PARIS – They had their hard hats, flashlights, clip boards and yellow vests. They were ready to go.

The 17 split into three groups and went into a dark hallway that had been converted into an accident scene. They carefully stepped over barriers and into small rooms, where people – “victims” – were waiting for rescue.

One was trapped under a bed, another under a table. A third had a head injury.

The mock disaster, staged at the Paris Fire Station, was the final exercise in the Community Emergency Response Team class.

The CERT class, orchestrated by Oxford County Emergency Management Agency Director Scott Parker, is one of the efforts the county EMA has taken on recently.

Since Parker took on the job a year and a half ago, the EMA has landed hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money, and started many programs.

Parker, who retired from the U.S. Army after 21 years, said his military background helps him run the agency. He was an officer in the artillery division, holding different jobs.

“It really helped me prepare to enter into the emergency management field,” Parker said.

After he retired, Parker said he taught school for three years before becoming the EMA director.

Parker, 51, lives in Bethel with his wife, Susan. He has two sons. Ross, 20, is in college, and Gavin, 17, is preparing to go to college next year.

Other counties’ EMAs have seen growth as well, said Lynette Miller, spokeswomen for the Maine Emergency Management Agency.

After Sept. 11, the government became concerned with emergency operations and started funding programs nationwide.

Oxford County’s EMA has been one of the fastest growing.

“I’ve been really impressed with what Scott has done in terms of public information and outreach,” Miller said.

Initiatives

Before Parker took the position, it was a part-time job. As awareness grew after Sept. 11, federal and state emergency management agencies saw the need to expand local agencies.

Shortly after Parker was hired, he hired office manager Allison Chase, who had a background in volunteer work and accounting.

“With the background of us two we were able to move this organization forward,” Parker said.

All of the agency’s initiatives aim to either mitigate, prepare, respond or recover from emergency situations, Parker said. That includes both man-made disasters, such as hazardous chemicals, and natural disasters, such as flooding.

During Parker’s first year, he put together an emergency operations plan for the county. It illustrates how the county will handle a disaster.

With 17 new CERT members, Parker said the county now has 70 people trained as community emergency responders.

Chase heads up the Community Animal Response Team course.

“We’ve learned that people don’t want to leave home without their pets,” Parker said. During the 1998 ice storm, “pets weren’t received in shelters.”

Parker is also working on the National Incident Management System, a program to deal with national incidents.

Monday Parker talked for nearly an hour about his office’s accomplishments.

“We’re always working toward individual and family preparedness,” Parker said.

For the 2007 county budget, Parker requested funds for another full-time person.

The budget committee rejected the request, but put it on a re-visit list for consideration. The committee is finalizing the budget today.

Every dollar the county spends on EMA is matched by the state, Parker said. Most of the agency’s programs are funded through state and federal grant programs.

Last year, the county received $600,000 in Homeland Security grants. It’s applied for more this year.

“All of these grants have enhanced the county’s capabilities,” Parker said.

The agency recently purchased and equipped an Amateur Radio Emergency Service trailer to be used in areas where communication is difficult, Parker said.

He said he aggressively pursues grants.

“I make sure I speak to as many people as I can, and see how important the grants were to my long range plans,” he said.

EMA’s future

Since the agency doesn’t have the personnel to add many more programs, Parker said his focus is to keep the people he has.

Parker is working to create an emergency operations center adjacent to his basement office, which will facilitate communication during emergencies.

If the office is able to hire another person, he will dedicate that position solely to exercise and planning.

Parker said he also hopes to have a fully capable Incident Management Assistance Team program running in two years.

“We have to do as much as we can with what we have now,” Parker said. “We have to deal with what we’ve got, and sustain what we have.”