Advanced notice of the meeting was published in the Bellevue Leader and Papillion Times. Copies of Proof of Publication are on file in the Sarpy County Clerk’s Office. All proceedings were taken while the convened meeting was open to the attendance of the public.

Chairman Wilson welcomed everyone and stated that roll call would be done by sign-in sheet. The Chair asked regular members to initial in the far right column and alternates to print their name above the name of the person they were representing. Secretary Reiter requested that everyone print legibly.

Chairman Wilson presented the minutes from the September 8, 2004 meeting and entertained a motion from the floor to approve the minutes as written. J.J. Kuzma moved, seconded by Rod Buethe. All were in favor, none opposed and motion carried unanimously.

BOARD REPORTS:

Chairman Report: Chairman Wilson advised that there were no HAZMAT calls or responses since the last meeting. He asked the members if they had problems with any kinds of chemicals in their area.

He also reminded members to keep the LEPC updated on any reports for tracking purposes.

Vice Chairman: No report.

Information Coordinator: Coordinator Mastandrea reported that he received 47 Tier II’s from Sarpy County chemical filers and was working those updates into CAMEO. He mentioned that the number was down from last year, but reports were still coming in despite the fact they were due on March 1, 2005. Coordinator Mastandrea advised that a volunteer had been identified to do the database design for the Resource Book. He still needed a volunteer to do the data entry. The Resource Book will include the Omaha Metropolitan Area and he was looking forward to having an expanded list of resources for Sarpy County responders.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Exercise: Coordinator Mastandrea briefed the committee about Operation Secure Metro, the two-county Homeland Security Exercise that was held March 11-12, 2005. Departments discovered they did some things really well and there were some things that could be improved. There was a lot of excitement and some participants actually wanted to continue playing when the exercise was terminated at the end of each day. The exercise afforded the participants a good opportunity to work with people they didn’t usually work with on a daily basis. Coordinator Mastandrea stated that the consultant should issue an After Action Report in 60 days. Given the fact that the exercise involved a chemical incident, Coordinator Mastandrea thought the LEPC would be interested in the report. He recommended the members keep it Responder Sensitive because it paints the whole picture of what responders do well and where they need to improve. Because grant money funded the exercise, it falls under the Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP). That means that not only will we have an After Action Report, but we will also have responsibility to take corrective action for any identified findings. Corrective actions will be assigned to the person or department most logical to take care of the finding(s) along with timelines. Implementing corrective actions is going to be very important because we will not be allowed to have the same findings over and over and continue to get Homeland Security funding. Coordinator Mastandrea felt this could be a real opportunity for the community to progress, get better at these types of incidents, and move on to more challenging exercises.

Secretary Reiter described what happened due to lack of communication during one part of the exercise and the need for better communication. During the exercise, agencies were instructed to precede and end their communications by stating that it was an exercise. That part either did not get passed to 911or the dispatcher failed to pass it on to law enforcement. The result was that law enforcement was dispatched to a fictitious corporation expecting to find approximately 800 personnel who had exposed to anthrax spores through the building’s ventilation system. Coordinator Mastandrea stated that what was even more interesting was that law enforcement responded to the Region 6 Behavioral Healthcare offices which they were given as the incident site.

Coordinator Mastandrea thanked the Natural Resources District for use of their building for tonight’s meeting and pointed out locations of restrooms and exits, and refreshments.

Legislative: No report.

Outreach: No report.

Response Plan: Coordinator Mastandrea explained the process for revising the LEOP. He said he got around to several signatories as representatives came in for tonight’s meeting. Signatories start with the LEPC and include all the Fire Departments, Law Enforcement, Public Works, County Superintendent and some volunteer organizations. The document as it stands is a rough first draft. There are areas where representatives need to provide additional information. Coordinator Mastandrea requested the additional information no later than the middle of next month. He plans to incorporate first draft comments and produce a second draft. His goal is to go to the County Board and cities in June to get resolutions of support. He told the committee that his contact information could be found on the first file on the CD.

Coordinator Mastandrea asked the representatives to look at the Basic Plan, Annex A-Command and Control, and Annex B-Communications and Warning. He said there were four brand new annexes that he wanted everyone to look at as well. They included Debris Management, Agricultural Disease Response, Family Disaster Planning for Pets, and Photo Identification. Coordinator Mastandrea explained the purpose of the Photo ID Annex. The intent is to become familiar with what the identification badges look like and be able to spot fake ones. Besides those annexes, he also asked the representatives to look at the annex for their particular specialty. For example, law enforcement representatives should review Annex H, fire department representatives should look at Annex F, and Annex G is Health and Medical. Coordinator Mastandrea explained that he worked with the cities and response agencies to fill in as many of the holes as he could. Now, he needs assistance from agency representatives to fill in the rest of the information.

The LEOP is a bedrock document for how we respond. Coordinator Mastandrea asked the members to look beyond the fact that it’s required and make it as useful as possible. The LEOP can help not just in planning for disasters, but in planning exercises and in response and recovery. According to NEMA, the Sarpy County LEOP is a work in progress. Coordinator Mastandrea advised those waiting for an updated LEOP to apply for grants that the LEOP is a work in progress and we are technically in compliance. Jane Nitchals requested a copy. Coordinator Mastandrea agreed since Jane is a member of the planning and design team for exercises. He mentioned he would double-check the current signatory list and compare it to last year’s.

Training: Coordinator Mastandrea gave the report. Sarpy County Emergency Management Agency is conducting Tornado Spotter Training on March 22nd. He thanked Bellevue Fire for hosting the sessions which will be held at 3:00 P.M. in the afternoon and at 7:00 P.M in the evening. He recommended that those already out on the streets with communications with dispatch take the class. He also encouraged Amateur Radio and REACT radio volunteers to take it as well. Coordinator Mastandrea stated that these volunteers put in literally hundreds, if not thousands, of hours spotting storms. Jane Nitchals asked if there was a minimum age requirement to take the class. Chairman Wilson thought it was 18 as far as being able to provide reports. Coordinator Mastandrea said there shouldn’t be a problem with younger people taking the class if they had an interest. J.R. Reider informed the committee about a class offered through Metro Omaha CERT and the Weather Service. The class will be held on March 29 th at the Elkhorn Campus of Metro Community College at 7:00 P.M. in the evening. The class size is 100. Coordinator Mastandrea said there were 1700 tornados across the United States last year and that was a new record. The previous record was 1400. He said it was unclear whether the increase was due to better detection or just nastier weather, but the sooner the warnings get out, the better chance folks have to protect themselves.

Coordinator Mastandrea told the committee that while he had nothing official, a NIMS training class was being planned for April 28 th at the Boystown Fire Department. There will be two sessions, one at 1:00 P.M. in the afternoon and one at 7:00 P.M. in the evening. They’ll provide the training, you’ll take the test. For those who might be frustrated at the FEMA website because the server is so slow and you can’t get through the exam successfully, this will be an opportunity to take the class in person. Class size is 150 students per session. Coordinator Mastandrea informed the committee that NIMS is a new requirement of the federal government. He hoped to come up with funds to have a training class taught in Sarpy County.

Coordinator Mastandrea reminded the committee about the Region 7 LEPC & TERC Conference, Building Partnerships for the Future, which will be held August 17-21 st in Kansas City, MO at the Clarion Sports Complex. He anticipated one scholarship, and told the members to let him know if they were interested so he could forward the names to EPA.

Program: Mark Lohnes, SARA Title III/EPCRA Coordinator from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality described the many facets of his job. They included exercise participation, immediate response, DHS grant review, collection and review of Tier II reports, and LEPC speaking opportunities.

OLD BUSINESS: None

NEW BUSINESS : Rolly Yost explained the proposed By Law Changes he drafted before the committee voted to approve the changes. Article IV, Section 1listed the officers of the Committee as Chairman, Assistant Chairman, Information Coordinator and Secretary. Rolly Yost motioned, seconded by J.J. Kuzma to change the Secretary to Secretary/Treasurer. There was no discussion. All were in favor, none opposed and motioned passed unanimously. Article IV, Section 2 called for an annual election of officers of the Committee. Rolly proposed extending term limits and for staggering elections to provide continuity at the top level. Jeff Strawn motioned and J.R. Reider seconded the motion for 3-year term limits for all officers and staggering of elections. There was no discussion. All were in favor, none opposed and motioned passed unanimously.

A draft copy of the 2004 Annual Report to the State Emergency Response Commission was passed around and copies were sent in the member mailing previous to the January meeting that was postponed due to snow. The chairman entertained a motion to approve the annual report. Maria Reiter moved, seconded by Rolly Yost. There was no discussion. All were in favor, none opposed and the motion carried unanimously. Coordinator Mastandrea stated that the attendance in Section 2 of the report comes straight off the sign-in sheet and advised the members to let him know if there were any corrections/changes.

Chairman Wilson emphasized regular meeting attendance. He asked that when alternates attend in place of members, that they sign-in to ensure their organization is represented. He thanked the Information Coordinator for doing an outstanding job and recognized those that helped with the outreach effort at the fair. He requested that each subcommittee meet at least twice a year and provide a report every committee meeting. Chairman Wilson introduced Acting Chief Jeff Strawn to replace Paul Wagner who resigned from the Papillion Fire Department. Dan Peterson, a very big LEPC and Emergency Management support resigned from 911. Chairman Wilson mentioned that Dan’s resignation created a vacancy in the position of Chair of the Training Subcommittee which needs to be filled. Chairman Wilson told the committee that Dick Williams from Werner Enterprises needed to resign due to health problems. Chairman Wilson, along with the rest of the officers of the Committee, thanked him for his outstanding support of the Sarpy County LEPC and presented him with a certificate of appreciation. Dick said that a replacement was identified but unavailable for tonight’s meeting.

Jeff Strawn passed on his sincere appreciation to the LEPC and to the Information Coordinator for his work coordinating the disaster drill at Seymour Smith Park. He said he appreciated the assistance that Coordinator Mastandrea provided his department and others with Department of Homeland Security grant funding reimbursement. Coordinator Mastandrea reminded the members to submit invoices for any reimbursement from the exercise either this week or next at the latest because it was nearing the end of the grant period.

Chairman Wilson asked for a host for the next meeting slated to be held in June. Coordinator Mastandrea asked the members to think about how to get in four meetings for the year. Chairman Wilson suggested the Committee meet February, May, late August (due to vacations before start of school year), and November. Rolly Yost motioned, seconded by Coordinator Mastandrea to approve this rotation for LEPC meetings. All were in favor, none opposed, and motion passed unanimously. Steve Young offered Papillion Police Department to host the May meeting.

J.R. Reider introduced Leon Dillon, the Sarpy County CERT Team Leader and recommended Leon be the Sarpy County LEPC representative. He talked about the Sarpy CERT Team which has 12 people trained and is fully deployable. Leon serves as Team Leader and is a trained instructor. J.R. hoped to increase the number of people in Sarpy County to have CERT training through funding from the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). He mentioned the possibility of a team forming in Papillion from 24 Papillion/La Vista school district employees that were trained last summer. Chairman Wilson moved to accept Leon as CERT Representative to the Sarpy County LEPC. All were in favor, none opposed and motion passed unanimously.

Rolly Yost opened the meeting for election of officers to serve during 2005. Rolly asked for nominations for the position of Chairman. Jeff Strawn nominated Louis Wilson who accepted the nomination. J.J. Kuzma moved to close the nominations, seconded by Dick Williams. All were in favor of electing Louis Wilson to a 3-year term starting this year and none opposed. Rolly asked for nominations for the position of Vice Chair. Louis Wilson nominated Commissioner Schram who accepted the nomination. Joe Mastandrea seconded. J.J. Kuzma moved to close the nominations, seconded by J.R. Reider. All were in favor of electing Commissioner Schram to a 1-year term starting this year and none opposed. Rolly asked for nominations for the position of Information Coordinator. J.R. Reider nominated Joe Mastandrea who accepted the nomination. Louis Wilson seconded. J.J. Kuzma moved to close the nominations, seconded by J.R. Reider. All were in favor of electing Joe Mastandrea to a 3-year term starting this year and none opposed. Rolly asked for nominations for the position of Secretary/Treasurer. Louis Wilson nominated Maria Reiter and J.R. Reider nominated J.J. Kuzma. J.J. Kuzma did not accept the nomination. Jane Nitchals nominated Maria Reiter who accepted the nomination. Louis Wilson seconded. J.J. Kuzma moved to close the nominations, seconded by J.R. Reider. All were in favor of electing Maria Reiter to a 1-year term starting this year and none opposed. Chairman Wilson thanked everyone for the vote of confidence and pledged to do his best to lead the LEPC down the right track.

Adjournment: Date of the next meeting is 11 May at the Papillion Police Department. Chairman Wilson thanked everyone for coming. With no further business, Vice Chair Schram motioned, seconded by J.J. Kuzma to adjourn.

Submitted by

MARIA REITER

Secretary

Created May 23, 2005