Ohio TERT members met this afternoon at the rally point in Cambridge. The deployment team was met by logistics and support personnel, all of whom have been working to get to the point of deployment. Following invocation by Mark Beros of Stop Nine Church of Christ, Committee Chair Nick DiCicco provided an update to the team. At present, Ohio TERT, along with TERT teams from Florida, Kentucky, and Georgia will be assigned to Buncombe County Public Safety Communications. Reports of damage and supply shortages have been numerous, and breathtaking. The expectation is that telecommunications are still impacted, public utilities are compromised, and many routes still impassible. DiCicco instructed the dispatchers on the team to prepare for 12-16 hour shifts, and once initial training is complete, to be working with a 100% TERT crew from Ohio and other states while Buncombe County personnel get a much needed break.
The team also heard words of thanks from Ohio 911 Program Office Coordinator Patrick Brandt and Ohio DAS Deputy Director of First Responder Communications Initiatives Angela Canepa. The team will depart from Cambridge at 6:30 on Tuesday morning, with an Ohio State Highway Patrol escort to the West Virginia state line.
It is believed that the need for TERT personnel will continue beyond the initial 14 day deployment window. Public safety telecommunicators who are interested in deploying in the near term (this would be mid-October through the end of the month) should contact Committee Chair Nick DiCicco at Nick.DiCicco (at) cvdispatch (dot) com .