Emergency Preparedness Committee

Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) City of Takoma Park Thursday, March 24, 2022 7-8.30 pm via ZOOM AGENDA Issue/ item Person Est. Time/ minutes Rollcall of members- Feb. meeting notes Ron Hardy, 10 acceptance Committee Leadership positions nominations and confirmation --Takoma Park, Montgomery County & State Ron Hardy 10 Reports Discussion: Defining the Committee’s Priorities Chris Beck 30 and Reporting Process to the City Council Upcoming Events and Opportunities All 15 (Placeholder) All 15 Next Meeting: April 28, 2022 EPC March 24, 2022 meeting minutes Attendees: Chris Beck, Dianne Cherry, Ami Gadhia, Troy Jacobs, Claudine Schweber, Kathe Quinn, Tom Horne, Ron Hardy, Patrick Fleming and Buddy Daniels. Jim Della-GiaComa excused absence February minutes were accepted Committee leadership was voted in, Chris Beck-chairman, Dianne Cherry=vice-chair, Jim Della- GiaComa-Secretary. City report- On March 09 the city mask mandate was lifted for city buildings and a mask was recommended for wear by anyone not vaccinated or has an immune problem. The Library still is distributing rapid CoVid tests and adult KN-95 masks during library hours. County Report (Patrick Fleming-MC OEMHS) gave an overview of response and recovery efforts for several different apartment disasters. The county coordinated setting up shelters with the Red Cross, worked with non-government groups to administer donations and funds, worked with TP Housing and Community Development to check availability of apartment space in TP for those displaced. Committee members were interested what a response in Takoma Park would be like. Ron and Patrick gave an overview response. It was suggested to do a training session for the committee. Discussion for new/additional priorities for the committee to focus on. The committee will look at ways to inform the community and provide proposals to council. 1. Stormwater 2. Flooding and other severe weather 3. Fire and gas explosions (especially multi-family buildings) 4. High-rise safety- lack of sprinkler systems in older buildings and that the nearest ladder truck is outside the city. 5. Individuals dealing with a disaster and having a proper To-go kit. 6. Other man-made disaster such as a trail derailment and chemical spill. Claudine is still looking for members to provide her communication pathways in their ward to assist in communicating to the community.