Wabash County Emergency Management Agency director Gerald Brooks told county commissioners this week that WEMA has recently assisted in a couple of different areas to improve response in times of an emergency.
The first is bringing all county emergency responders into the Safe Alert system to instantly notify all first responders of emergency via cell phone text alerts. Brooks said that system has been successfully used in Allendale and by WEMA but the rest of the county’s responders were using the I’m Responding system. Brooks said I’m Responding proved to be a total disaster and after the Mt. Carmel Fire Department came to WEMA, Brooks said the entire county is now under the Safe Alert system which 9-1-1 will pay the cost of.
The second item came as a result of the recent train derailment. Brooks said WEMA assisted the city in purchasing 8 new radios that will insure uninterrupted communications between the mayor, city manager, and other Mt. Carmel emergency responders.