September 16th, 2018 by WCBC Radio
As the remnants of Tropical Depression Florence arrive overnight, the deadly Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in North Carolina could deliver several inches of rain to the area. The Allegany County Department of Emergency Services remains staffed with additional personnel and resources to ensure the safety of the residents.
“We initially began increasing our staffing over the weekend in anticipation of increased precipitation and wind,” Allegany County Department of Emergency Services Deputy Director of Operations Roger Bennett said. “We have placed additional EMS staff in designated stations, swift water resources, mobile command vehicles and mobile shelters at various locations around the county.”
We are closely monitoring the situation as it develops and these resources can be relocated if need be, Bennett said.
“We have added a third ambulance at the Division of EMS- Frostburg station,” Todd Bowman, public information officer for the county’s emergency services said. “This unit is staffed with an advanced life support provider and a basic life support provider and can be relocated at the discretion of the EMS supervisor.”
The EMS Division as also increased staffing in Corriganville, Cresaptown, District 16 and a roaming paramedic that can respond to areas with high call volume, multiple patients, critically ill patients and assist in covering while units are committed to calls, according to Bowman.
As part of Allegany County preparation swift water rescue resources have been staged at the Bowling Green Fire Department and the EMS Division building on West Main Street in Frostburg, Bennett said.
Mobile command centers have been positioned in Cumberland and Frostburg.
Allegany County sheltering boxes have been relocated to Frostburg and to the emergency services building on PPG Road, Bennett added.
Bowman continued to encourage area citizens to register for Nixel, a commercially purchased product owned by Everbridge. Nixle will deliver a specified message to a specific group via telephone, both landline and cellular, text messages or email.
Nixle is used within our agency and in the community. Groups can be designated by geographical area, job type, business, to name a few. Additionally, information can be provided about impending severe weather, road closures, detours, important meetings and other time sensitive information.
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