TRUMBULL COUNTY Officials re-examine emergency procedure

The meeting was called by the Trumbull County sheriff.
CHAMPION -- Officials from nearly every county police and fire department in Trumbull County have been reminded to follow long-standing emergency protocols and command structure, should a large-scale disaster happen here.
"The purpose was basically to get all the police, fire and EMS all thinking about what we would have to do if anything happens," said Sheriff Thomas Altiere.
A tiered lecture hall at Kent State University Trumbull Campus was filled to the rafters Friday with government workers, relief agency staff, military and park personnel, and police and fire officials for a forum called by Altiere.
Agreement: The sheriff opened by reviewing the mutual-aid agreement, signed in 1992, which permits county police departments to operate outside their normal jurisdiction in emergencies.
The agreement requires that the sheriff's department be the first place a local police department calls to get more officers, he said.
The sheriff's department can then contact other police departments.
Failure to follow this procedure could result in difficulty getting medical or workers' compensation claims paid if an officer is injured, or in a lawsuit if the officer injures someone else, he said.
"We are there to help," Altiere said. "We will pull the strings to get people to help you."
George Brown, Howland fire chief, emphasized the importance of setting up a clear command structure at the site of a disaster.
"The bottom line is that we need to have a structure in place so we know who is in charge," he said.