Anniston Star
March 14, 2003

Army will activate warning system in case of accident

By Nathan Solheim
Star Staff Writer
03-14-2003

Army officials agreed Thursday to activate an emergency notification system in case of an accident at the Anniston Army Depot's chemical weapons stockpile.

The move, seen as a milestone in the county's efforts to prepare the community in case of a chemical weapons accident, could mean people living closest to the depot would have as much as eight minutes in extra time to prepare.

Calhoun County Commissioners signed a memorandum of understanding outlining each agency's responsibilities for emergency response at the commission's meeting.

"It's very important to us to have that communication, so that if ever that type of action is needed, we'll all be singing from the same page of the book," said Calhoun County Commission Chairman James A. "Pappy" Dunn.

Under the former system, in case of an incident the Army would have notified the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency, which would then have activated the alert and notification system. That process would have taken 13 minutes.

Now, the Army will directly activate the alert and notification system in area closest to the incinerator after a short verification process. That is expected to save up to eight minutes in notification time for residents of that area, known as the pink zone.

The notification process includes activating warning sirens, tone-alert radios and the emergency alert system. The Army also will inform the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency if their equipment is not functional and will perform system tests requested by the EMA.

The county will have responsibility for notifying areas farther from the depot.
Col. Gerald Bates, the commander of the Anniston Army Depot, applauded the cooperation that led to the agreement.

"What happens on the depot affects the Army, and outside the depot, too," Bates said.

"There was a need to coordinate this effort."

Taking over notification for the pink zone was one of four criteria Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) outlined in a letter to the Department of Defense last year that, if met, would gain his support for starting incineration.

"This was one of the issues I raised recently," Shelby said through a spokesman. "It's important to the community. I'm happy to hear it has been resolved."

Several recent developments have commissioners feeling somewhat more confident that citizens will be prepared in case of an accident.

The commission recently awarded a $14 million contract for protective devices such as protective hoods, air filters and shelter-in-place kits to Centech, Inc.
Distribution of those devices is scheduled to begin by April 10.

"We have made great strides towards getting the best protection we can get for the county, and we're making those strides quickly," said Commissioner Robert Downing.
David Ford, a spokesman for the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency, said the Army's involvement should give residents more time to prepare for an incident.

"It gives people time to react if they need to get their hoods, start their air filters, or start sealing up the safe room in their homes," Ford said.

In other business, the commission:

• Approved a change order for their contract with Centech, which allows them to choose a new brand of recirculation air filter.
  The change order calls for Centech to switch makers of air filters to Austin Air Systems at a rate of $20 less than what was stated in the original contract.
  The action results in a $400,000 savings, which officials said can be used to purchase other emergency-preparedness equipment.
  "We're trying to determine between additional air filters and additional protective hoods," said DeLois Champ, interim director of the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency. "That will be determined later on."
• Awarded a $17,000 contract for channel excavation on Century Road to Ware Construction Co. County Engineer Charles Markert said additional earthwork had to be removed to fix the bridge that crosses Tallasseehatchee Creek.
• Named Lexter Douthard of Ohatchee to the Calhoun County Water Authority.

The next Calhoun County Commission meeting will be 10 a.m. March 27 at the County Administration Building.