Federal money distributed throughout Ohio

by Chris DeVille

The $9.9 million grant Ohio received from the federal government to increase homeland security will be used to bolster communications, detections and building security equipment, state officials said.

The Ohio Homeland Security Grant is the seventh-largest portion of the $315.7 million the federal government gave to the states, said Dick Kimmins of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. Population determined the federal government’s distribution to the states; Ohio is the seventh most populous state.

The Ohio emergency agency is in charge of distributing the money throughout Ohio’s 88 counties. Once the funds are in the hands of the counties, each county’s local emergency agency will determine how to use it. Athens County is expected to receive $87,590.

“Every county received a base amount, and the remaining funds were allocated on basis of population,” Kimmins said. “The state doesn’t tell the counties how to spend. That’s determined locally, but there are some criteria.”

While the counties cannot spend the grant money on salaries and rent costs, there are nine categories in which counties can invest their security funds, Kimmins said.

Athens County has put together a planning team, which is doing an assessment of the county’s security needs. No plans for the money have been finalized. Possible uses include decontamination equipment, communications equipment and personal protective equipment for fire, law and emergency medical services officers, said Jill Harris, head of the Athens County EMA.

The Athens planning team is scheduled to meet again in November.

Elsewhere, the Ohio Department of Agriculture will receive $276,110 for new testing and verification equipment for its laboratory. The department hopes to use the new equipment to protect citizens from ailments like hoof and mouth disease.

“The food supply is so important,” Kimmins said. “This is a key function from the security standpoint that would benefit everybody. It’s been a priority for the department for some time.”

The state also allocated $541,045 to implement the pilot Multi-Agency Radio Communications System in Union County.

MARCS is a state-of-the-art system that will serve as a communications link for the entire state government. Every state government office or location in Union County will be connected to transmit audio conversation and data through computer terminals.

The program is expected to grow throughout the state gradually, starting in urban centers such as Franklin, Cuyahoga and Hamilton counties.

“(MARCS) will involve all highway patrol posts, prisons, Department of Transportation garages, everywhere across the state,” Kimmins said. “The Union County project will also tie in local officials such as police, EMS (and) fire department.”

Kimmins said nothing similar to MARCS has been implemented previously in Ohio government. He called it “by far the most technologically advanced” communications system in Ohio’s history. Other states such as California are working on similar systems.

Union County EMA Director Randy Riffle is in charge of the MARCS project for the county. Riffle said the Union County’s size and proximity to the state offices in Columbus were likely reasons the county was chosen for the pilot program.

No firm timetable is in place for MARCS implementation in Union County or statewide. Two base stations exist in Union County at the sheriff’s office and the EMA office.

While the statewide program is just getting off the ground, the Union County emergency agency is in the middle stages of the pilot project, Riffle said.