If terrorism strikes the Tristate today, the Greater Cincinnati Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) Unit would be ready to respond.

        It says it would be more ready with an extra $71,000 worth of equipment.

        Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune wanted to send the money to the unit on Wednesday, but Commissioner Tom Neyer put the brakes on that spending until more research can be done about how the equipment should be paid for.

        Mr. Neyer said he also wants to understand how the Hazmat need relates to the nearly $50 million of emergency response need identified by Don Maccarone, the county's Emergency Management Agency director.

        “This is a $100,000 drop in a $50 million bucket,” Mr. Neyer said. “I just want to make sure it's the most important drop.”

        Among the items needed by the unit:

        • Hazmat chemical suits, boots, gloves and protective coveralls, $15,000.

        • Two inflatable disaster shelters, $15,450.

        • Two laptop computers and a desktop computer, $16,400.

        • Decontamination pools and showers, $4,837.

        Bob Welch, public information officer for the Hazmat unit, said the new equipment would be equally useful when the unit responds to a natural disaster or accidental spill.

        “We need to constantly upgrade our equipment,” Mr. Welch said. “There is more and more sophisticated metering and detection equipment that is coming out every day.

        “The equipment we're after now will shorten the amount of time it takes to render a situation safe. The need is paramount.”

        Mr. Maccarone said the county is in the process of prioritizing those emergency management needs he identified a few months ago. The county is expecting an $81,000 grant from the federal government and must go through the process to distribute the money.

        “There are needs across the board,” Mr. Maccarone said. “We'll be tasked with prioritizing how that ($81,000) gets used.”

        Mr. Portune agrees the Hazmat equipment is critical. He has been trying to get the commissioners to spend money on related issues.

        The Hazmat unit is one of the first public health and safety organizations Mr. Portune has asked to list its needs in order of importance.
       

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