Keota Council Meets With New Emergency Management Director

KEOTA – During the Feb. 3 meeting of the Keota City Council, the council spoke with Richard Fortney, the new Keokuk County Emergency Management Director Richard Fortney. Fortney explained that he has worked in law enforcement since 2012 and is currently a part-time officer with Williamsburg. He stated that he has experience in every aspect of emergency management except dispatch and was open to ideas on how to improve emergency response in Keokuk County. He stated that he was working with Keota Junior High to teach life skills and working with the Sigourney school district to implement a Standard Response Protocol for emergencies. Fortney stated he also plans to implement Standard Response Protocols at other schools, Keokuk County Hospital and Clinics, and some of the larger businesses in the county.

Fortney stated that he was in the process of getting certified to teach CPR and Stop the Bleed courses. He noted that people generally think of shootings when talking about Stop the Bleed training, but that in rural communities like this one knife wounds or farm equipment accidents are more common; he emphasized the importance of knowing how to tie a tourniquet. Fortney also stated he was planning to teach a Tac Med course at the hospital.

He noted that New Sharon has a Basic Life Support Transport Service and brought up the idea of having Keota QRS purchase a cheap ambulance and assist with medical emergencies. Fortney noted that there are staffing problems at the hospital and that the county needs to take steps to keep from losing the ability to provide emergency care. He stated that he wants to centralize EMS services within the county and that Keota could get additional tax funds if they had a BLS ambulance.

Councilman Mike Bender noted that Sigourney and Washington are far away from Sigourney, resulting in long wait times, if ambulances are able to come at all. Fortney stated that minutes matter, especially with stroke cases. Bender stated he was on board with looking into getting an ambulance. Fortney stated that the county used to use handshake agreements, but that that didn’t work anymore, and that cities need to have 28e agreements and paper trails. Mayor Tony Cansler stated it was an advantage for the whole county to have a new set of eyes. 

The council approved applying for a $10,000 Iowa Economic Development Authority BOOST Grant which will give access to resources and strategies to promote partnerships and community design and help build a strong business economy.

During the Feb. 3, meeting, as well as in the previous meeting on Jan. 21, the council went into closed session to discuss real estate acquisition.