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