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Revised:
April 1st, 2022
A group of professionals with the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency used the Fire & Ice Facility for a mini-assessment on April 6 as part of a required course in their development.
The Risk Asset Management Course is a two-day experience designed to teach the “fundamentals of determining and mitigating risks associated with their critical infrastructure,” according to the course description on fcems.org.
“A critical part of preparedness and resilience is understanding and managing the risks to critical infrastructure. One way that is evaluated, understood, and mitigated is through the knowledge gained in the federal Critical Asset Risk Management class,” said Jeffery Young, director of Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
Participants walked through the Fire and Ice facility, assessing the building as a part of the second day of their course, and took photos to help them analyze and apply the concepts they acquired, according to Pamela Tickle, Training and Grants Manager for Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
The course is intended for professionals who are emergency response staff, managers, or supervisors in Emergency Communications, Police, Fire, Health Care/Public Health, Hazardous Material, Governmental Administrative, Public Works, and Private Sector/Non-Governmental Organizations. Individuals took the course through Texas A&M University and are part of the TEEX Infrastructure Protection Certificate.
Young said the visit allows the course participants to be more thoroughly prepared and gain experience by visiting and assessing diverse locations in Central Ohio.
“We can only do that through the support and assistance of the facility owners. We are grateful for the support of the business community and the facilities in increasing their preparedness at their locations and helping us increase our knowledge and partnering to create a safer Central Ohio,” he said.
One of Fire and Ice’s goals is to give back by providing resources and assistance to local organizations.
Last year, Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security used the Fire and Ice facility to stage a mock Fentanyl lab.
About 50 different law enforcement agencies and some 500 volunteers participated as part of the “Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack” (CCTA) excise to ensure that local officials are ready to respond to large-scale events.
Mock incidents also occurred at other locations around Central Ohio, including:
● Fire & Ice Heating and Air Conditioning
● Newport Music Hall
● Bolton Field
● VSP Vision Care
● Anheuser-Busch Brewery
● Cardinal Health
● Historic Crew Stadium
At Fire & Ice, a full-scale mock fentanyl lab was set up in a large room, requiring crews wearing HAZMAT suits to assess. In addition, a service truck loaded with several pounds of the “drug” was heading toward Historic Crew Stadium.
The events were designed to mimic large disasters that would quickly overwhelm local first responder resources, including fire departments, SWAT units, and other organizations.
To learn more about the Franklin County Emergency Management Association, visit fcemhs.org.
Fire & Ice is an HVAC company in the Columbus area that focuses on providing all aspects of residential heating and air conditioning equipment.
