Meetings watch: Local Emergency Planning Committee

The Local Emergency Planning Committee met Wednesday afternoon at City Hall.

• Emergency Management Director Dan Heerding said the committee’s exercise design and planning subcommittee worked on a pair of simulations in August — one at the Matt 25 Hope Center, and another at the former Clovis City Limits building. He said both exercises went well, but showed many areas for improvement.

Subcommittee Chair Freddie Salazar said there was always a willingness to set up a similar exercise for area businesses that request it.

• Ken De Los Santos of Plains Regional Medical Center and Emergency Planning Secretary Ruthann Kelly gave a brief report on the LEPC conference, held in late September in Albuquerque.

De Los Santos said the conference, paid through sponsors and the Albuquerque LEPC, lasted one day and drew about 100 people. Kelly said the presentations had good information, and recommended attendance at the next conference.

• Heerding said he was catching up from missing two months due to knee surgery, and thanked the committee members for helping him along throughout the year.

• Subcommittee chairs were named for the upcoming year. New chairs include Margaret Hinchee in membership and Tech Sgt. Bryan Dudley of Cannon Air Force Base in emergency response/HAZMAT. Continuing as chairs are Lisa Pellegrino-Spear (community awareness) and Salazar (exercise design and planning).

• The next meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. Jan. 21 at City Hall.

— Compiled by staff writer Kevin Wilson