MOUNT VERNON—The Knox County Emergency Management Agency continues working with local districts to refine school reunification plans in case of a power outage, hazmat event, or other incident at county schools.
As part of the countywide planning, EMA staff held a safety meeting with school administrators.
“It has been a four-year process,” EMA Director James DeChant said of developing reunification plans. “We’ve gained some major ground in the last four months.”
The agency plans a full-scale reunification exercise later this fall at Mount Vernon School District’s Energy Field House. All schools will participate, and fire and EMS will join the exercise.
EMA Deputy Director Amy Seward said, “All [county] schools now have a Memorandum of Understanding with Mount Vernon City Schools to use that location for their reunification site.”
Each district will supply 10 staff members for the exercise. Staff will undergo training in September, and the exercise is planned for October.
The school reunification plans follow the same process. If an incident occurs, students go to a rally point at the school. Attendance is taken before they board a bus for the field house.
Attendance is taken again before the students exit the bus and enter the field house, headed for a designated area. Parents go to a separate area and complete paperwork.
Once identities are verified, students and parents are reunited one at a time.
The EMA uses a statewide tracking system through the Ohio Department of Health to help parents whose child is deceased or transported to a hospital.
Miscellaneous EMA activities
EMA will hold an Amish Safety Day for Knox and Morrow counties on Sept. 4 at Owl Creek Auction House from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, fire/EMS, Knox Public Health, and Knox Community Hospital will participate.
The 2023 safety day drew about 300 participants, but none were women. Seward hopes that changes in September.
•EMA conducted a July 4th fireworks tabletop exercise with Mount Vernon city officials and plans an exercise for the Knox County Fair Board.
•Knox County will hold a joint Amish Safety Day Committee meeting with Ashland County on Aug. 20.
•EMA plans a livestock trailer rollover and emergency training event for first responders on Aug. 17, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ramser 4-H Center on the Knox County Fairgrounds. The event includes classroom training and hands-on learning with trailers and livestock. (Below is registration information.)