emergency preparedness
New emergency complex opens The new Sumner County Emergency Services Building, which houses some of the county's key first response agencies at one location, was officially opened May 20, 2013. The county's Emergency Management Agency, Emergency Medical Services and E911 office are now operating in the same facility at 255 Airport Road in Gallatin. The 60,000-square-foot property sits on more than nine acres and was previously used as the corporate office of Sumner Regional Health Systems before its 2010 bankruptcy and sale. The building is half office space and half warehouse space. Sumner Regional was a county-created entity that had been converted into a nonprofit organization before it was sold to the forprofit corporation LifePoint Hospitals three years ago. To buy the Airport Road land and structure, county leaders were able to negotiate a selling price of $3 mil-
The EMS building on Airport Road houses three agencies. FILE
lion with property owner Jim Hodges. “This is a perfect building and we bought this at a bargain,’’ County Executive Anthony Holt said. “This should meet the needs of the county for the next 30 years.’’ EMA Director Ken Weidner said the new building, complete with a conference room and a training room, was a much-needed step up for each of the county agencies and would likely improve operations. “The bay area is amazing.
Now, we can keep all of our equipment inside. Being in the same building with EMS and E911 are definite advantages,’’ Weidner said. “Our relationships have always been good, but this just gives us a leg up.’’ It’s also a welcome move for Keith Douglas, director of the county EMS department, which had been operating in a 65-year-old dilapidated building with numerous heating and air problems. “This is a relief for us, and it also helps with em-
ployee morale, efficiency and coordination,’’ he said. Buddy Shaeffer, director of Sumner County E911, looks forward to the centralized dispatch system. “All the calls will come into one place, and we won't have to worry about getting knocked out or have to go somewhere else,’’ he said. A $2 million Tennessee Disaster Recovery Grant received in 2012 will cover the cost for a 10,000-squarefoot facility to be located next to the new building. Engineering studies have already started, Holt said. Sumner was one of 18 Tennessee counties eligible for the grant after being declared a disaster area for both the 2008 tornadoes and the 2010 floods. Once complete, the hardened facility will house a centralized dispatch center and provide a secure location for both emergency equipment and those who operate it. “We can’t stop disasters, but we can be prepared,’’ Holt said.
Emergency Agencies SCEMA Sumner County Emergency Management Agency responds to and manages disasters in Sumner County. Through the guidance and leadership of Director Ken Weidner, the agency manages the emergency operations center when activated due to a disaster or emergency. The Emergency Operations Center is the heart of large-scale emergencies and is staffed with key personnel from involved communities. The personnel work together under the
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National Incident Management System in effort to manage the incident and provide for the safety of citizens by coordinated responses and thorough mitigation. SCEMA is often called upon by other agencies to assist in marine incidents, locating lost or endangered persons, hazardous materials incidents, traffic direction and special events.
FEMA The Federal Emergency Management Agency supports citizens
and first responders to ensure they work together to build, sustain and improve capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards. In 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Contact FEMA at (800) 621FEMA.
TEMA Tennessee Emergency Management Agency coordinates emergency management responders
into the recovery to reduce loss of life and property in the state of Tennessee. TEMA operates by state law and by the governor’s executive authority to perform its duties during emergencies and disasters. TEMA provides multipliers of assistance by reaching out for mutual aid or assistance from other departments or agencies of the state, counties and municipalities, from other states and from the federal government. Contact TEMA at 741-0001.