On Thursday, Ohio University Southern gave the public a view of its new 35-foot, multi-mission Environmental Health and Safety Mobile Training Unit, which will help train employees in the event of a chemical, biological or hazardous material crisis.

The unit, purchased with a grant from Regionally Aligned Priorities in Delivering Skills, is a collaboration between OUS, Shawnee State University, the University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande Community College, Southern State Community College and the Ohio Higher Education Commission to provide training to workforces in the region.

It is always best to be prepared and, as incidents such as the Freedom Industries chemical spill in neighboring West Virginia, which impacted the water supplies to nine counties in 2014, show, industry accidents eventually happen, whether due to inadequate safety measures, human error or other means.

As the saying goes, it is better to “fix our roof while the sun is shining,” and take measures for preparation, rather than wait to be blindsided by a crisis.

It is good to know that leaders are taking the initiative to ensure that people in the region are getting the proper training to deal with an incident.

We commend those at OUS who made this project a reality, and are thankful for the grant program that made its funding possible.