(Spirit Lake)– Dickinson county is working on a document that would be a valuable tool in the event of a disaster.
The board of supervisors Tuesday reviewed the first draft of the plan…being put together by Emergency Management Coordinator Tim Kinnetz and the Northwest Iowa Planning and Development Commission.
One of the concerns the report brings up is the lack of a local hazardous material response team. The nearest one is based out of Sioux City. County officials are concerned over the amount of time it takes for the crew to respond to an incident. Kinnetz wants a team based out of Dickinson county. He estimates the cost of starting up a unit at 350-thousand dollars. Kinnetz says grant money is available and that they’re looking into it. He says neighboring counties could contract for the unit’s services…helping to defray the cost. Kinnetz says they’re actively pursuing the matter…especially in light of what’s going on nationally right now.
