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Page 14A— Wednesday, December 22, 2021, The True Citizen
Federal, State and Local Agencies Partner for Emergency Drill
Pictured are: Wanda Shryock, Kejon Perry, Sandy Morris, Santa Claus, Addie Bennett, Car
men Bennett, Fr. Larry Jesion, Andy Andert, Jacob Shryock, Sandy Baulos, and Tony Baulos.
Picture by Pam Jesion.
Santa visits Heaping Hands
Left to right: Fifth grader Alexis Miller took
first place in the SGA Elementary School
Spelling Bee December 14. Fourth grader
Aaliyah Rhodes was the runner up. Both
students will compete in the Burke County
Public School District Spelling Bee, Janu
ary 11, 2022 at 9 a.m. in the Professional
Learning Center, BCHS Campus.
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Representatives from Home
land Security, FEMA, Geor
gia Emergency Management
Agency (GEMA), South Caro
lina Emergency Management
Division (SCEMD), Tetra
Tech, Burke County EMA,
Southern Company, DNR, and
Burke Medical Center gathered
last week for a bi-annual feder
ally evaluated medical services
drill.
According to GEMA, the
drill prepares local agencies to
treat an injured, contaminated
patient from a possible radio
logical incident. Having a sim
ulated patient, from within the
10-mile radius of Plant Vogtle,
transported to the hospital for
emergency services, the EMA
and hospital can present their
ability to prepare and treat
the potentially contaminated
patient.
“This enables our facility
and staff to remain prepared in
the event of an emergency, so
we are always ready to protect
the health and safety of our
community,” stated Burke
Medical CEO, Mike Hester.
Burke Medical Center is
the primary facility for Plant
Vogtle exposure incidents, with
Doctor’s Hospital in Augusta
acting as the secondary emer
gency site. Due to the location
of the plant, portions of South
Carolina fall within the Emer
gency Planning Zone (EPZ).
“It’s nice to be able to bring
people here versus having to
take them to Augusta and give
contamination more time to do
harm,” stated Burke County
EMA Chief, Steven Matthews.
FEMA representatives
stressed the importance of
these exercises to help solidify
the partnership between state,
federal, and county response
teams to ensure they are able
to work together to quickly
respond to the needs of the
community during an unlikely
event.
The training was performed
by Dan Riley from Tetra Tech.
Riley also evaluated the hospi
tal on emergency responsive
ness and expressed the hospital
experience was much different
than two years ago.
At the debriefing following
the drill, preliminary opinions
from evaluators were that
the Burke Medical team had
performed the task with above
average marks and was to be
commended for their excep
tional efforts.
“EMA is constantly prepar
ing for an emergency event
at Plant Vogtle, and this is
one more way we can contain
radiation if a patient had to be
transported more than a 10-
mile radius of the EPZ,” said
Amylia Lester, Burke County
EMA Public Information Of
ficer.
According to Clarence Bel-
ger, Burke Medical’s Emergen
cy Management Coordinator,
the hospital performs its own
training annually and looks for
ward to the evaluation process
of the bi-annual drill to ensure
their performance remains
above average.
Drills and emergency man- ensure, in an unlikely event,
agement plans like these, help everyone is prepared to re-
Southern Company demon- spond and prioritize the health
strafe the partnerships that and safety of the public.
PAM JESION
“Over ten years ago, Gail
Rockwell of St Michael’s
Episcopal Church answered
a calling to feed the hungry
of Burke County,” explains
Father Larry Jesion of St.
Michael’s Episcopal Church.
Since then, she, her husband
Rocky, and a dedicated group
of volunteers have served a hot
breakfast at Heaping Hands
every Saturday morning in the
St Michael’s community hall.
During the Covid shutdown,
Gail and the staff of St Mi
chael’s quickly realized that
this need was ongoing, even
though it was no longer pos
sible to invite attendees to sit
down inside for breakfast and
fellowship.
“After a number of brain
storming sessions, a small core
group of volunteers, masked
and gloved, came together
early on Saturday mornings to
prepare bags of hot eggs with
bacon and cheese, potatoes,
and other foodstuffs to hand
out to anyone coming by the
table set up outside” Father
Jesion continues
On Saturday, December 18,
Heaping Hands celebrated
the holidays with not only
breakfast but a visit from Santa
(who, by the way, is a pretty
good juggler as well as a will
ing participant in indoor snow
ball fights), complete with gifts
for children and adults alike.
Elves Addie Bennett and Ke
jon Perry manned Santa’s Toy
Shop, while Sandy Morris and
Carmen Bennett helped with
table loads of toys contributed
by the One-Stop Shop and
Spring Creek Auction of Mil-
len. “We would also like to
express our heartfelt thanks to
Marty Orvin, the four points
Santa.”
The smiles and excitement
of not only children but adults
was summed up as Santa,
leaving the hall, was shyly
approached by an older gentle
man who wanted to tell him
that all he wanted was a toy
dump truck and trailer for
Christmas.
If you or your church would
like to help St. Michael’s Epis
copal Church with the Heaping
Hands ministry please contact
Fr. Larry at 706-554-3465.
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Pictured are representatives from Homeland, FEMA, GEMA,
SCEMD, BCEMA, Southern Company, Tetra Tech, DNR, &
Burke Medical. Photo credit: Burke Medical Center.