The Troup County Commission is looking at a plan designed to make things easier if there’s a declared emergency here.

If the governor or the commission declares a state of emergency, the ordinance would include several provisions to protect residents from scams and danger and to allow local governments to continue to operate.

Emergency Management director Dennis Knight told the commission Friday that the proposal suspends some of the normal, time-consuming procedures for buildings and infrastructure.

The rule lets the county award contracts without going through the normal procedure in order to speed the process of rebuilding and recovering, he said.

“You can temporarily reduce or suspend permit fees and issue temporary permits for temporary dwellings for six months,” Knight said.

Contractors who want to build in the area would have to register with the county so there’s a record of contractors from outside the area who come here, he said. Other provisions allow the county to crack down on overcharging for housing, food, gasoline and building materials.

The ordinance allows the commission to set a curfew for unincorporated areas and allows county leaders to meet outside the county if necessary.

“Parts of the ordinance are new,” Knight said. “Most counties have this ordinance or will adopt it.”

The commission will hold a first reading of the ordinance Tuesday.

In another matter Friday, the commission heard from a division of District Four Health services which is looking for community volunteers in the case of a public health crisis.

Vicky Chapman, coordinator of the Medical Reserve Corps, said the group has about 25 local volunteers but would need up to 110 to be fully prepared for a health emergency like a pandemic.

The corps was created after Sept. 11, 2001, when volunteers showed up to help at relief organizations, but didn’t have the proper training or certification, she said.

Although the corps would love to have health providers and emergency responders in its ranks, Chapman and Donald Walters, a volunteer from Troup County, say it’s just as important to have “civilians” who can do clerical work and other tasks.

“If someone can take a medical history or accounting or direct traffic, that frees up our medical staff to do the medical work they’re trained to do,” Walters said.

District Four will provide the training for volunteers and the program doesn’t cost the county anything.

Commissioners said they’d help distribute the information through the county fire and sheriff’s departments.

— To volunteer or find out more about the program, call Chapman at (706) 845-04035.

Jennifer Shrader can be reached at jshrader@ lagrangenews.com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.