Tschiegg eager to dig into new role as Holmes EMA assistant

When Jason Troyer took over the role as director for Holmes County Emergency Management Agency, he came in with some big plans on how he could grow the department in ways that would benefit the people of Holmes County.

He has begun to do just that, but in that growth has come the need to bring on an assistant EMA director who could take on some of the tasks that accompany the job.

Jordan Tschiegg has stepped into the void and will now fulfill a critical role in the ongoing growth of the Holmes County EMA.

“I really wanted to find something where I was working with people, serving my community, but I wasn’t in an office all day,” Tschiegg said. “This is perfect for me, and I love this county and the people here.”

Tschiegg studied emergency management at Ohio Christian University and quickly found employment at the Wayne County Health Department, where he worked for the past year.

During that time he also did an intern service with the Wayne County EMA, where he said he learned a great deal.

He said his role as the new Holmes EMA assistant director will be to enhance the many products that Troyer and others before him have implemented into the county’s EMA protocol.

He said one of his first duties will be to get out into the community to connect with all of the emergency personnel, whether it is fire and EMS, police departments, health field personnel or even the general population.

He believes the more he learns about the people who make up Holmes County, the better he will be able to do his job in serving others.

“Jordan has done some incredible work here, and I’m excited to see what the future has to offer as we begin to study our options on how we want to move forward with emergency planning in Holmes County,” Troyer said.

Troyer said he is excited about the addition of Tschiegg into the fold, and together the two have filled a large white board with a host of ideas and programs they’d like to start, enhance or continue.

“He’s caught on so fast already,” Troyer said. “We have so much we want to accomplish, and we’re in the middle of a hazardous response plan right now, and we’re also looking at updating the emergency response plan for the county and getting it in front of the commissioners before the end of the year, so Jordan has his work cut out for him.”

Troyer reiterated that serving Holmes County in this capacity does entail building many relationships that will help him build the EMA.

“In this office you have to pick up the phone and you may need something in a hurry, and building relationships where people trust you and are willing to do whatever it takes is critical, which is why we’ve put a big emphasis on having Jordan get out into the community as quickly and often as possible to meet our partners,” Troyer said.

Troyer said with the many mandates and compliances of emergency planning that are being passed down from federal and state levels, the need for an assistant became obvious.

“We’re out in the public now more than ever,” Troyer said. “And the one thing we believe is vital is that we mold the way we do things here to our community, and we needed a second person to help make that happen.”

Tschiegg does have one very important connection to Holmes County other than his job. He married Anna Miller, who hails from Berlin.