Radio trouble hampered run (02/21/07)

No matter how much you plan, things are always going to be tough during a snowstorm like the one that hit Jay County last week, Ralph Frazee, director of the county's emergency management, told Jay County Commissioners Tuesday afternoon.

He said that county highway crews "did a fine job considering the conditions. We had a pretty good response to everything."

But Jay Emergency Medical Service director Teresa Foster-Geesaman expressed her concern about a problem that occurred on Wednesday afternoon of the storm when a snow plow couldn't be contacted because of an inoperable radio and it took her department 35 minutes to reach a patient in rural Jay County.

She said her crew had seen a snow plow in the area but after she contacted Wellman, she learned that the radio in that truck was out of service.

Commissioners Milo Miller Jr., Gary Theurer, and Faron Parr and Geesaman discussed how emergency service could be improved during such times, such as having a snow plow available at the Dunkirk and Portland JEMS bases in case of an emergency.

"You can only do so much," Miller said.

Additionally, Geesaman told commissioners an ambulance from the Dunkirk base was involved in a minor accident on Feb. 2 when it backed into another vehicle.

She said damages were less than $1,000 and the insurance deductible will be paid from her department's maintenance fund.

Also Tuesday afternoon commissioners learned that Internet service at the county highway barn had been down since Sunday.

As commissioners met Tuesday afternoon, Parr called Ryan Stanley, account executive with PhoeNX Technologies and expressed concern that the situation had not been addressed earlier in the day after Stanley had been sent an E-mail concerning the problem.

Commissioners recently signed a $3,000 per-month one-year contract with the Muncie/Marion technologies company for technical support which included specifics for the length of response time.

Parr said Stanley explained the "level of need" should also be relayed.

"I think when the Internet has been down for three days, that's critical," Parr said after he completed the call.

Stanley told Parr he would be in Jay County today and would address the problem.

Also Tuesday, Frazee told commissioners he had contacted state officials about providing a security grant for the trial of truck driver Robert Spencer, who is accused of causing a highway crash that killed a Taylor University employee and four students in April of last year.

The case is being transferred from Grant County to Jay Circuit Court.

Frazee said he was told there is currently no grant money available to pay for providing the extra security that will be needed during this high-profile trial.

He said he would be contacting state officials later and with the publicity the case has received, felt that Jay County should be "on the top of the list" when funding is available.

Commissioners heard courthouse superintendent, Roger McBride, say that a water pipe in a county-owned building on West Main Street in Portland had frozen during recent cold temperatures, and "had broken off and was hanging down." He said there was about two inches of water in a part of the building that is owned by commissioners and serves as the site of The Estate Gallery. He said he shut off the water and would be making repairs.

McBride said several mattresses and other items in the business were damaged by the water.[[In-content Ad]]