Situation at 240 OC Rd. Brings Need of Evacuation Plan to Light

Nassau County Bomb Squad Trucks in front of 240 Old Country Rd.

MINEOLA- CSEA members at 240 Old Country Road got quite a scare, as an unidentified briefcase was discovered on the 2nd floor at the County Clerk’s office, forcing about half the building or so to evacuate around midday on July 31st. The Nassau County Police Department was on hand, as was the Police Department Bomb Squad.

No formal evacuation was declared by the police department, as the briefcase was found to be harmless, but County Clerk Maureen O’Connell allowed her employees to leave to seek safety. Although Assessment continued operation, they allowed employees to leave if they felt threatened, according to Vice Chair Chumi Diamond. The Comptroller’s just told their employees to take a lunch break from 12pm to 1pm and everything seemed to be under control upon their arrival back, according to Communications Director Allan Morrison.

Most departments responded in a somewhat reputable fashion in this case, but there was still no universal system to notify employees and management of the potential danger of this situation.

The CSEA Executive Board led by President Jerry Laricchiuta was present at 240 Old Country Road on this day but could not get in touch with anyone who had the authority to make a decision on this matter. This now begs the question: What will happen in the future if there is an emergency? Will there be a formal procedure for the entire building?

Well, there is currently a grievance that has been out since 2001 in reference to an evacuation plan. The grievance has been agreed on by both CSEA and the county and says that by this September there shall be a list of wardens for each county building, and by December there should be proper training done by employees so they know what to do in an emergency. By June 2008 there will be evacuation maps, and drills done in the majority of buildings.

CSEA plans on looking further into this to ensure the proper safety and security for all their members.