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19 <br /> 1 incorporating criteria from the American Red Cross, projects can gain the secondary benefit of <br /> 2 increasing mass care shelter readiness alongside their primary function, allowing facilities to <br /> 3 double as emergency shelters when needed. <br /> 4 Key features that may require intentional consideration are mainly in the electrical and HVAC <br /> 5 systems design. A facility must, at a minimum, include a generator interconnect with an <br /> 6 automatic transfer switch that services lighting, communications, refrigeration, food <br /> 7 preparation, and HVAC servicing the shelter zones. Additionally, Orange County routinely <br /> 8 operates co-located pet sheltering in partnership with Animal Services, which requires at least <br /> 9 one separate room or zone for pets that has sufficient outdoor air exchange and avoids <br /> 10 returning shared air to the other zones. <br /> 11 <br /> 12 Other features, such as ADA accessibility, adjacent rooms for medical isolation, staff use, special <br /> 13 populations, and storage, enough restrooms and showers, and a kitchen with cold storage and <br /> 14 food prep equipment, are also necessary; however, newly constructed educational and <br /> 15 recreational facilities typically meet many of these needs in their core designs. <br /> 16 <br /> 17 Travis Myren noted that on the county's western side,there is no emergency shelter or warming <br /> 18 center. They had investigated requirements to make the facility capable of serving as an emergency <br /> 19 shelter or warming center for evacuations from either side of the county line. <br /> 20 Kirby Saunders, Director of Emergency Services for Orange County, explained their successful <br /> 21 experience with similar approaches at Smith Middle School, where separate gym facilities could operate <br /> 22 as standalone emergency shelters separate from schools for various reasons, including the importance <br /> 23 of standby generators. He emphasized the importance of separate, redundant, independent power grids <br /> 24 that could operate with temporary generators if school generators failed or weren't equipped. This <br /> 25 separation also prevented interaction with school property, avoiding situations where shelter <br /> 26 populations might access student belongings left behind during school year activations. Kirby Saunders <br /> 27 strongly recommended the consideration of risk factors in any new facility, particularly critical facilities <br /> 28 like schools, especially given the combination of industrial locations with schools. While acknowledging <br /> 29 this wasn't impossible, he stressed caution about hazardous materials in nearby industries and their <br /> 30 potential risks. The greatest county risk, he noted, typically came not from fixed facilities but from <br /> 31 unknown materials transported on interstate highways. While placarded materials were clearly <br /> 32 identified, mixed cargo without placards posed the most concern. He noted that the western Orange <br /> 33 County corridor, including Mebane, showed the county's highest concentration of hazardous material <br /> 34 reports. Regarding shelters, they followed American Red Cross standards for evaluation and design. The <br /> 35 key limiting factor for shelters or warming centers was staffing rather than facility capacity. Orange <br /> 36 County currently had capacity to shelter roughly 3,600 individuals across all locations but couldn't staff <br /> 37 that many shelters simultaneously. Their operations concept relied on Orange County and mass care <br /> 38 partners handling the first 72 hours while mobilizing other resources like the Red Cross and volunteer <br /> 39 organizations. However, volunteer partners could no longer simply be called to open shelters, requiring <br /> 40 county staff to take primary responsibility. Finally, he emphasized that every facility should be equipped <br /> 41 and prepared to operate as an emergency center or shelter when possible. <br /> 42 Councilmember Katie Burkholder asked whether Orange County had heard about tractor-trailers <br /> 43 bypassing weigh stations by using West Ten Road, and whether there were discussions with DOT about <br /> 44 weigh station location or operation. <br /> 45 Kirby Saunders confirmed staying in contact with State Highway Patrol's motor carrier unit <br /> 46 responsible for enforcing DOT regulations, including route enforcement. While not aware of specific <br /> 47 incidents resulting from commercial operators bypassing commercial highways, he had personally <br /> 48 observed such attempts. He noted that interstate travel was usually faster and correct, but diversions <br />