City to receive grant of emergency equipment

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by Emily Canning-Dean

Reporter

Bedford Heights -- With a trailer full of emergency equipment, the city will be better prepared to handle a natural disaster as well as lend a hand to nearby communities in their time of crisis.

Bedford Heights is one of three cities that is receiving a trailer through the Cuyahoga County Urban Area Security Initiative Grant program.

The other cities are South Euclid and Independence. The cities were chosen so that all the participating communities would have a trailer nearby.

Bedford Heights Public Works Director Nick Baucco said the trailers contain generators, chain saws, rakes, pumps and other items that might be needed in a natural disaster such as a flood.

"After the bad storm that caused all the flooding in 2006, about 10 service directors in the county started discussing the possibility of mutual aid among the service departments similar to agreements with police and fire," Baucco said.

"The core communities have not come up with a mutual aid agreement yet, but we did get together and apply for the trailers," he said.

Councilor Wendy Grant, who is also chairperson of the city's safety committee, said, "The city could use the equipment during some type of storm, and other communities in the program could use it if needed."

Baucco added, "As one of the host cities, I would just have to be around in an emergency to let other communities gain access to the trailer."

Council President Phil Saunders said Council was scheduled to approve accepting the grant May 6.

E-mail: ecanning@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3166