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County takes steps to improve safety, security
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times Staff Writer BROOKSVILLE -- It's been less than a year since the nation obsessed about security and bioterrorism in the post-Sept. 11 era. Hernando County had its share of concerns, starkly revealed by an anthrax scare, later proved a hoax, which found the local government woefully unprepared to deal with threats of that nature. Yet as attention turned abroad and local fears seemed to wane, conversations about how the county might gird itself for similar problems dissipated. The once white-hot efforts to better secure government buildings and create teams that can respond to hazardous materials emergencies did not cease, though. The county's hazardous materials team is set to hit the roads by January, interim Emergency Management Director Danny Roberts said Wednesday. And the Facilities Department has proposed spending $250,000 next year to tighten some of the gaping security holes in the downtown Brooksville government center. "This has not collected dust," Roberts observed. Since commissioners took $248,000 from the county emergency fund in January to start a hazmat team, Emergency Management, Fire Rescue, Utilities and Public Works employees have investigated how to make the initiative successful. A third group of workers is attending specialized training in the handling of live chemical agents this week, with more to follow in the coming months, Roberts said. "After we get all those people through it, we're going to go back and do incident command for a portion of them," he said. While the training continues, Emergency Management specialist Mark Tobert is looking into the costs for needed equipment. The county will seek proposals for a primary response truck next week, with requests for proposals for other equipment going out soon after. The truck order was supposed to occur weeks ago, but Roberts canceled it when he took over the department in March because he did not want the equipment to arrive before the response team had its plans in place. The primary responders are looking into whether they want to have a single, centrally located team or three smaller units placed across the county. They're also poring over equipment lists to make sure they get the most for the available money, Tobert said. If a hazardous materials situation arose today, Roberts said, the county still would need to rely on responders from Citrus or Hillsborough counties. But because of the training, he added, the county has more knowledgeable people to deal with the first response and prevent problems like the one last year that closed the county landfill and caused an evacuation of the Oak Hill Hospital emergency room. "We're in a lot better state than we were six months ago," Roberts said. The county also has made progress in its plans to better protect the government center from threats, Parks and Facilities Director Pat Fagan said. Some new metal detectors were added for the courthouse, he said, and a new integrated telephone system now allows employees more immediate contact with one another. Fagan also has requested $250,000 in next year's budget to pay for added security measures, with his top priority being new exterior doors. The building has about 35 points of entry, he noted, with no way to control them if someone props open a door. The staff is seeking an estimate for a new locking system similar to the one at the Sheriff's Office administration building. Fagan expected the cost to exceed $100,000. For another $12,000, he said, the county could upgrade the doors leading to the parking garage. "One of the major concerns the board has was the garage door access, because they are too open," Fagan said. Improved outdoor lighting would cost an estimated $2,500, Fagan said. To add X-ray scanners to the mail room and in the center's main atrium would add about $75,000 to the bill, with more metal detectors pushing the amount up another $6,000. Other items on the wish list include fire-rated doors and new barrier doors to keep the general public from wandering through the building. Fagan said he will ask the commission to set priorities during budget workshops this summer. -- Jeffrey S. Solochek covers Hernando County government and can be reached at 754-6115. Send e-mail to solochek@sptimes.com.
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