2.5. Mineral County

2.5.1. Description

Mineral County is located in the central portion of the State of Columbia and lies within the “golden triangle” of Central City-Capital City-Metropolis. The county has the smallest population of counties in the State of Columbia with only 26,000 people. The Roaring River runs the entire north-south distance of the county. The Mineral Creek and Muddy Creek also flow through the county and provide recreational fishing opportunities. The Mineral Mountains and forests cover much of the land area in the northern part of the county. A portion of the Roaring River Tribal Community is located in the southeast corner of the county. There are five small communities in the county: Bradley, the county seat (10,500), Danton (10,000), Ceresco (1,950), Wicks (1,111), and Sumpter (1,050). The Columbia National Guard Armory is located in Bradley. There are reports of militia-style groups using the Mineral Mountains as a training area.

2.5.2. History

The area that is now Mineral County was originally inhabited by predecessors of the Roaring River Tribe; however, most of them later moved southeast into what are now Kane and Green counties. A few Tribal members remain in the county and a small, largely uninhabited portion of the Roaring River Tribal Community occupies the southeastern corner of the county. Today, the county remains predominately rural although most of the population resides in the five small towns.

2.5.3. County Government

The governing body of Mineral County is the Board of Supervisors, consisting of five individuals. The members of the board are elected at large for staggered four-year terms and serve on a part-time basis. The board elects one of its own members as president to direct meetings. It also selects a county manager, county clerk, and county attorney to serve at its pleasure. The Columbia State Constitution specifies that counties elect the following 17 county officials (although the law makes allowances for varying county size):

Supervisors (5)
Sheriff
Recorder of Deeds
Clerk of Courts
District Attorney
Treasurer
Board of Schools (7)

The county manager, selected by the Board of Supervisors, is responsible for all day-to-day operations of the county government. The county manager selects five deputies to oversee county departments and offices:

Public Information Officer (PIO)
Internal Auditor
Assistant County Managers (2)
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Other officials are provided by statute. The County Courthouse is located in Bradley. The main courtroom is used as an alternate Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

2.5.4. County Interstate Highways

There is no public transportation in Mineral County, nor are there any cab companies. Interstate 107 is the main north-south transportation link through the county. Highways 12 & 19 connect to various larger population centers. It is estimated that all households outside the five small towns have some form of personal transportation. In contrast, only 83% of households in the five towns have one or more vehicles. Most of the households lacking personal transportation are inhabited with people 65 years of age or older. These households rely on relatives or friends for their transportation needs.

2.5.5. County Fairgrounds

The Mineral County Fairgrounds are centrally located within two miles of Interstate 107 and Highway 12, just west of Bradley along the Roaring River. The indoor and outdoor facilities at the Mineral County Fairgrounds are available for rent and are utilized throughout most of the year. Trade fairs, craft shows, auction, festivals, and the annual Mineral County fair and combine demolition derby are hosted at the fairgrounds. The land area consists of 55 acres. On-site parking is available for 2,500 vehicles.

2.5.6. Major Employers

Mineral County is primarily a mountainous and forested area although a significant amount of land is devoted to agriculture. Like other parts of the State of Columbia, Mineral County is striving to foster small industry and commercial enterprises. Currently, 33 small companies with 100 or more employees exist in the county, primarily along the Interstate 107 corridor. Other commercial activity consists of small stores and agriculture-related supply stores along the main routes of Interstate 107 and State Highways 12 and 19. A small government center is located in Bradley, the county seat. Generally, these commercial activities have declined in recent years and the unemployment rate has increased to 9.8% of the civilian workforce.

To supplement employment opportunities in Mineral County, many working-age residents commute to work in Central City or Metropolis in neighboring Liberty and Grand counties. Interstate 107 provides easy access to these cities from Mineral County.

2.58. Major Employers


Employer/Activity	Product	#Employees	City	County
Barthelmass Tractor Supply & Sales	Farm equipment implements & supplies	24	Danton	Mineral
Builders Warehouse	Building materials	225	Bradley	Mineral
Center Point Terminal	Truck Terminal	167	Denton	Mineral
Denton Home	Retirement Village	175	Denton	Mineral
E-Z Mineral Transport	Transportation service	132	Denton	Mineral
E-Z North Transport	Transportation service	104	Ceresco	Mineral
E-Z South Transport	Transportation service	113	Sumpter	Mineral
Hunting Ford	Nursing home	147	Sumpter	Mineral
Inland Sea	Food Processing	208	Ceresco	Mineral
Jaymore Stores	Food Warehouse	153	Bradley	Mineral
Jaymore Stores	Food warehouse	130	Denton	Mineral
Mineral County	Government	260	Bradley	Mineral
Mineral County Schools	Education	223	Bradley	Mineral
Mineral County Memorial Hospital	Medical	156	Bradley	Mineral
Mineral Electric Co- op	Electric power	167	Denton	Mineral
Mineral Water	Private water company	104	Sumpter	Mineral
Mineral GasCo	Natural gas provider	278	Wicks	Mineral
Palms Up	Glove makers	111	Denton	Mineral
Rest Easy Hotels	Lodging & Restaurant Chain	121	Bradley	Mineral
Rest Easy Hotels	Lodging & Restaurant Chain	114	Ceresco	Mineral
SaveMart	Cut-rate Department Stores	130	Wicks	Mineral
SaveMart	Cut-rate Department Stores	122	Sumpter	Mineral
The Caves	Cold food Storage	111	Wicks	Mineral
Wyshop Mart	Warehousing	288	Bradley	Mineral
Wholesome Dairies	Dairy	105	Wicks	Mineral
Xpress Food Stores	Food and pharmacy	119	Ceresco	Mineral
Xpress Food Stores	Food and pharmacy	128	Denton	Mineral
You Can Excel	Faith-based company selling used merchandise	137	Bradley	Mineral

2.59. Civilian Labor Force by Type


Labor Force	Current	2018	2017	2016	2015
Construction	595	602	603	599	601
Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate	875	885	890	880	870
Government	225	230	235	230	225
Mining	0	0	0	0	0
Manufacturing – Total	602	612	617	600	595
Non- Manufacturing	2100	2165	2165	2065	2055
Service and Miscellaneous	4726	4726	4726	4720	4710
Transportation & Utilities	375	375	375	373	363
Wholesale & Retail	2400	2400	2300	2300	2282
Agriculture	1622	1650	1652	1588	1650
Total	13544	13645	13563	13355	13351

Civilian Labor Force by Type

2.60. County Library System

Mineral County has created a library system that has established a library in most incorporated Mineral County communities. The County Library System has three branch locations all supported through the main branches in Monroe and Zurich. The table below shows where those libraries are located. The main libraries have 20 employees that provide administrative, logistical, and maintenance support for all of the branches. Mineral County began training library employees to work as Public Information Officers (PIOs) during emergencies in the early 2000’s. This program was modeled after the program that was created in Liberty County.


Name	Address	Location	Number of Employees	Number of Trained PIOs
Bradley Main	42 Wallaby Way	Bradley	6	1
Monroe Main	1255 Highway 1	Monroe	2	0

2.5.7. Educational Facilities

The county encompasses a single school district, the Mineral County Consolidated School District. The Superintendent of Schools and District Offices are located in Bradley.

2.5.8. Hospital Information

Mineral County Hospital

Mineral County Hospital is a level III trauma center located in Bradley. It is a two-story steel-reinforced concrete structure built in 1998 and owned/operated by the Columbia Medical System. It has 36 hours of emergency power service available. The 22 licensed beds are almost always 90–100% occupied.

Mineral County Public Health Department (GCPHD)

MCPHD is located in Bradley. The department’s primary functions include environmental health, community health, family health, and disease prevention and control services. The MCPHD Director, in addition to directing MCPHD, also has oversight over the Mineral County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Coordinator. The MCPHD is a NIMS–compliant agency, and all staff are trained in ICS according to their work responsibilities.

2.61. County Sheriff's Department

Throughout the State of Columbia, the role of the sheriff is to provide general law enforcement in all unincorporated areas of the county. Sheriffs serve as bailiffs in the courts, operate the county jail, and handle civil processes and services. Also, they maintain the county jail and provide other support to local law enforcement as necessary. In addition, the sheriff’s office provides animal control services to the county and maintains the county animal shelter. During declared emergencies/disasters, the county sheriff has the authority to provide assets to neighboring sheriff’s departments when mutual aid agreements are activated.

The following table provides a list of assets for the sheriff’s department. Note that it reflects the total assets available and not the numbers that would be available during an emergency.


Resource Type	Resources	Mineral County Sheriff
Manpower	Officers	36
Equipment Vehicles- Type III	Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD)/Bomb Squad Truck	1
Equipment – Vehicles	Animal Control Trucks	3
Equipment – Vehicles	Marked Patrol Cars	30
Equipment – Vehicles	Marked Trucks	2
Equipment – Vehicles	Marked Vans	2
Equipment – Vehicles	Mobile Command Post Center	1
Equipment – Vehicles	Mobile Crime Scene Vehicle	0
Equipment – Vehicles	Motorcycles	10
Equipment – Vehicles	Rescue Boat	0
Equipment – Vehicles	SWAT Van	0
Equipment – Vehicles	Unmarked Vehicles	48
Equipment – Other	Hand-held Radios	48

2.62. Prison Department

This is a reinforced concrete building with a capacity of 200 prisoners. Space is segregated for up to 50 females and 150 males. Additionally, there are two holding cells, each with a capacity of up to 15 in-transit or temporary prisoners.

Other Law Enforcement Agency Columbia State Police

The Columbia State Police Department, District 2, operates three shifts per day in Mineral County with a Sergeant and 3-5 Troopers.


Name and Personnel Title	Address	Location	Capacity	Construction
Paul Hamilton, Acting Warden	SR 12 & Roaring River Pike	North of Bradley	200	Reinforced concrete
Susan Bradley, Admin. Assistant	SR 12 & Roaring River Pike	North of Bradley	200	Reinforced concrete

2.5.9. Roaring River Tribal Community (RRTC) Police Department

The RRIC Police Department is headed by the police chief who answers to the public safety director. The department is operated by the community pursuant to P.L. 93-638 contract with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The RRTC Police Department operates using the Incident Command System (ICS). The department consists of 37 officers and command staff. They operate an Adult Detention Center and a Juvenile Detention Center in Big Rock.

2.5.10. Fire Resource

Mineral County has five fire departments that are either all volunteer (Bradley Volunteer FD, Ceresco Volunteer FD, Danton Volunteer FD, Sumpter Volunteer FD and Wicks Volunteer FD).

All Mineral County emergency service functions will be accomplished in accordance with the NIMS, complying with the Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD). The HSPD requires all Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies and jurisdictions to adopt NIMS and use it in their individual domestic incident management (emergency prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation activities) as well as in support of all actions taken to assist local entities.

2.63. NIMS Fire Type


Fire	Volunteer	# of First Due Apparatus	Type I Engine	Type VI Engine (Brush)	Type I Water Tender	Type II Water Tender	Light Unit	Boat	Type I Mobile FF Breathing Air Supply Unit	Type I Firefighter	Type II Firefighter
MINERAL COUNTY
Bradley VFD	X	5	5	1	1				1	5	23
Ceresco VFD	X	3	3	1		1		1		3	21
Danton VFD	X	3	3		1		1			3	21
Sumpter VFD	X	3	3	1	1					3	21
Wicks VFD	x	3	3	1						3	21

2.64. FD Dispatch based on Assignment

All Mineral County FD emergency response assignments are dispatched by the Mineral County 911/ Emergency Communications Center over the Mineral County public safety trunked radio system. All fire dispatchers are assigned to the Mineral County 911/ Emergency Communications Center for dispatching purposes and are trained in emergency medical Criteria Based Dispatch (CBD). The 911/Emergency Communications Center is located within the Emergency Management Center in Bradley. Vehicle and building maintenance services, including fuel supply, is provided by the Mineral County Public Works Department.

Note regarding a “Move Up” situation:

When a “Working Incident” occurs that has emptied several stations, leaving individual territories without fire/EMS protection, dispatchers will contact an authorized Chief Officer (CO)* for the CO’s direction about which units will need to be “moved up” to vacant stations until the incident has been resolved.

*Preferably not involved in the working incident, if possible.


Assignments	Alarm Type	Engine	Aerial	Tender	EMS/ALS Unit	EMS Supervisor	Chief Officer	RIT	Air Unit Aerial
1st Alarm	Structural	2		1	1 EMS
Working Incident	Structural	2	1				1 BC	1	1
1st Alarm	Target Hazards	3	1	1	1 EMS		1 BC		1
Working Incident	Target Hazards	2	1		1 ALS	1	1 BC	1	1
2nd Alarm	Structural/ Target Hazards	2	1	1	1 EMS		1 BC
3rd Alarm	Structural/ Target Hazards	2	1		1 ALS		IMT
4th Alarm	Structural/ Target Hazards	2	1	1			1 BC
5th Alarm	Structural/ Target Hazards	2	1		1 ALS				1
6th Alarm	Structural/ Target Hazards	2	1	1			1 BC
7th Alarm	Structural/ Target Hazards	2		1

Notes:

Departments with specialized units such as brush or traffic control units will deploy them within their service area. They may deploy them outside their service area if approved by a Chief Officer.
Squirt can be substituted for engine, depending on availability.

2.65. FD Dispatch based on Hazmat


Assignments	Alarm Type	Engine	Aerial	Form	Hazmat\Tender	Decon Unit	EMS Unit	EMS Supervisor	Chief Officer	RIT	Air Unit
1st Alarm	Hazmat	3			1 Hazmat	1	1		1 BC		1
Working Incident	Hazmat	2	1		1 Tender		2 ALS	1	1 BC	1
2nd Alarm	Hazmat	2	1	1	1 Hazmat		2 ALS		1 BC	1	1
3rd Alarm	Hazmat	2	1		1 Hazmat		2 ALS		1 BC

2.66. FD Dispatch based on Alarm Type


Alarm Type	Engine	Aerial	Tender Boat	EMS/ALS Unit	Chief Officer
Rubbish	1		1 Tender
Vehicle	1		1 Tender
Commercial Vehicle	2		1 Tender
Investigation	1
Motor Vehicle Accident	1	1		1 EMS
Industrial Accident	1	1		1 ALS
Water Rescue	1	1	1 Boat	1 EMS	1 BAT
Activated Alarm System	1	1
EMS Assist	1
Police Assist	1	1			1 BAT

Notes:

Squirt can be substituted for engine, depending on availability.

2.5.11. Roaring River Tribal Community (RRTC) FD

The fire department is an Indian government department with a full-time paid staff together with modern equipment and facilities. The fire chief has responsibility for the routine and emergency operations of the fire department and answers to the public safety director. There is also an assistant chief who reports directly to the fire chief. The fire department utilizes the ICS in firefighting operations and other emergency operations. The Community Council has not adopted a fire code and the community does not have an ISO rating.

There are fire stations in Green County (Station 75 in Big Rock) and in Liberty County (Station 76 in Gold Mine). No fire stations are located in Mineral or Kane Counties.

2.5.12. Mutual Aid

Mutual– aid agreements are in place with six counties (Liberty, Apple, Granite, Green, Mineral and Stramford) adjacent/near to Kane County to provide staff and equipment during a Kane County emergency. Career, combination, and volunteer fire departments are included in these mutual–aid agreements. It should be noted that although mutual–aid resources are included in the agreement, the entire number of resources are not always available due to their jurisdictional obligation and need.

2.5.13. EMS Resources

Most emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics work 24-hour shifts, utilizing the same work schedule as the fire department, and are co-located at the fire stations. Other ambulances and staff are assigned to augment the basic operational EMS system during periods of high demand; these resources typically work 8, 10, or 12-hour shifts. Services are generally provided through a geographic deployment method using ground ambulances to deliver Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS). Ground ambulances are co-located at area fire stations. These geographically dispersed ambulances are deployed and assigned at peak times throughout Mineral County using a process called system status management.

Mineral County Hospital is designated as the base hospital, i.e., the hospital that provides medical direction and medical command in Mineral County.

Mineral County’s EMS ground ambulances respond to all emergency medical requests made through the 9-1-1 system within the county limits and to certain adjoining Mineral County areas that do not have an EMS system in place.

Roaring River Tribal Community (RRTC) EMS ambulances respond to all emergency medical requests within the reservation and to certain adjoining Kane County areas when needed.

Mineral County operates two ALS units and three BLS units.

The EMS dispatcher, located at the Mineral County 911 Center, dispatches all EMS units over the Mineral County public safety trunked radio system. The dispatcher may, under agreement with all units in the county, dispatch or move up any units, provided that required coverage exists in each city. Each city requires at least one ambulance to remain assigned at all times within its jurisdiction, and the RRTC requires at least four units.

Routine requests for single-ambulance mutual–aid requests that occur almost daily are made directly by the ambulance needing the assistance. Requests for mutual-aid assistance during major events such as disasters or mass casualty incidents into Mineral County from other counties is routed through the EMS Director or the EMS Supervisor in the absence of the Director to the county from which the request is being made. Although mutual-aid agreements are in place, nothing is automatic at time of need. Responders must keep in mind the time elements for EMS resources provided through mutual aid, such as preparation time, assembly, and travel time to Mineral County.

Mineral County has a written EMS mutual aid agreement with Liberty and Granite Counties to date. Request must be made through the Kane County Public Health Director and require one hour of lead time plus 30 minutes of travel time.

2.5.14. County Emergency Communications Network

Mineral County operates a county-wide consolidated 911 dispatch center in the Emergency Management Center located in Bradley. The center provides emergency telephone access and public safety dispatch for all local government public safety units, and other agencies which choose to participate. The Mineral County 911 center manages the county wide 800 MHz trunked radio system (STARCom) & has the ability to patch in select VHF frequencies for outlying public safety agencies, with the exception for agencies who maintain their own radio systems for specialized operations (e.g., the lifeguard patrol in Bayport for on the beach/water operations). The Roaring River Tribal Community (RRTC) public safety communications system is maintained by the Liberty County 911 Center.

Public Safety

There are six 911 call taker consoles in the dispatch center. Separate dispatch consoles are staffed for the Mineral County Sheriff's Department, local EMS agencies in other cities of Mineral County and Mineral County Fire/EMA. Three additional dispatch consoles can be activated on need and surge of calls coming into the communications center.

All agencies are assigned to talk groups (the equivalent) to radio channels) for their specific operations. Additional talk groups and simplex radios are available for tactical or special operations.

All fixed public safety facilitates (fire stations, ems stations, police stations, etc.) are equipped with remote transmitters on the trunked radio network.

Other Agencies

Other agencies (school districts, public health, hospitals, etc.) are on a dedicated trunked system operated by the agencies. All school districts and hospitals in Kane County use portable, mobile radios and facilities have remote transmitters as maintained by the Kane County Emergency communications network. All united are inter-operable as necessary to permit communications with public safety operations during joint operational efforts or during emergencies.

System Details

Licensee: Mineral Emergency Management Agency

Type Service: Emergency and Public Safety Communications

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-Licensed Service: Special Emergency

Address: Emergency Management Center, Monroe

Call Letters: KFZ-369 (Trunked)

Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)
Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD)
2 hour Primary Systems Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
350 kW Generator – Diesel – Primary for Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
Computerized Mapping System in EOC

2.5.15. Communications Network

2.5.16. Amateur Radio Communications

The Mineral County Emergency Management Agency may activate teams of local FCC-licensed radio amateurs (known colloquially as “Hams”) who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.

These amateur radio operators are trained in radio traffic handling (emergency, health and welfare, requests for resources, and supplies), ICS/NIMS, and ESF2 policies and procedures. Emergency management conducts a weekly practice and monthly meeting that include training sessions.

The EOC has VHF (2M) and UHF (440) FM radio equipment for local communications (in-county), including voice, digital data (packet), Echolink, and Winlink2K messaging, HF radio equipment for the 80M to 10M bands, including digital (RTTY, PSK31, WinLink2K), Slow Scan TV, Voice (SSB) and Morse Code (CW) for regional, national, and international communications. The group also sponsors a 2M FM repeater system that operates on 148.76 -600 (no tone) using the call sign WK35NP. This repeater provides countywide coverage and has phone patch and Echolink access. The local CERT group also maintains a 2M repeater in Clifton that operates on 147.19 +600 (no tone) with the call sign of KJ7PMC.

All shelters within the county are supplied with a VHF 2M antenna system. Some locations, such as hospitals and municipal buildings other than shelters, have installed 2M FM radio units. The two-meter system is used primarily to communicate between agencies and shelters. Many of the hospital units have digital capabilities such as PSK-31, WinLink2k, and NBEMS.

In addition, there are also other amateur radio groups that support specific non-profit organizations (e.g. SATERN for The Salvation Army or ARCCOM for the American Red Cross) that may request permission to share time on one or more of the repeaters or operate on other amateur radio frequencies. These groups regularly exchange information with the county EOC and may participate in emergency management communications exercises.

Many amateur radio operators are also trained “severe weather spotters” through a program called SKYWARN, which is offered in partnership with the National Weather Service (NWS). SKYWARN program participants include amateur radio operators and volunteer fire departments as well as ordinary citizens that report specific severe weather observations by phone or e-mail. Amateur radio operators, by and large, are the largest component of SKYWARN. When severe weather strikes trained amateur radio operators relay reports and impacts via the established net, which is monitored by NWS personnel.

Citizen’s Band Channel 9 is monitored in the EOC. There is a local CB Club that is active; FRS and GMRS radios are also available (there are a few units in the EOC and some government buildings) but there is no active support group in Kane County. These radios have limited range (about 1 mile).

2.5.17. Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)

Wi-Fi is the common name for a popular wireless technology used in home networks, mobile phones, and more. Wi-Fi is supported by nearly every modern personal computer operating system as well as many cell phone providers.

A Wi-Fi enabled device such as a laptop computer or a cell phone can connect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the Internet. The coverage of one or more interconnected access points—called a hotspot—can comprise an area as small as a single room with wireless-opaque walls or as large as many square miles covered by overlapping access points.

There are some hotspots within Bradley. The largest concentrations of secure Wi-Fi sites are located in the downtown area. Numerous non-secure sites are also present throughout the downtown area and business areas of the city. Emergency responders are able to use any of the non-secure Wi-Fi sites and some of the secure Wi-Fi sites.

Similar Wi-Fi coverage is available in various communities in Mineral County. The library system has free Wi-Fi network for the use of travelers, citizens, employees, and emergency responders.

2.5.18. Social Media Resources

Mineral County utilizes a variety of social media platforms to communicate with the public. Most public service agencies utilize these platforms to share and communicate with the public. Some of them are also used for as part of the mass notification system for emergency communications such as severe weather warnings.