By Diane Pottorff
Published:
Monday, February 4, 2008 5:09 PM CST
POINT PLEASANT - To help keep students in Mason County safe while they are in school during the time of a chemical emergency, kits with the necessary supplies now will be in the buildings and readily available.

This past Friday, several members of the Mason County Local Emergency Planning Committee put together shelter-in-place kits at the Mason County 911 Center.

The kits, which are made up of donations of plastic, scissors, emergency radios, flashlights, batteries, first-aid kits, duct tape and DVDs outlining proper procedures for a chemical emergency, will be distributed to every Mason County school this week. Sponsors include the LEPC, AEP-Mountaineer Plant, AEP-Sporn Plant, Cintas, M&G Polymers, Master Mechanical Industrial, Pleasant Valley Hospital, Supresta and Wal-Mart of Mason.

Smaller kits will be sent to the Parent Teacher Organizations at each school.

Funding for the kits and DVD was provided through the Hazardous Materials Emergency Plan, or HMEP, grants.

Lisa Gangwer said the LEPC has received several requests from different states about getting copies of the DVD or how to make the kits themselves.

She added that she and other members of the LEPC have been in contact with different school systems and other municipalities that have been researching shelter-in-place on the Internet and have found references to the Mason County group on Homeland Security's Web site.

Diane Pottorff/photo From left, Lisa Gangwer, Kay Bostic, Debbie Powell, Micky Young, R.C. Faulk and Larry Wright show off one of the completed shelter-in-place kits.

Last Update: 
Monday, September 29, 2008 11:16:55 AM