Ohio County EMA Director Dies at Emergency Conference
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NEWS9 learned Tuesday afternoon that John Tagg, director of the Wheeling-Ohio County Emergency Management Agency, has died at age 51.
He was attending a state emergency response conference in Morgantown when he was found unresponsive in his hotel room Tuesday morning, according to Deputy EMA director Lou Vargo. He went on to say Tagg had been ill for some time.
Tagg was the EMA director for 15 years, beginning his tenure in 1994. He was a certified emergency manager and emergency medical technologist/paramedic and administrator for Ohio County flood plain.
He also has taught public safety, emergency medical services, fire sciences, and hazardous materials at the university level. In addition, he has taught at the National Emergency Management Academy, National Fire Academy, Department of the Navy, Department of Energy, West Virginia University Fire Academy, and Ohio County Regional Education Services.
Tagg also headed the Ohio County Hazardous Materials Response Team, which responds to incidents in seven counties in West Virginia, three counties in Ohio, and two counties in Pennsylvania, encompassing two regions of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Tagg struggled with medical problems, but co-workers said you would have never known it from his work ethic. He's being remembered as a man who gave all he had to his service.
"There were no hours, there was no time for John Tagg. His watch never stopped. He was always there. When anybody ever needed him he was there," said EMA Deputy Director Lou Vargo.
Tagg was there at a moments notice and in it for the long haul. His loss will be felt deep at the county, the state and federal level.
"I can sum it up in one word and that's dedication. I don't know too many people who have the dedication that John Tagg had to this community and this city," said Vargo.
Tagg struggled with diabetes, but Vargo said he never let it stop him. He helped the county survive Hurricane Ivan -- the devastating floodwaters that consumed so much of the valley five years ago this week.
As the agency prepares for the upcoming G-20 summit -- which Tagg would have been heavily involved with -- they'll press on.
"He will want us not to stop. We have a meeting Friday. They called me about canceling and I said no, John would not want that. We'll have that meeting and we'll prepare for the G-20 summit. We'll mourn him, but there's no stopping our protection for the citizens of Wheeling and Ohio County," said Vargo.
Filling his shoes will be tough, said Vargo, Tagg’s experience is unmatched. In the coming days, the county commissioners will likely form a search committee to fill the position.
In the meantime, Vargo said the agency will run just the way Tagg did.
"If disaster strikes or a chemical spills, we'll be there just as John was. That's how he would have wanted it," said Vargo.
Vargo is in the process of working out details with Tagg’s wife for a memorial service.
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