SENECA COUNTY | What If a Chemical Emergency Hit Here? EMA Director Explains the Plan, How You'd Be Warned and How to Prepare

Author: FFP Ai Bot

TIFFIN, Ohio — The chemical release that forced evacuations and shelter-in-place orders in north Toledo this week has people closer to home asking a simple question: what would happen if something like that hit Seneca County?

Seneca County Emergency Management Agency Director John Spahr took up that question in an interview with The Advertiser-Tribune, published Friday, Oct. 23.

No risk to Seneca County from Toledo

Spahr told the Tiffin newspaper that Seneca County residents are not at risk of exposure from the Lucas County incident. He said the U.S. and Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies, which are advising on the response, have given no sign that the weather will carry any of it toward Seneca County.

As a member of the state’s Northwest Sector, Seneca County EMA and other local responders would help Lucas County EMA if asked, either directly or through the Ohio EMA Watch office, Spahr said. As of the newspaper’s report, no help had been requested.

FFP has covered the Toledo incident at the MC Tank terminal on Progress Avenue since it began Tuesday night, Oct. 20. City officials have since described it as a chemical leak. Read FFP’s latest Toledo update here.

Could it happen here?

According to The Advertiser-Tribune, Spahr said about 50 businesses and industries in Seneca County report hazardous materials on their properties each year. That number goes up and down as companies’ needs change and as state or federal reporting thresholds change.

He also pointed out that hazardous materials move through the county by rail, truck and pipeline, and that a hazmat incident “can happen anywhere,” the newspaper reported.

The county has a Hazardous Material Response Plan that is reviewed and updated every year and sent to the Ohio State Emergency Response Commission for approval, Spahr told the paper. The plan spells out which agencies are in charge, how information is shared countywide, how the public is informed, and who handles shelters and evacuations.

Whether people would be told to evacuate or stay indoors, and how decontamination would be handled, depends on the incident and the weather, Spahr said, including which chemical is involved, how it affects people and how the wind spreads it. A serious incident could bring in hazmat teams from around Ohio, along with decontamination procedures at hospitals receiving patients.

How you would be warned

Spahr told The Advertiser-Tribune that the EMA would get the word out through TV, radio, newspapers and social media, and directly to phones and web browsers through the county’s Hyper-Reach notification system. The county can also use the federal Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), which pushes alerts to cell phones as they enter an affected area.

The Seneca County EMA’s Hyper-Reach page says listed landlines are automatically enrolled for community alerts, but cell phones, VoIP phones and email addresses only get alerts if you sign up. To enroll:

Text “Alert” to 419-455-1366, or
Sign up online at the Seneca County Hyper-Reach sign-up page, using your home or work address so location-based alerts reach you.

The county also suggests signing up older relatives or friends who don’t use the internet. Questions about the system can go to Seneca County Emergency Services at 419-447-0266.

If you are told to shelter in place

Federal guidance on Ready.gov for chemical and hazardous materials incidents says to follow official instructions, because sometimes staying inside is safer and other times leaving is. If you are told to stay indoors, Ready.gov says to:

Bring pets inside.
Close and lock exterior doors and windows, and close vents, fireplace dampers and as many interior doors as you can.
Turn off the furnace, air conditioning and fans, or set the system to recirculate so no outside air comes in.
Go to an inside room with as few windows and doors as possible, and seal it with duct tape and plastic sheeting. Wet towels can block gaps under doors.
Keep listening to local radio, TV or official alerts, and don’t go outside until officials say it is safe.

If you are told to evacuate, Ready.gov says to leave right away and avoid passing through the affected area. If you are caught outside, move upwind of the source. In a car, keep the windows and vents closed and turn off the heater or air conditioner.

Make a family plan now

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency and Ready.gov recommend every household talk through five questions:

How will we get emergency alerts and warnings?
Where will we shelter?
What is our evacuation route?
How will we contact each other and where will we meet if we are separated?
Is our emergency kit up to date?

Both agencies say to plan around everyone in the home, including medications and medical equipment, disabilities, babies, older adults, pets and special diets, and then practice the plan.

For the kit itself, Ready.gov’s supply checklist includes water (one gallon per person per day for several days), several days of non-perishable food, a battery or hand-crank radio, a flashlight and extra batteries, a first aid kit, dust masks, plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape for sheltering in place, a phone charger and backup battery, and prescription medicines.

Non-emergency questions for the Seneca County EMA can go to 419-447-0266 or [email protected]. In an emergency, call 911.

This story is based on reporting by The Advertiser-Tribune and on information from the Seneca County Emergency Management Agency, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency and Ready.gov.

Sources

The Advertiser-Tribune, “What if Seneca County has chemical explosion?” (Oct. 23, 2026): https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/1556478/what-if-seneca-county-has-chemical-explosion/
Seneca County EMA, Hyper-Reach Emergency Notification System: https://www.senecacountyema.org/hyper-reach
Seneca County EMA, New Seneca County Emergency Notification System (May 5, 2025): https://www.senecacountyema.org/blog/2025/05/05/new-seneca-county-emergency-notification-system
Seneca County Hyper-Reach sign-up: https://signup.hyper-reach.com/hyper_reach/sign_up_page_2/?id=114862
Ready.gov, Chemicals and Hazardous Materials Incidents: https://www.ready.gov/hazardous-materials-incidents
Ready.gov, Make A Plan: https://www.ready.gov/plan
Ready.gov, Build A Kit: https://www.ready.gov/kit
Ohio EMA, Emergency Plans for the Household: https://ema.ohio.gov/prepare-respond/preparedness-resources/emergency-plans-for-the-household
The Fostoria Free Press, Toledo chemical leak update: https://thefostoriafreepress.com/toledo-mc-tank-chemical-leak-evacuation-zone-quarter-mile-update/