Belmont County Rescue Task Force, along with Ohio Sen. Brian Chavez, R-Marietta, Belmont County Board of Commissioners and area school superintendent celebrate the purchase of its new rescue trailer funded through a $75,000 grant from the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. (T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA)

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – The Belmont County Rescue Task Force has purchased its new rescue trailer that was funded through a $75,000 grant from the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.

St. Clairsville Police Chief Matt Arbenz said the trailer will be housed at Cumberland Trail Fire District’s firehouse, but will be used throughout the region.

“It’s going to be housed here in Belmont County because we started this Rescue Task Force program. But it is a regional asset, and we’re happy to share it in the case that somebody else needs it,” Arbenz said.

He added that he obviously hopes that the trailer is never used other than training purposes but if it is needed the task force will be prepared.

Arbenz said that if there is ever a mass casualty incident where someone does something that results in multiple people injured, the Rescue Task Force will go into those areas. The trailer will be able to carry more needed equipment than a patrol car could.

“Whether it’s stuff that we need to replenish as the scene goes on, or whether it’s stuff that’s needed when officers and fire medics arrive at the scene, they can go straight to that trailer and grab the gear that they need to get in there,” Arbenz said. “Having the proper tools in hand when you walk into a situation saves lives. Seconds matter.”

On Thursday afternoon, all fire, EMS and police entities met with Belmont County Commissioners, Ohio Sen. Brian Chavez, R-Marietta, and various area school superintendents at the East Central Ohio Educational Resource Center to celebrate the new trailer.

Arbenz said that the task force is needed because it’s something that the Department of Homeland Security is pushing.

“We’ve learned a lot of hard lessons throughout the United States about responses and reactions. So this is the best one possible now that anybody has learned from those hard lessons, and it takes as many participants as possible,” he said. “This can’t just be one or two police departments and one or two fire and EMS departments, because if it happens in those communities, they’re already short of people. We need the other communities to know what to do, to come in and perform this, and vice versa.”

Due to the size of Belmont County, regardless of in which community a mass casualty event occurred, all of the surrounding departments would be on scene. So it only makes sense for all of the entities to be on the same page.

Chavez added that it’s crucial for all of the entities to be in concert in rural areas such as Belmont County.

“This is an effort of a lot of different departments pulling together, seeking out grant opportunities to realize and fill a need that’s in the community, to be prepared for whatever comes around,” he said. “We are such a rural community and a rural district, they need to be able to respond with everything that they can in a time of need without waiting for help coming from somewhere else, because that help could be a long ways away, even though they’re coming as fast as they can.”

Chavez applauded the leaders that took the initiative to pull the task force together.

“It’s a fantastic resource for the area,” Chavez said.

Belmont County Sheriff James Zusack said that the trailer will save lives. It’s equipped with essential medical equipment and is intended to be deployed faster than traditional methods to treat casualties more effectively. It’s particularly beneficial for the county, especially in critical situations like active shooter incidents, where timely medical intervention is crucial.

“Putting this trailer together is going to save lives, because we’ll have the trailer there way faster to treat victims to help save lives,” Zusack said. “This is really nice and very beneficial to our county.”

Cumberland Trail Fire District Fire Chief Tim Hall said it was important for the superintendents to be at the celebration because, working through ECO Center, each of Belmont County’s seven public school districts chipped in to donate $20,000, which covered the cost of 12 ballistic vests and helmets as well as throw bag water rescue devices to be used by law enforcement and EMS, to the task force.

“We were able to go out and purchase ballistic vests, to make sure that we’re able to operate in a safe manner in these zones we’re entering in the event we have to enter one of these buildings with law enforcement,” Hall said. “Prior to that, our vests weren’t compatible with making sure that our employees were able to do their job safely.”

He added that he cannot emphasize enough that it is the task force’s intended hopes that the trailer and equipment is never used for anything other than training.