Explained: How local authorities respond to reports of gas leak

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- Last week when reports came flooding in of a suspected gas leak, local authorities responded in the only way they knew how to; a unified command force.

Home base was set up at Zanesville Fire Department, where Assistant Fire Chief Doug Hobson said they tackled the problem efficiently.

“When we can sit here as a unified command, plot the destination and plot the hazard zone that’s going on, we can all talk about it, we can take these phone calls, we can realize where the problems are,” said Hobson.

During the incident there were line detection units in the field that reported meter readings back to command post. There they used a map to narrow down the problem area and noted the calls from city and county dispatchers.

Hobson said there is one way the community can keep up to date on emergencies in their area; with a citizen alert system known as Everbridge.

“Everbridge is a system that the EMA runs” Hobson said. “They can go to a map, draw a circle or square on that location and in a second of time it dials everybody and gives them a recording.”

The system can be used for a number of alerts such as boil advisories, tornado warnings and evacuations.

“It’s a great tool that the county, the city, everybody has kind of partaken in,” said Hobson.

To sign up for the emergency alerts visit Muskingum County Citizen Alerts website at http://www.citizensalert60.org/.