AUGUSTA — It was just another conference for Oxford County Emergency Management Director Allyson S. Hill and Deputy Director Teresa M. Glick on April 24 and 25 in Augusta as they represented Oxford County’s EMA office.

However, presenters at the annual Maine Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference – Oxford County Regional Communications Center Director James Miclon and Deputy Director Geffrey Inman, had other ideas.

After speaking for 70 minutes on how Oxford County managed without its dispatch center for more than a month after a May 31, 2017 lightening strike, they surprised the two EMA directors when they presented them with awards.

The awards were for “Outstanding Service and Support to the County of Oxford and the OCRCC for the May 31, 2017 lightening strike that Crippled the RCC.”

Miclon says, “I wanted to honor them in front of their peers in the state and New England instead of just at a county commissioners meeting.”

When the lightening hit, and everything shut down, “they responded immediately,” recalls Miclon. “They set up in my office and took on management of the incident with Geff [Inman], made calls, coordinated everything, handled the media … they were solid support.”

Miclon says he doesn’t know what they would have done without the EMA staff.

“We were completely surprised,” laughs Hill. “We had no idea it was coming … they were very sneaky.”

“We are honored,” Hill and Glick agree, “to have been recognized by the RCC for our assistance. We have a very strong partnership with them. But we were just doing our job!”

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