Below you will see a brief description of McLean County EMA activations and public service events. Some activations are not listed for confidentiality reasons.

H1N1 Vaccination Clinics
Throughout the fourth quarter of 2009, McLean County EMA staff have supported the McLean County Department of Public Health's public vaccination clinics for the H1N1 virus. Clinic locations have varied throughout McLean County which has resulted in varied assignments for EMA. Staff have directed traffic, assisted in logistical and planning aspects of the the events, and performed event operation functions as needed. 

09/26 Mason County Search and Rescue
At the request of the Tazewell County EMA, the McLean County EMA responded from the Tazewell EOC to Mason County to assist in a missing person search. Local residents reported seeing an individual entering a corn field. They then lost sight of the individual and were concerned for their well being. Local and surrounding Fire Departments as well as various law enforcement agencies arrived on-scene initially to perform hasty searches of high-probability areas. McLean County EMA SAR and Operations Team staff filled searcher, search manager, and team lead roles during the event.

09/26 Ground Search and Rescue Training
The McLean County EMA, DeWitt County ESDA, and host agency Tazewell County EMA held the 16-hour Ground SAR class at the Tazewell County EOC. Course content is delivered through the Illinois Search and Rescue Council and includes the definition of Search and Rescue, incident management and organizational structure, fitness, clothing, SAR ready packs and preparedness kits, personal outdoor equipment, navigation, communications, SAR resources, clue consciousness, anatomy of a SAR incident, lost person behavior, search probability theory, tracking, and rescue gear. The course ended up being supplemented by a real-world search in Mason County.

09/22 Beason Homicides
McLean County EMA SAR and Operations Team staff assisted the Logan County EMA and Sheriff's Department in searches conducted in relation to the homicides of a Beason family in Beason, Illinois. Operations Team members also served as Search Managers for the incident and provided logistical support alongside Logan and Tazewell county EMA staff.

09/18 - 09/19 McLean County Disaster Drill
Operations Team members participated in the two-day McLean County Disaster Drill that was designed to test various capabilities of public safety agencies and private industries. EMA Staff served primarily in logistical roles during the event while also assisting in planning prior to the event. Scenarios consisted of a natural disaster impacting several rural communities in McLean County along with other emergency instances such as a hazardous materials spill and an urban search and rescue.

09/07 Bloomington-Normal Labor Day Parade
Several McLean County EMA Operations Team members participated in the annual Labor Day Parade from Downtown Bloomington to Miller Park. The parade is a way to recognize laborers' commitment to high standards of quality service and products and their commitment to continuing the pursuit of safe and equitable practices for the American workforce. 

07/29 - 08/02 McLean County Fair
An annual event for the Operations Team, EMA Staff worked closely with local police and fire departments as well as on-scene EMS providers to offer overall emergency services at the McLean County Fair. Operations Team members specifically provided communications support for the various on-scene agencies, took reports for lost or missing persons, assisted in providing EMS care, and filled other logistical roles over the course of the five-day event.

07/18 Lake Evergreen Triathlon
EMA Staff provided communications, logistics, and planning services for the Lake Evergreen Triathlon hosted at Comlara Park. This event draws over 600 participants annually and is a qualifier Triathlon for the USAT. Operations Team members relayed communications among various police, fire, dive, EMS, EMA, and event staff through the Unified Command Post, checked out portable radios and held radio briefings, provided logistical coordination through event briefings, redirected traffic, and delivered equipment as needed.

06/29 Danvers Fire Department Presentations
McLean County EMA Chief of Operations Eric Hodges and Deputy Chief of Operations Magenheimer provided three overview sessions to the Danvers Fire and Police Departments at the Danvers Fire Station. The presentations covered an overview of Emergency Management in McLean County, an overview of the Search and Rescue team and capabilities, and an information on the Unified Command Post and communications in the State of Illinois. Following the presentations, Fire and Police Department officials toured the Unified Command Post.

5/25 Memorial Day Parade
Every year, the McLean County EMA participates in the Memorial Day Parade in Bloomington to pay respect to the memory of the fallen who have defended the United States and its freedom. Two fleet vehicles drove in the parade - the Unified Command Post and the Ford F-550. A group photograph of the EMA staff participating in this event can be viewed by clicking here.

5/5 Big Truck Night at Lexington Elementary School
This annual event provides elementary-aged and middle school-aged students with the opportunity to learn about "big trucks" used in professional services such as construction, public safety, and the armed service. EMA staff gave tours of both the F-550 and the Unified Command Post to visitors during this hour-long event in Lexington. Parents learned about some of the public safety assets available to the community while children got to use the vehicle sirens and warning lights as well as hear the various communication systems used within the UCP. Photographs from the event can be viewed by clicking here.

4/18 Fire Station Dedication in Downs
McLean County EMA staff were invited by the Downs Fire Department to offer tours of the Unified Command Post during the dedication of their new fire station. Deputy Director Clark, Deputy Chief Magenheimer, and Sergeant Trickett offered tours to approximately 125 visitors and public safety professionals during the open house following the dedication ceremony.

2/23 Medical Reserve Corps Radio Training
McLean County EMA Deputy Chief Magenheimer, Lieutenant Orns, and Probationary Officer Nielsen taught the McLean County Health Department's Medical Reserve Corps how to use two-way radios during their Monday meeting. The course focused on radio etiquette, terminology, comparisons of various radio bands such at UHF/VHF/700/800, confidentiality best practices, and commonly used frequencies and their associated descriptions. At the conclusion of the classroom portion of the training, McLean County EMA staff facilitated hands-on scenarios for MRC members with the goal of helping them become more familiar with the overall radio usage experience and nuances of each radio type. Photographs from the event can be viewed by clicking here.

12/27 Damage Assessment
McLean County EMA, along with local county ESDAs, conducted damage assessment following a storm with high winds that impacted several locations throughout McLean County. A few residences were classified as "affected" under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency's damage assessment criteria and several business-related structures (mainly farm buildings) were classified either as "minor" or "destroyed" under the same criteria. Reports and associated photographs documenting the damage were submitted to both the Illinois Emergency Management Agency in Springfield and the National Weather Service in Lincoln.

11/30 and 12/2 Winter Weather Operations
McLean County EMA provided services to residents of McLean County and in the form of mutual aid for the McLean County Sheriff's Office and Illinois State Police District 6 by checking on stranded motorists, offering transports to locations, providing food and blankets to those in need, and flagging abandoned vehicles.

10/18 Fall Colors at Comlara Park
The agency provides lighting, parking/traffic direction, and first-aid services during Comlara Park's annual Fall Colors event. The evening consists of visitors entering into the Haunted Trail as well as enjoying hot apple cider and snacks at the pavilion. EMA staff light the pavilion, crossings into and out of the woods for the Haunted Trail, and assist with first-aid.

10/14 and 10/16 State Farm Safety and Awareness Fair
The agency staffs a table at State Farm's Corporate and Corporate South facilities in Bloomington, Illinois, to share information on preparedness and emergency management services in McLean County. The agency also provides tours of the Homeland Security Region 11 Unified Command Post during these sessions.

10/3 Fall Harvest Festival at the Interstate Center
The agency provided Unified Command Post tours at the 2nd annual Fall Harvest Festival at the Interstate Center. The event organizers requested the Command Post for tours as part of the event's activities for the day. Visitors got to learn about the Command Post and its capabilities as well as more information about the McLean County Emergency Management Agency.

9/19 TERT Orientation
The agency presents a 30-minute presentation on the UCP and specifically its communications capabilities to the Telecommunicator Emergency Response Team trainees in Champaign. We are further asked to share how our team manages incident communications.  Event concludes with a tour of the UCP

9/13 Ford County Disaster Exercise
The agency responded to Ford County to participate in a countywide disaster exercise.  Agency personnel staffed the Unified Command Post and managed incident communications. 

9/2-9/4 IEMA Conference
Six members of the agency attended the 2008 IEMA conference.  The agency also supplied and staffed a Unified Command Post for display on the 3rd.

9/1 Labor Day Parade
Five members of the agency participated in the 2008 Labor Day Parade, held in Bloomington.  The staff drove the Unified Command Post and EMA 901 in the parade.

7/29-8/3 McLean County Fair
Nearly all members of the Operations Teams staffed one or more shifts at the McLean County Fair.  Operating out of the Unified Command Post, staff were assigned to incident communications, which included all radio traffic, coordination of missing persons, collection of injury information and collection of information related to ejected and arrested subjects.

7/8-7/9 Semi Accident & HazMat on Interstate 55
The agency responded to Interstate 55 north of McLean to a semi tractor trailer that landed in a creek in the median and spilled diesel fuel.  Working with fire, hazmat and law enforcement, the agency provided scene lighting and filed a report with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

7/3 Subject with Weapon at State Farm
The agency responded with the Unified Command Post to State Farm corporate headquarters to a report of a subject with a long gun entering the facility.  The agency delivered and staffed the Unified Command Post.  The incident rapidly resolved once intelligence determined the subject in question was not carrying a weapon.

6/28-6/29 Technical Rescue Team drill with Normal Fire Department at ISU
The Operations Team worked with the Normal Fire Department for an overnight drill at the Dunn-Barton residence halls to provide communications and planning support for a building collapse drill.  The Operations Team handled communications between teams and other support agencies and developed Incident Action Plans for subsequent operational periods.

6/18-6/22 Flood Fight 2008
Over the course of five days, five members of the agency assisted with the floods.  The agency supplied and staffed a Unified Command Post that was attached to IMERT at Kinderhook, in Pike County.  While not maintaining the command post, staff assumed positions within the Planning Section to assist IMERT Mission Support Team members in the creation of daily IAPs.