Anniston Star
September 2, 2003

Preparedness center cuts staff and hours

By Sara Clemence
Star Staff Writer
09-02-2003

Calhoun County residents have all but stopped picking up protective equipment in the three weeks since the Army started burning chemical weapons at Anniston Army Depot.

The number of visitors to the distribution center at McClellan hit a high of 1,300 a day before operations began, but it has dwindled to around 20 a day, said Danny Spillers, center general manager.

"Let’s just say the numbers have diminished considerably," Spillers said Friday.

For about five months, the center has issued protective hoods, duct tape, plastic sheeting and air filters to protect residents in case of an accident at the chemical weapons stockpile or incinerator.

When the Army announced it would begin burning, there was a rush for equipment. The start date was postponed a few days, and the numbers dropped off. They didn’t go back up, Spiller said.

"Once they announced that the burn had started, we thought that maybe we would see another peak, but we didn’t see another peak," he said.

About 24,000 people have been trained at the center, or about a quarter of all Calhoun County residents, Spillers said.

As of the middle of last week, about 17,700 protective hoods had been distributed, said David Ford, Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency spokesman. They are available to the approximately 35,000 people living in the "pink zone," immediately around the depot.

Now the center has cut its hours, from nearly 80 a week to just 40 and is no longer open Sundays, Spillers said. The staff has been cut to about four.

"That means if they have another crunch, it will take time to ramp back up," he said. "But, economically, we cannot maintain a staff of 20 people."

The center is funded by the Army’s Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, overseen by the Calhoun County EMA and operated by a contractor, Centech.

The first few months of distribution were meant to be an intense campaign that would then slow to a "maintenance mode," Spillers said. The contract runs for 2 1/2 more years.

Ford said the EMA has received fewer phone calls in the past few weeks.

"I think the tone of the calls has changed," he said. "I’m seeing now people will call wanting more information about how to shelter in place, and it’s the finer details. Should I seal this up, should I seal that up?"

The center is open Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"We still have a lot of product to distribute," Spillers said.