Faribault Emergency Management Director Talks COVID

Dustin Dienst, Faribault Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director was delayed in arriving at the KDHL Studio today for AM Minnesota. Dienst explained a call came in about the apparent smell of gas from a couple of tanks off HIghway 60 east of Faribault.

Dienst said, "The two large LP tanks about three or four miles out.  They were leaking.  It's still bad enough but it's kinda hazy out.  There's a haze you can see out in the county a long ways."

"We had to check a few residences and make sure nobody was home.  The down wind residences were fine.  That's what I was doing while a co-op member was shutting off the tanks.  I couldn't smell anything  around their home. The doors were locked so we weren't going to break in and shut down stuff."

Dienst added, "That's why they put 'em where they put them.  So if this happens they're out in the middle of basically nowhere and if doesn't hurt anything. But there's the process working correctly.  Why it was leaking or what happened?  It's too early to know yet."

The Faribault Emergency Management Director says patience is needed by residents concerning getting their COVID-19 vaccines, "This is a global process of which none of us I think have ever been a part of, at least in our era. That tells us we're not well versed at this and it's not going to be as smooth and fast as we all would like it to be.  We're hearing that everyday and they sound like excuses.  The weather holding up vaccine delivery.  They're not excuses.  That's reality.  When you take on something this massive even if you have the plan and you did it before there are things that you just can't see coming."

"Yeh you can have a plan for them.  A backup plan.  But that backup plan typically isn't as good as the first plan and it is going to still slow things down.  So patience."

Dienst believes at some point mass vaccinations are going to have to be administered.  We've had Rice County Public Health Director Deb Purfeerst on KDHL discussing the possibility.  The fairgrounds in Faribault have been mentioned.  The National Guard Armory.  I asked if as an emergency management director he had a preference

Dienst says, "I like the fairgrounds.  Anyplace you go to is going to have a drawback.  The fairgrounds has a lot of grass.  We're going in the spring and typically driving on the grass in the spring can be a little bit of a challenge.  The armory has worked for the testing part of it, which is kind of the same process as getting a shot.  You're just there for a different reason. It would be tough to do a drive up there and it's a long walk from the parking lot to the building."

You can listen to a podcast of the conversation below.

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