Peter J. Tripi

  • Supervising Public Health Sanitarian, Erie County Health Department
  • 20 years of service

Peter J. Tripi

Mr. Peter Tripi, Supervisor of the Vector Control program, has been instrumental in launching and maintaining innovative programs. Project SWAT (Share the Work to Alleviate the Threat) is a program which partners with municipalities to apply larvicide in storm receiver catch basins to protect the public from West Nile Virus and other arboviruses. It was proposed by the County Executive and the Commissioner of Health in 2001 and has been recognized as a Model Practice by NYSACHO. Mr. Tripi coordinates and supplies the larvicide product, Pesticide Training and NYSDEC permits. This program has flourished with Tripi's talent for networking with other agencies.

This talent has also been realized in a program he implemented called Operation Clean Sweep. This initiative works with various municipalities to provide education, surveillance and control measures to fight the war on rats and the diseases they carry. Mr. Tripi has partnered with elected officials and municipal employees to enhance rodent control efforts using coordinated education, enforcement and rodenticide application, as well as promoting the elimination of food sources.

Mr. Tripi has built a dedicated team of investigators. He directly oversees the efforts of many employees, who generate approximately 4,500 investigations made up of more than 15,000 field visits annually. These visits cover public health issues, such as surveillance and control of rodents, mosquitoes and other arthropods, as well as tick identification and education. He recently has been asked to coordinate the rabies investigations with the department.