Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Towns consider joint emergency response

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Features

Towns consider joint emergency response

By CHRISTIAN MEAGHER, --Staff Writer

November 21, 2002

In the interest of better health and safety for its citizens, Monroe, Easton and Trumbull officials are examining the formation of a regional health district and planning a joint emergency response plan.

Municipal heads from the three towns said the state is promoting the formation of town alliances to improve communication between municipalities in case of health emergencies and terrorist or natural disasters.

Monroe Selectman Andy Nunn and Trumbull First Selectman Raymond Baldwin recently met with a representative from the state Health Department to discuss the formation of a health district.

A study panel is being formed to meet in December. Nunn and Baldwin said they plan to invite Easton to take part in the study to see if the town is interested in joining.

Nunn said the state department is advising towns to form health districts to coordinate statewide programs incase of a health emergency. Currently there are 28 full time health districts, which cover 89 towns in Connecticut.

Trumbull and Monroe are both part-time health districts with a part-time health director and full-time sanitarian. Nunn said that the town's sanitarians sometimes fill in for each other when they are sick or on vacation.

The formation of a health district will increase coverage of both towns by hiring a full-time director for the area and allow the sanitarians to work both towns, Nunn said. Member towns would form a regional health board based on population.

Health districts also receive more funding from the state, Nunn said. Funding for both Trumbull and Monroe's health departments was cut in the 2002-03 budget. Health districts are funded $1.99 per person, while individual departments receive 59 cents per person.

Baldwin said the health district would be more proactive than the individual departments because the director could set up expanded educational programs and apply for more program grants from the states.

"[The state] gives you more money because you are giving better service," Baldwin said.

Nunn said the formation of a district seemed natural for Trumbull and Monroe because they face similar health issues and needs.

"If you look at Trumbull and Monroe, we are growing are growing both in population and commercially," Nunn said. "For a sanitarian [health inspections] takes up most of their time and it doesn't leave much for public education and there is really a need for that now."

Monroe town sanitarian Thomas Monks said the state funding would help get the towns hooked up to the state computer system. Monks said computer system helps in developing health strategies for outbreaks of diseases such as West Nile Virus or smallpox.

Easton Selectman William Kupinse said he is interested in talking with the other selectmen about the district, but said the mainly residential atmosphere of Easton does not require a full-time health director. Trumbull and Monroe are more commercial than Easton and therefore would have more need of a full-time director, he indicated.

Easton officials discussed forming a health district with Weston and Redding in the mid-1990s, but rejected the idea because the other towns were more commercially developed and needed a full-time director more than Easton.

Drawbacks in the plan are that the towns would have to pay more for a full-time health director and share control of the health board.

If Monroe and Trumbull form the board, the likely set up would be three Trumbull representatives and two Monroe representatives. If Easton joins it may only have one representative.

Monks said this could be a problem because towns lose control of handling their own health emergencies.

"Right now, we handle our own problems," Monks said. "Right now, if something comes up we handle it immediately."

Currently, Monroe pays its part-time director a $10,000 salary and Trumbull pays $15,451 to its part-time director. The estimated cost of a full-time director is $55,00 to $75,000.

Nunn said the formation of the district will take two years. Once a district is established, a town can withdraw from the district by vote prior to January and the departure would be effective July 1.

A town must be a member of a district for 24 months before making the vote to leave.

Emergency alliance

Along with the need to open the lines of communication in case of a health emergency, officials from the three town's public safety services met last week in Trumbull to discuss a joint emergency plan.

Baldwin said the collaboration will better prepare the towns for disasters and provide more funding from the Homeland Security bill.

"It is a coordination of efforts and to get more funding where we might not get individually," he said.

The town's public safety services will meet amongst themselves to prioritize their towns funding and emergency needs and then discuss them as a group Jan. 15.

"It is just good to have everyone in the same room and see who their contemporaries are in case of an emergency situation."

Connecticut homeland security head Capt. John Buturla and a representative from Nextel are scheduled to attend the meeting.

Baldwin said the towns will look into forming an emergency communications plan with Nextel.

Nunn said the alliance could help promote better communication between the towns and set up regional initiatives such as controlling speeding.

Kupinse said the town should look into monitoring of the area reservoir serves all three towns.

"Many sets of hands are better to handle some situations than one set of hands," he said.

©Easton Courier 2002

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