Trumbull County rolls dice with its emergency agency

Trumbull County's Emergency Management Agency has been without a home for six months, which means it doesn't have a central location from which to coordinate a multiagency response to disasters. And yet Commissioner James Tsagaris offered this jewel in response to reporters' inquiries about the obvious shortcoming: "I don't see a reason to hurry."
Pardon our incredulity, but isn't our country in the midst of a war with terrorists who have vowed to spill American blood on American soil? Hasn't President Bush warned that a war with Iraq would result in increased terrorist activity here and abroad? And hasn't the head of the new Department of Homeland Security, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tim Ridge, suggested that it won't necessarily be the large metropolitan areas that would be targeted by terrorists?
Under the circumstances, no one should question the urgency of finding a suitable location for Trumbull County's emergency agency.
We're encouraged to see that Tsagaris' attitude isn't shared by his colleague, Michael O'Brien.
"We need to take care of this problem as soon as possible," O'Brien says. Our sentiments exactly.
But he's one of three members of the Trumbull County Board of Commissioners and, therefore, cannot take any action unless he has the support of at least one other. Last week, the third commissioner, Joseph Angelo, gave the impression that he isn't ready to act quickly. Here's what Angelo asked Linda Bell, the Emergency Management Agency's director: "We would be able to handle an emergency, right?"
Tightrope
Bell walked a diplomatic tightrope in answering: Yes, she said, members of the department are trained for a disaster, but the agency does need a command center.
Bell pointed out that because the EMA doesn't have a permanent base, it has to store its trailers with various fire departments. It has to leave its mobile command unit, a converted classroom trailer with $100,000 worth of equipment, in the open.
If for some reason Tsagaris and Angelo believe that the EMA staff are simply exaggerating the need for a command center, they should heed the words of Cheryl Oblinger, head of the Trumbull County Red Cross and a member of EMA's executive board.
"How can the various people coordinate efforts and come together quickly if there is no central spot to do it? It is going to result in delays and it could result in there being needs that we are not aware of until it is too late."
As anyone who has been involved in any kind of a disaster knows, time is of the essence. That's why the Bush administration has been urging local law enforcement and emergency agencies to not only develop a plan of action, but also to hold mock disasters so they can evaluate the effectiveness of the plan, the expertise of the individuals who will be on the front lines and the quality of the equipment.
The fact that radio equipment that would allow top officials to communicate with officers in the field and the state Emergency Management Agency is packed for storage in old hospital rooms is cause for concern. Tsagaris and Angelo had better get with the program -- now.