The Clinton County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) recently held its annual meeting, and honored four individuals for their service.
Volunteer Service Recognition — Kristin Taulbee was honored for her volunteer service through EMA through staffing seven food distribution events for local at-need households impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her efforts supported 861 households and 1,964 people with food donations from southwest Ohio dioceses during distribution events in both Blanchester and Wilmington.
Furthermore, Taulbee also volunteered as part of the set-up team for the first COVID-19 testing site in Clinton County enabling 278 people to be tested, which identified 45 positive cases.
To date, Taulbee has volunteered 30 hours through EMA, and is a shining example of service before self.
EMA Service Recognition — A second person honored is Wayne Township Trustee Kevin Bean. Bean has served eight years with EMA, and has worked with three past directors.
Recalling his time on the board, Bean is “obsessed with safety and severe weather where we live here in the Ohio Valley.”
He recounted the early years and tight budgets associated with a newly developed agency. He saw his time on the board, over two periods spanning eight years total, as a service to his community and one he would not hesitate to undertake again if the calling came.
Bean has served as a trustee for Wayne Township for 29 years.
EMA Service Recognition — A third person honored during the meeting is current EMA Chairman Mike Boyle of Martinsville.
Boyle cited his interest in amateur radio for fueling his interest in EMA. He recalled his involvement in the response to the remnants of Hurricane Ike that knocked down communications in the county, and the role amateur radio operators played to restore electrical and communications capability in the county.
Boyle recalled his involvement in that response, “Amateur radio brought in their own radio infrastructure communications to communicate in and around the disaster area … to inform residents on locations for warm meals, water, and critical supplies,” said Boyle.
Boyle previously served as mayor of Martinsville.
EMA Service Recognition — The fourth person honored in the annual meeting is Trustee Greg Hefner for Marion Township.
Hefner has served over 24 years with EMA as a member of the Executive Committee, and has served with all four EMA directors over the years.
Hefner recalled, “[The EMA] response to the train bridge derailment was one of the more memorable ones due to the fuel and chemical leaking into an area stream, and the effort to build a dam to protect the environment from runoff from the wreckage.”
Additionally he said, “The Hurricane Ike response was memorable … the image of power poles snapped off across U.S. 68 South for miles illustrated the strength of the winds and hinted to the challenges of recovery without electricity. In all, my time on the board has been a humbling and positive experience.”
EMA wanted to recognize those members who have contributed to its success both in the present, as well as in the formative years. Each recipient is to be presented, in a socially distant manner, a limited edition 30th anniversary EMA coin and a certificate of recognition.
The EMA was created by the development of the Clinton County Emergency Management Agency County-Wide Agreement adopted by the Clinton County commissioners in December 1989 and signed by all 22 political subdivisions in the county.
The EMA Executive Committee was first established in February 1990 and has reorganized at year-end ever since.
