Tyrone Borough officials and members of a citizens advisory council are expected to meet with the head of Blair County’s emergency management in an effort to put into place a response and warning plan in case of an emergency which could threaten the community.
The idea stemmed from a recent meeting of the advisory council, according to Albemarle Corp. plant manager Randy Andrews. He said the Albemarle Citizens Advisory Council meets every other month while a representative of Tyrone Borough typically updates the advisory council by attending one of their meetings at least once a year.
At a recent meeting, Tyrone Borough Council person Virgie Werner updated the panel. She explained that a siren the borough obtained several years ago had been kept in storage. Now the American Eagle Paper Mill has agreed to refurbish the siren. Other sirens would need to be obtained and placed strategically in the community for the warning system to be effective.
The borough had made attempts to obtain another siren with Albemarle willing to pay for the removal of it from a pole in Altoona. However, before the work could be completed, a fire company in another community obtained it and the borough missed out on the opportunity earlier this year.
A plan for an emergency warning system for Tyrone Borough has been in the works for years with no success up to this point.
In a previous Daily Herald article, Andrews explained some of the history in the effort to install an emergency warning system in Tyrone.
“Several years ago, our community advisory council became interested in implementing an emergency warning system,” said Andrews earlier this year. “Not just for chemical emergencies, but also transportation or natural disasters.
“The late ‘Barney’ Mogle formed a group outside of our advisory council,” said Andrews. “They spearheaded an effort to get an emergency notification system in place. They raised funds; brochures were printed up (to explain how it worked).
“The system relied entirely on (the paper mill’s) whistle,” said Andrews. “The brochures were printed in a Saturday edition of the Herald so every household would get one.
“They did a test. The outcome of the test was everyone couldn’t hear it,” said Andrews.
The test occurred in the late 1990s and the paper mill closed in 2001 before reopening last year under the American Eagle name.
Earlier this week, Andrews explained the response plan needs to include more than just a siren warning system. He said there are a multiple concerns which need to be addressed and coordinated.
“We’ve been trying to do this piece-meal,” said Andrews. “It’s been hard to move ahead.”
Andrews said a comprehensive emergency plan should include coordinating with the Tyrone Area School District, Tyrone Hospital and Snyder Township. He said some of the entities may have their own plan but he would like to see the emergency plans tied together.
He explained that’s where a meeting with Rod Bohner of Blair County Emergency Management would be useful since Bohner would have a role in any type of coordinated emergency response for Tyrone Borough, large businesses or other entities and surrounding areas.
The meeting with Bohner is expected to happen sometime in January.
