Emergency Management Association of Ohio

On April 26, 1986, Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded during a safety test, releasing radioactive material across large portions of Europe. It remains the worst nuclear power accident in history.

Residents of the nearby city of Pripyat were not evacuated for approximately 36 hours. Many emergency responders were sent into the disaster without fully understanding the hazards they faced. As the scale of the incident became clear, more than 100,000 people were evacuated and relocated from the surrounding area.

System Gaps:

• Delayed public warning and evacuation
• Limited situational awareness
• Poor risk communication
• Inadequate responder hazard information
• Lack of transparency during the initial response

Chernobyl became a turning point for emergency planning and crisis communication worldwide. The disaster demonstrated that the consequences of delayed information can be just as significant as the incident itself.

For emergency managers, the lesson remains clear: In a rapidly evolving crisis, accurate information, timely warnings, and decisive protective actions save lives.

Sources:
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR)
World Nuclear Association
Encyclopaedia Britannica

To the men and women who gave their lives protecting our freedom: We are forever in your debt. We thank you. We proudly remember you.

Please join us in welcoming Ethan Raby as EMAO Treasurer! Ethan brings experience serving both Montgomery and Greene counties, with leadership during tornadoes, utility outages, mass casualty incidents, and COVID-19 response. We look forward to his leadership and service to EMAO.

We're looking for presenters for our 2026 Fall and Winter Conferences!

We’re looking for sessions that are practical, experience-based, and immediately useful, especially: Real incident responses, Innovative processes or programs, or Successful partnerships or funding strategies.

Fall Conference: September 29 and Winter Conference: December 3–4
Submit by June 1, 2026
Presenters will be notified by July 1, 2026

***This is a learning environment, not a sales pitch. Promotional content isn’t allowed.

https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSfnKKTSgfdxMB.../viewform

We're looking for presenters for our 2026 Fall and Winter Conferences!

We’re looking for sessions that are practical, experience-based, and immediately useful, especially: Real incident responses, Innovative processes or programs, or Successful partnerships or funding strategies.

Fall Conference: September 29 and Winter Conference: December 3–4
Submit by June 1, 2026
Presenters will be notified by July 1, 2026

***This is a learning environment, not a sales pitch. Promotional content isn’t allowed.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnKKTSgfdxMBRrVabW_cpxTkc0bIDLwSksX2F6TcSlZEfeUQ/viewform

Yesterday we highlighted the new Van Wert County EMA Director, Matt Saunier. Today, it is only fitting we share the outgoing (former) Director Rick McCoy's story.

Rick McCoy is the longtime Director of the Van Wert County Emergency Management Agency, with over 35 years of service. Among the defining moments of his career was his response during the 2002 Van Wert F-4 Tornado, he has been on the History Channel, National Geographic and the Weather Channel’s Forecast earth, lectured around the country at emergency management and meteorology conferences, has conducted numerous tornado damage surveys, and in January of 2002, he (along with Huron County) was able to get Van Wert County certified as Storm Ready through the nationally recognized program. This was especially significant because no other counties in Ohio had ever accomplished this before.

Always recognizing the importance of weather forecasting and monitoring, Rick has been engaged at not only the local, but the national level with advocating and lobbying for these services. As early as 1993, Weather Service offices were being closed around the nation as new Nexrad Doppler Radars were being installed. Rick began a petition in northwest Ohio to oppose the loss of services, and asked northeast Indiana to do the same. Rick traveled to Washington DC and met NOAA officials with over 250,000 signatures. The combination of citizens signatures and support from Congressional members successfully got additional funding earmarked for the construction and a Nexrad Radar for the Northern Indiana Weather Service Office.

In 1997, the National Weather Service sustained cuts and some positions were being terminated. In response, Rick created and chaired a National Task Force of EMA Directors and Meteorologists from all 50 states and lobbied for full funding to be returned to the Weather Service program. After months of talks, Rick was asked by the United States Secretary of Commerce to come to Washington DC and testify before a special committee. Their efforts were successful and a final decision was made to return complete funding to return to the program.

Prior to working in emergency management, Rick has served as an Agricultural Technician, Convoy Village Marshal, Deputy Sheriff, K-9 Officer, & TV Weather Forecaster. As he retires after 35 1/2 years as EMA Director, and 49 years as a county employee, Director McCoy leaves behind a stronger, more resilient Van Wert County. His career stands as a testament to a lifetime of public service, and his impact will continue to be felt for years to come.

EMAO is proud to announce Van Wert County EMA 's newest Emergency Management Agency Director, Matt Saunier! His official start date was 5/1/2026, and he is a member of the Northwest Sector of EMAO.

Director Saunier shared with us how he gravitated to the field of EM- "In 2008, Van Wert County experienced a major ice storm. At the time, my father was the Public Information Officer, which had us in the EMA office during this time. I vividly recall watching the director, Rick McCoy, work feverishly to inform the public about the hazards associated with this particular storm. Dad had also served as a firefighter/paramedic with Van Wert City Fire, raising me in a home of servitude and dedication to his community. Both of these inspirations pushed me to the world of emergency management. The thought of being able to serve my community in this function provides me the daily motivation to be the best version of myself".

A fun fact about Director Saunier is that he has been also working in the entertainment industry as a✨ lighting ✨designer for concerts and other live productions for almost 20 years.

He also shared with us 3 favorite quotes of his from Kirby Smart:
1) You will have to make hard decisions that negatively impact the people you care about.
2) You will be disliked despite your best attempts to do the best for the most.
3) You will be misunderstood, and you won't always have the chance to defend yourself.

Congrats Director Saunier!

Today US National Weather Service Northern Indiana and Henry County Emergency Management held an interactive Outdoor Event Planning & Monitoring seminar in Henry County, OH.

The audience was multidisciplinary, however, there was a large presence of emergency managers. Counties with EMs in attendance from our organization included: Henry County, Defiance County, Fulton County, Paulding County, Putnam County, Wood County, and Mercer County.

Course content included introduction to and use of NWS products and services before and during special events, discussion of the importance of event weather safety plans, calculating times needed to alert, evacuate, or shelter event attendees, reinforcing the importance of having a designated weather liaison, and use of the NWS Event Ready toolkit.