New emergency agency director prepares for future Down East Career firefighter, 55, sets priorities for Washington County

loading...

MACHIAS – If there ever is a huge fire as a result of a liquefied natural gas mishap or a flu pandemic, Mike Hinerman wants his office to be ready.

Hinerman, 55, is the new director of the county’s Emergency Management Agency. He was hired in December and replaced Paul Thompson who retired.

He has been a firefighter for more than 20 years, 17 of them as the fire chief in Machiasport and an insurance adjuster for 25 years.

The director’s job went from four-fifths to full time, so Hinerman has more time to put in place some significant emergency response plans. For years, EMA’s office was in the dank and dusty basement of the courthouse. But now, you can find Hinerman at his new office at 34 Center St.

The only instruction he received when he was hired by his bosses – the Washington County commissioners – was to put time and effort in on the job and communicate with all emergency response officials.

And the job should be easier because Hinerman is an affable and approachable guy.

On the job for five months, Hinerman has been on the road meeting with emergency responders and talking about the future.

Among his priorities – get the county ready to face a possible flu pandemic.

The Bush administration recently acknowledged in a 227-page report, according to the Washington Post, that it cannot solely direct a response that is likely to begin in another country and eventually reach rural America.

“The document anticipates that a flu pandemic would probably come in two or three global waves, each lasting about three months; at least one-third of the population would become ill, and work-force absenteeism could peak at 40 percent,” the Washington Post said.

And it could happen here.

“A flu pandemic is a mutation of the avian bird flu,” Hinerman said, “or it could be any flu that becomes widespread and worldwide.” The country faced a similar epidemic in 1918 and smaller versions in the 1950s and 1960s, he said.

Hinerman is not trying to be an alarmist.

“If it mutates … it could be extremely violent or it could be very mild,” he said. “What is known – if it transmutes to the version of human to human with all the interconnections, it will be worldwide in a short time.”

Although the response will be bottom-up, the direction is coming from the top, down. The Maine Emergency Management Agency in Augusta has mandated that local offices develop a countywide plan.

Hinerman established a Flu Pandemic Leadership Team made up of emergency responders and medical providers from across the county. The team’s job – put together a pan flu response plan by August.

“That is an extremely aggressive timeline,” he said. Each emergency agency will be responsible for its own plan. His office will help coordinate a countywide effort and be a clearinghouse for the plans to avoid duplications.

And flu isn’t the only thing on Hinerman’s mind. He also is mindful of developers’ plans to possibly build four liquefied natural gas terminals in Washington County.

Two developers are racing ahead with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission – the Oklahoma-based Quoddy Bay LLC and the Washington D.C.-based Downeast LNG. Two other LNG development plans are in the startup phase.

Both FERC-bound plans face challenges.

Most notably, Quoddy Bay has to decide what it must do to get people out of Eastport in the event of a mishap, especially considering the close proximity of an elementary school, church and housing at Pleasant Point where they hope to build a site.

“I am involved with the LNG Coast Guard safety review,” Hinerman said. “That’s the large group that’s doing the transportation and landing safety for FERC.”

Although it will be the towns who will be the first line of defense, Hinerman said his office will be there to help. He said the county has to be smart about what it asks the developers to provide, including better communication tools such as radio equipment, radio repeaters and a tower.

And there needs to be a hazmat strike team nearby.

Hinerman is breathing new life into a similar team in western Washington County.

Formed in 2003, the strike team responds to hazardous material mishaps.

“They were having trouble with finances,” Hinerman said of the group. The team includes about 30 men and women.

And training is first and foremost on Hinerman’s mind. “We will have some training to do before we are fully operational. Now that we have the finances out of the way, we can do that,” he said.

In addition to the big-picture items, there also are other duties to perform. He met with officials at the Domtar pulp-and-paper mill in Baileyville and renewed a mutual aid hazmat agreement with them that had lapsed.

And he’s in the process of getting towns to sign the Federal Emergency Management Hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan allows towns to apply for pre- and post-disaster grants. The county benefited from similar grants after the Ice Storm of 1998.

“This authorization from FEMA cannot take place unless all of the towns have signed on or at least I’ve gotten the response back that they’re not interested,” he said.

Also, the law requires each town to have a local emergency management director. Hinerman will be bird dogging towns who haven’t appointed one to make the appointment and let his office know.”