Area agencies invited to disaster response conference

SANDUSKY — Volunteers who help in disaster responses — first responders, public officials, and agency personnel who use volunteer assistance — will have the opportunity to hear more about local emergency response in October.

A two-day event is being offered through a Department of Homeland Security grant so that local residents can learn how to be part of the whole community disaster response, and to work seamlessly with public safety and government responders.

The Disaster Volunteer Coalition, an arm of the Emergency Management Agency that brings together all volunteer agencies active in local disaster response, is offering the conference from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 16 and 17.

“Beyond Response — Joining Forces for Disaster Response” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each of the two days at The Chapel, 4444 Galloway Road, Sandusky. The conference is free and open to the public.

The conference will feature more than a dozen speakers who will share information about how volunteer groups and professional responders have worked together locally during train derailments, tornadoes, water emergencies, and floods, citing examples of more than 1,500 volunteers working together to help disaster victims.

Information and registration is available through the Disaster Volunteer Coalition’s website at www.disastercoalition.com. Registration is requested no later than Friday, October 9. Continental breakfast will be provided. For questions, call the county Emergency Management Agency at 419-663-5773 (Huron), 419-627-7617 (Erie), or 419-734-6900 (Ottawa).

Volunteer organizations involved in offering this conference include North Coast Community Emergency Response Team; Erie and Huron County Medical Reserve Corps; Lake Erie Heartland and NW Ohio Chapters of the American Red Cross; The Salvation Army in Port Clinton, Norwalk, and Sandusky; and the Amateur Radio Emergency Services of Huron and Erie Counties. The Erie, Huron, and Ottawa County Emergency Management Agencies have funded this project through a grant from the Department of Homeland Security.