MAHONING EMA Senator praises agency

The senator called the emergency management agency a model for others.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich, who sits on the Senate committee that oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said he wanted to see for himself the job being done by local disaster and first-responder officials.
Voinovich visited the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency's office on Industrial Road to get a firsthand look Friday.
"You pass legislation, but you don't know if it's working," he said.
After examining some of the equipment the county EMA bought with a federal homeland security grant, the Republican senator said he was extremely impressed.
Voinovich said he is pleased that the equipment is useful for other needs in the county, such as making police officers and firefighters safer.
Among the items Voinovich viewed were emergency vehicles, first-responder equipment, gas masks, and a robot that can disassemble bombs.
"We need to continue to enhance the equipment we provide to local people," Voinovich said. "If something happens, we've got our act together so we can respond. We count on the local people to be the first responders. I'm pleased to see things have a measurable impact in this community in terms of equipment, response and intelligence."
Legislative efforts
Voinovich, a member of the Senate Government Affairs Committee, helped write the law that created the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and co-sponsored legislation last year to help streamline the way state and local responders receive federal funding for homeland security efforts.
Walter Duzzny, director of the Mahoning County EMA, urged Voinovich to support legislation to provide more money for emergency training.
"Getting equipment is great, but we need to be trained on how to use it, too," he said.
The county has received almost $2.5 million, including $932,282 Friday, for first-responder equipment since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Duzzny said.
"This is a model for other agencies," Voinovich said of the Mahoning County EMA. "It should be looked at as a benchmark by others."
Although he didn't talk politics at the local EMA office, Voinovich's visit to the Mahoning Valley had another purpose.
Voinovich held a campaign fund-raiser at the Squaw Creek Country Club in Vienna, which was expected to raise $50,000 toward his re-election effort. Voinovich is being challenged in November by state Sen. Eric Fingerhut, a Cleveland Democrat.
skolnick@vindy.com