In addition to two trailers and an inflatable hazardous materials decontamination tent, Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency has obtained older technologies to help in the communication end of its operations: ham radios.

In the event that traditional communication equipment breaks down, ham radios could provide emergency personnel with a backup solution.
Through the Public Safety Interoperable Communications grant, late last month the EMA office was able to purchase ham radio equipment, which interim Director Tod Hartung said he and other employees would need training to use.

In 2007, Maine received more than $7.5 million in Public Safety Interoperable Communications funds from the Department of Homeland Security, after the state met certain requirements. Since that time, various projects have had funds with which to purchase equipment and bridge communication technologies.

A portion of this funding was made available to support Maine’s Strategic Technology Reserve in the event that traditional communication equipment is destroyed. Grant information available through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration website www.ntia.doc.gov, lists “gateway devices,” portable radios, software patches and “data brokering systems” as possible solutions for emergency management agencies.

In the directors’ report to Lincoln County Commissioners, Hartung and previous Director Tim Pellerin heard suggestions as to whom they could turn to for assistance in training. Hartung said he and other staff members want to learn how to use the older technology so that they will be able to operate the radios themselves in the event of an emergency, rather than rely solely on individuals outside of the agency.

Through federal and state funding, the EMA office has also been able to get trailers and other equipment needed to manage hazardous materials pollution.

Through the Maine Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, the Lincoln County EMA “Hazmat Strike Team” obtained equipment designed to wash off dangerous chemicals and other pollutants from victims of natural, industrial or other disasters. Individuals might need to use such equipment after a chemical spill or fire.

On June 28, the team set up the inflatable decontamination tent as part of a training exercise at the Newcastle Fire Station.

According to reports from Pellerin and County Commissioner Sheridan Bond – a former fire chief for the town of Jefferson – the tent is much easier to set up. It replaces a canvas tent that took a group of emergency personnel approximately 10 to 15 minutes to get ready for use.

Much like one of two trailers Lincoln County EMA received, the tent has showers inside to wash contaminants off people who have been exposed during a disaster. The contaminants wash into a separate basin where they can be safely removed from the site.

This first trailer came to Lincoln County as part of an agreement with Knox County EMA. Lincoln County swapped an older equipment trailer for the newer decontamination trailer. Lincoln County’s Strike Team will be able to utilize the new trailer, as they provide services to surrounding counties.

In addition to this trailer and another trailer for equipment storage – made possible through state funding – the team has obtained other gear for handling hazardous materials.