By Kate Seegraves

Staff Writer

The Pike Township Trustees opened bids from two companies and discussed the remounting needed for the township’s ambulance unit, but ultimately voted to table the matter for a special meeting.

The discussion took place at the trustee’s regular monthly meeting Aug. 3.

The two bids to remount the ambulance box on a new chassis came from Life Alert Rescue of Oakwood, Ohio and Pfund Superior Sales Co., Inc. of Ravenna, Ohio. A representative from Life Alert Rescue attended the meeting to answer any questions the trustees had concerning his company’s bid.

After asking technical and mechanical questions, the trustees decided to review the bids in more detail with Pike Township EMS chief Cliff Christy.

“I would like to look over these two [bids],” said trustee Adam Steele. “We can’t process this right now. We need to know exactly what each party [wants to do].”

The trustees held their special meeting at 7:30 a.m. Aug. 10. The results of the special meeting were not available at press time.

In other motions, the trustees voted to approve a purchase order for 10 self-contained breathing apparatus for the Pike Township Fire Department. Purchased from the Warren, Ohio Fire Department, the cost of the apparatus totals at $57,350, which will be reimbursed by a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant the township received in April.

Also at the meeting, Lisa D’Allessandris of the Clark County Emergency Management Agency presented the trustees with a debris management plan, intended for use during a potential natural disaster. Presented to townships and villages throughout Clark County, the plan is intended to coordinate clean-up and debris removal following an event such as a tornado.

D’Allessandris said the agency realized the need for such a plan following the 2008 wind storms.

“We were fortunate that the debris from that event was mostly vegetative or woody debris,” she said. “But we recognized that if we experienced a tornado or a flood, there would be various types of debris.”

As part of the plan, D’Allessandris asked the trustees to consider a location within Pike Township that could be designated as a Temporary Storage Reduction Site, where residents could bring household debris for sorting and eventual removal. She also asked the trustees to consider naming someone from the township as a “debris manager,” who could coordinate efforts at the site as needed.

If this plan is pre-approved throughout the county ahead of time, D’Allessandris said it will be sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This will ultimately help expedite recovery efforts should a natural disaster occur.

D’Allessandris also presented the trustees with information regarding a new reverse 911 system the county acquired in May. Unlike the current reverse 911 system already in place, which contacts residents via land line telephones, the Wide Area Rapid Notification (WARN) program makes it possible for the county to alert residents via cell phone of boil alerts, chemical leaks, evacuation instructions or tornado warnings.

Interested residents may sign up for the free service by calling 937-521-2179.