We are shortening the timeline for the May 9th Tabletop. We will be bringing both groups together for the morning session; there will be no afternoon session.
May 9th – S. Paris Fire Dept., 8am-1pm Table Top/Recovery
August 16th—Oxford Plains Speedway, 8am-3pm, Full Scale Exe/Response
August 23rd – Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, 8am-3pm, Full Scale Exe/Sheltering
September 27th—Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, 8am-3pm, Full Scale Exe/ACS

e. Exercise Programs – Flood Recovery Tabletop
The County EMA office attended the Flood Recovery tabletop at Mountain Valley High School on March 21st. The scenario consisted of severe flooding from West to East. It was run by a team from DHS, thereby allowing us to participate rather than facilitate. All involved learned a great deal about the capabilities of agencies within their towns and throughout the county

f. Tier II Update
This year we have added 11 new facilities. The SERC challenged all LEPC’s to come up with 1 new facility per month for 2008. In 2006 we had 60% of our facilities reporting, 82% in 2007 and as of the end of March, 86% of our facilities have reported, but we are anticipating being at 91% when the DOT reports arrive. Five facilities visited our office for assistance with reporting on our Open Office days in February.

g. Facility of the Year
We would like to start annually recognizing a facility for being proactive, exercising and reporting, and membership on the LEPC. Rumford Power was nominated by Teresa Inman. It was noted that they hosted a drill at their facility in 2008 which brought together the RRT, Sheriff’s Dept, EMS, IMAT and other key organizations within the County. As well as inspiring other EHS facilities with their techniques of photographing key points and numbering their system for first responders. Brad Frost seconded. Vote: All in favor.

h. Maine Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference
The conference offers a vast array of emergency preparedness topics and events such as breakout sessions, round-table discussions, and the 10th annual HazMat team challenge. It will also host senior leaders from across the state and over 50 exhibitors with products, services, and information that are geared toward making you, your home, or your organization more prepared for emergencies and disasters. Scott, Allyson and Teresa will be in attendance.

i. Decon Strike Team #4/Training Funding FY2010
Federal funding is shrinking, therefore SERC funds for Hazmat Operations training is shrinking. Limits have been set per county on funds available for training for FY2010. Technician training and Awareness training will be funded as usual. We are looking at approximately $6000 available for Ops training in Oxford County. We currently train an average of about 150 responders annually, costing about $24,000. This is driving us to limit the training opportunities available for FY2010. We are looking at several different options to deal effectively with this shortage, for instance, cutting instructor pay in half, thereby bringing the potential number of trained individuals from ~60 up to ~120.
On the other side of the issue, we have been wondering if we really need more that 60 responders trained in the county considering the resources we have surrounding us like the RRT at NewPage, the Bridgton RRT, and the Cobra team in Auburn. Brad commented that without Ops training he would not be able to respond to an oil spill in a timely fashion and would have to wait upwards of an hour and a half for assistance.
We are also considering looking at this problem in terms of strategic departments in the County and training 1-3 folks within each department. Decisions need to be made over the next two months and we will be having meetings with our Oxford County Instructor group, as well as presenting this problem and potential solutions to County Fire Chiefs.
Over the years, rather than rely on the DST, we have evolved into having Ops level folks on most departments. This may be a great opportunity to bring the DST up to a new level. Bottom line is that we have a limited amount of funding and need to review all the options and create a plan that will work for all departments and agencies involved and not disrupt departments’ ability to respond to chemical incidents.

j. Advanced CAMEO Training, Jun 2009
Teresa applied for and received a grant to attend the Advanced CAMEO training in June. We proposed approving up to $900 for housing, travel and food to attend the training. Scott Parker motioned. Brad Frost seconded. Vote: All in favor.

k. Homeland Security Grants FY2008
Our planner is starting on April 1st. The CART team has purchased the trailer and it has been lettered. Looking at FY2009 HSGP, MEMA is looking for input from the County Directors on priorities for 2009. Please contact Scott if there is an area you would like to see funded.

l. IMAT Status
The first large meeting for the IMAT will be held on April 4th in conjunction with the first part of the ICS-400 course being held at Paris Fire Department. There will be a 30 minute pitch to the class regarding the IMAT. We have also had a $3000 annual budget approved for purchasing supplies for the team.

m. Justin Castagna/Rumford Power – Membership on LEPC
Scott Parker motioned. Dick Knight seconded. Vote: Approved

n. Elect Secretary
Brad Frost nominated Allyson Hill. Dick Knight seconded. Vote: Approved.

o. Location and Timing of Next Meeting
Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 26th at Rumford Power in Rumford.

Other Items:
Dennis Gray of the United Way reported that they have received $13,000 in Keep ME Warm funds for distribution to local food pantries. You can locate local food pantries online or by calling 211. There are three food pantries in Oxford County that offer a community lunch and they are located in the following communities: Fryeburg, Mexico, Norway.

p. Adjournment
Brad Frost motioned to adjourn the meeting. Dick Knight seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 5:51pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Allyson Hill