(By Sheri Trusty, Seneca County Sheriff’s Office Public Relations Coordinator)

Some of Seneca County’s little-known heroes work in the shadows – and some deep in the water – and now they have a new home. On Nov. 24, Seneca Regional Chamber & Development hosted a ribbon cutting for the Seneca County Support Operations Center (SOP), the new home for the Seneca County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the Seneca County Water Rescue Team (SCWRT). Both organizations are fully volunteer-run.

The much-needed building, located near the Seneca County EMA building at the Seneca County Fairgrounds, will house the organizations’ equipment and provide a central location for operations, which will streamline service and prevent response time delays.

John Meisner is a member of CERT, the former director and a current member of SCWRT, a Clinton Fire Department Captain, and a Seneca County EMT. He said the building is a vital addition to CERT and SCWRT operations because assets were stored in different locations around the county. Those assets include a SCWRT equipment trailer, inflatable boat with trailer, and V-bottom boat with trailer, and CERT’s operations truck.

“We would get a call, and no one would know where to go to pick up what. Not everyone had a radio,” Meisner said. “It created delays, and if it’s a rescue, you don’t have time for delays.”

Meisner said the SOC committee hoped to build a 30-by-40-foot structure, but generous donations allowed for the construction of a 36-by-44-foot building, giving them even more space. CERT Coordinator, Suzanne Black, is grateful for the new building. Black has been a member of CERT since 2010 and has served as its coordinator since 2014.

“This is fantastic,” she said of the new building.

SCWRT provides lifesaving service to the community. The group is dispatched by the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office to respond to water and ice-related emergencies in Seneca County and the surrounding area. Their work includes search and rescue and recovery. Their service is vitally important to the county, which includes the Sandusky River, Wolf Creek, tributaries to the Huron River, and numerous reservoirs and ponds.

CERT volunteers assist with emergency and non-emergency situations. CERT members are educated on disaster preparedness and trained in basic disaster response skills. They provide support to First Responders during extended emergency calls by providing canteen services and other assistance. They help with traffic control and safety monitoring at community events, verify operation of emergency sirens, and participate in search and rescue operations.

Seneca County Sheriff Fredrick Stevens attended the SOC ribbon-cutting along with several local and state dignitaries, including Congressman Bob Latta; State Representative Gary Click; Seneca County Commissioners Bill Frankart, Tony Paradiso, and Brent Busdeker; Seneca County EMA Director John Spahr; Seneca County Collaborative Executive Director Bryce Riggs; Tiffin Mayor Lee Wilkinson; and Tiffin City Councilman Kevin Roessner.

Sheriff Stevens is grateful for the impact that SCWRT and CERT have on the community and on his staff.

“The Water Rescue Team provides a vital service to our county. I’m grateful they are ready at any moment to respond to calls and save lives,” he said.

Sheriff Stevens has worked with CERT since he was the Tiffin Police Chief.

“Since being Chief of Police in Tiffin, I have utilized CERT for various things – parades, accidents, large scenes, etc. – and watched them grow into the organization they are today. As Sheriff, they have been a tremendous asset to our office and frankly to our community,” he said. “The time and effort that their membership puts in for the training is outstanding and unselfish. When our deputies are at a critical scene at two in the morning for hours, they are right there assisting us behind the scenes with whatever we need.”

SCWRT and CERT are the quiet heroes supporting and serving the county in residents’ most difficult moments. The new SOC building is a well-deserved and lifesaving addition to their operations.

“What a dedicated and remarkable group of volunteers we have,” Sheriff Stevens said. “This building was greatly needed to house their equipment and to give them a headquarters.”