Knox County emergency management details exercises, hazard plan and $58,980 EMPG award

Knox County emergency management staff reported to the Board of Commissioners on April 30 that they have been sharing the county’s school reunification plan with other counties and attending national and regional training to improve response, mental‑health integration and exercise design. Staff said they presented at a Missouri school safety conference and received ideas to strengthen reunification work with local schools.

The office described a sequence of preparedness activities: tabletop exercises already completed, a planned functional exercise next cycle and an eventual full‑scale exercise. Emergency management staff said they run PIO (public information officer) lunch‑and‑learn sessions, conducted Skywarn training with the National Weather Service, and coordinate interstate mutual‑aid procedures for resources such as mobile cell towers.

Officials described regional planning for the Mohican River tourist area — including proposals for milepost signage to help dispatchers locate incidents and talks about enforcement of alcohol and private‑access rules at river sites. Staff said those signs would integrate with dispatch mapping so responders can identify county marker locations.

On grants, staff said the county received an award on a hazardous materials preparedness reimbursement grant and noted that the 2025 EMPG (Emergency Management Performance Grant) allocation for Knox County increased to $58,980; a lithium‑ion and electric‑vehicle emergency class is planned in July with Central Hydrant Fire District. The county’s updated hazard mitigation plan has been uploaded to the state portal and awaits federal review; staff warned that federal review timing is currently slowing grant disbursements.

The presentation was informational; commissioners did not take formal action on emergency management items at the meeting.