Cass County EMA receives NIPSCO Public Safety Grant
Last Updated on September 12, 2023 by Cass County Emergency Management Agency
LOGANSPORT, IN – The Cass County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) has received a $5,000.00 award from the NIPSCO Public Safety Education and Training Grant to help area first responders be better prepared for Lithium Ion Battery Emergencies. This funding provided by NIPSCO is part of an effort to strengthen the communities where they do business.
Lithium Ion batteries are present in devices from computers to large vehicles and everything in between. When functioning normally, the are a key piece of how we get electricity to power items we use every day. Across the country however, there has been increasing notice of battery related fires in cars, eBikes, and other devices that require specialized training and equipment to mitigate. With the anticipated completion of a battery factory just south of the Cass County line, potential for an incident involving Lithium Ion batteries will be even more present.
Utilizing funding from NIPSCO, EMA will arrange for a nationally known vendor to deliver training for up to 60 area first responders. Training will include how to recognize and respond to battery emergencies with the goal of improved safety and faster incident resolution for emergency personnel and the citizens they serve. Personnel will also be familiarized with equipment EMA has already added to the county inventory based on training and research already conducted by the EMA Staff.
Rocky Buffum, Director of the Cass County Emergency Management Agency, is thankful for the continued support of area first responders by NIPSCO. “This is the second year in a row NIPSCO has made a significant contribution to the Cass County public safety community. We are thankful for their support of our emergency responders, and would not be able to continue making these training programs available without the support of our community partners.”
“At NIPSCO, the safety of our customers and communities is our top priority,” said Karen McLean, NIPSCO public affairs and economic development manager. “We are proud to support the Cass County EMA and help further their mission to educate local first responders about the safe and proper emergency response to incidents involving batteries.”
The Course BatteryIQ: Awareness and Operations Response to Battery Emergencies is conducted by Noble and is a four-hour program. Thanks to funding from NIPSCO, two offerings will be made available to responders from Cass, Howard and Miami Counties. The first will be Friday, October 13 from 5-9pm and the second will be Saturday, October 14 from 8am to noon. These offerings are available at no cost to responders. Both offerings will be held at the Logansport Fire Department, 630 High Street, Logansport, IN 46947.
A course flyer can be found here. To register email name and PSID to rocky.buffum@co.cass.in.us.
SOURCE: News release from Cass County Emergency Management Agency