Mission Statement

"... to protect the lives and property of all Henry County when major disasters threaten public safety.  HCEMA responds to two types of disasters - natural and manmade.   Natural disasters are major snow and/or ice storms, floods, tornadoes and/or severe weather, as well as the threat of a serious earthquake along Missouri's New Madrid Fault.   Manmade disasters, also known as technological emergencies, may include hazardous material incidents, radiological hazards.   HCEMA is also responsible for developing a County Emergency Operations Plan which coordinates the actions of County and City government departments and agencies in the event of any emergency requiring use of Local resources and personnel."

THE ROLE OF THE EMERGENCY PROGRAM MANAGER

The Emergency Program Manager is the vital ingredient in the development of an effective emergency program.  She/he must serve as:

The Emergency Program Manager has the responsibility for coordinating all the components of the emergency management system in the jurisdiction.  These components consist of fire and police, emergency, medical service, public works, volunteers, and other groups contributing to the management of emergencies.  The parts of the emergency management system are no different than the parts of government and the private sector that manage the day-to-day affairs of the community.  Emergency government is government in an emergency.

The job is to make certain that the components of the emergency management system:

The Manager is responsible for coordinating all the necessary activities to ensure effective operation of the emergency management system.

The Emergency Program Manager, by definition, should be chief of staff during an emergency;  should report directly to the executive; and, by virtue of the authority of the chief executive, coordinate all the functions of government emergency response.

The Emergency Program Manager will work closely with other departments such as the fire department, police department, planning department, and department of public works.  During an emergency, the Manager should coordinate the operations among these departments.  The police, fire, and other emergency service agencies are independent.  They have their own mandates; they have their own responsibilities to fulfill.  In an emergency, however, all of these emergency responders must work together like a well-oiled machine.  The public safety is poorly served by competitiveness and organizational jealously.

Coordination of police, fire, public works, emergency medical services, etc., throughout emergency management is a matter of personal style.  Frequent contact, sharing advice, and combined training are all ways to make coordination easier.  Most importantly, however, is to know the boundaries of coordination.  For example, coordination means police and fire cooperate in setting up a security or crowd control line.  The Emergency Program Manager should make certain that responsibility is assigned and action is taken without conflict or controversy.  The Manager is definitely not to tell a police chief how or where to set up security.

The Emergency Program Manager serves as coordinator when more than one emergency organization is involved.  This always takes place in major disasters, but can occur in minor emergencies.  For example, even in a fire, she/he may be called upon to coordinate the temporary housing of victims with the Red Cross or other social service agencies.

Equally important as coordinating agencies, is the role of the Emergency Program Manager in maintaining private sector interest in the emergency program.  Emergency management partners in the private sector range from business and industry to civic organizations and individuals.  The relationship with the local news media also cannot be overemphasized.  A good working relationship with the press is a most important resource.

 Finally, the Emergency Program Manager is unique because she/he has a role in hazard mitigation as well as emergency preparedness and response.  While most mitigation efforts are the primary responsibility of other departments of local government, the Emergency Program Manager still has crucial roles in mitigation--that of motivator, coordinator, and monitor.  She/he must be alert to risks and monitor opportunities to avoid hazardous conditions.  No other agency or organization in government or the private sector has the responsibility to look at all hazards and all risks; no other agency or organization has the mandate to protect the public against any emergency condition.

In summary, the Emergency Program Manager serves the jurisdiction as the cement that holds together all the various components of a mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery program.  She/he draws together the various emergency response managers who apply their resources during an emergency into an effective,  coordinated response program.  The manager, as well, keeps a conscientious eye out for opportunities available to avoid disasters through hazard mitigation.  In short, the Emergency Program Manager draws on a wide body of resources to produce the most effective emergency program possible.

MAJOR DUTIES OF LOCAL

EMERGENCY PROGRAM MANAGER

The duties outlined below are typical of those performed by the local Emergency Program manager during non-emergency periods:

   HAZARDS ANALYSIS

Objective

The objective is to systematically identify and analyze the natural and technological hazards that threaten the jurisdiction, and use the results as a basis for multi-year program development planning.

Rationale

Emergency planning should be based on those hazards that pose potential threats and significant consequences to the local jurisdiction.  Disasters are becoming more frequent and more complex.  Increased population and urbanization tend to place larger concentrations of people at risk to natural disaster occurrences such as floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes.  Technology is producing new types of hazards such as accidents at fixed facilities storing hazardous materials, toxic or radioactive waste disposal, and transportation accidents  involving hazardous materials.  Economic and political developments generate hazards such as resource shortages and terrorism.  Against this backdrop, it is vital to understand the nature and implications of the hazards to which the population is, or may become, vulnerable.

A vital first step in this process is for the local government to develop a comprehensive hazards analysis.  An effective analysis must address all hazards (natural and technological) to which a jurisdiction might be susceptible and the relative risk involved in each.  The completion of a hazards analysis should result in the development of an agenda of hazard mitigation efforts and preparedness activities.

Recommended Activities

Prepare a hazards analysis to identify and analyze any hazard that could affect the jurisdiction.  The factors that should be included are:

Use the completed hazard analysis as a factor in formulating a multi-year development plan.

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLANNING

 Objective – The objective is to develop and maintain a comprehensive emergency operations plan (EOP) based on the hazards analysis, existing resources, and current operational capabilities to deal effectively with any kind of emergency--whether natural or technological.

Rationale – Conducting coordinated operations in emergencies is basically executing local emergency plans.  The payoff of lives saved and property preserved results from emergency forces doing the right thing at the right time.  Experience in peacetime disasters has shown repeatedly that when emergency plans and procedures are known, exercised, and used by operating forces, reaction times are reduced, coordination is improved, and overall response and recovery measures are more effective and efficient.

The development of a written plan is not an end in itself.  Having a written EOP does not guarantee that actual operations will be effective.  However, the process of planning that leads to the development of a written plan is extremely valuable.  This is because the local officials who are responsible for emergency operations have spent time determining operating procedures and methods of coordination.  The planning effort should  involve representatives from departments of local government, as well as from private sector organizations that have resources to provide in an emergency.  This involvement means that plans can be implemented more effectively in the event of an emergency.  On the other hand, an EOP prepared by the Emergency Program Manager alone is a paper plan and is of little value because it is not used.

The emergency planning process should be led by the local Emergency Program Manager on behalf of the chief executive.  As part of this planning leadership, the Emergency Program Manager is responsible for informing the planning team of the special conditions unique to peacetime and war-related hazards that would call for  a modification of traditional operating techniques.

FEMA recommends the development of a single comprehensive emergency operations plan.  Each jurisdiction should have a plan which encompasses all hazards that pose a significant threat as identified in the hazards analysis.  Operations planning involves the treatment of common requirements (functions) which basically remain the same across the spectrum of emergencies, regardless of the hazard type.  These requirements include, for example, direction and control, warning, shelter, evacuation, medical care, and the provision of critical resources.  Some hazards (e.g., terrorist acts) pose unique requirements which may necessitate special treatment in hazard-specific annexes and implementing procedures.  For jurisdictions that do not now have a single comprehensive plan, it is recommended that, as their plans are revised, hazard-specific plans be consolidated, where feasible, into a generic (i.e., all-hazards) EOP.

No standard planning format or organization is required for a local EOP.  The State of Missouri has established a recommended format for local plans in order to assure compatibility with the state’s emergency plan and it is recommended that local plans be in that format.  Regardless of format, an EOP normally consists of the following parts:  a basic plan, supporting annexes, and implementing procedures.  The basic plan is a relatively broad conceptual framework describing the policy and approach to emergency operations.  Annexes are components of the plan that provide specific information and direction.  Whereas the basic plan relates information relevant to the whole plan, annexes contain information on specific functional responsibilities, tasks, and operational actions that pertain to the subject of the annex.  The focus of the annex is on operations, what the function is and how it is to be carried out.  An annex is action-oriented and written for personnel charged with execution of the plan.

Implementing procedures may be in the form of appendices, SOP’s, or checklists.  They support annexes and contain technical and detailed operations information for use by emergency personnel.  They include such information as alerting lists and specific “how to” instructions for operating departments or individuals to carry out assigned responsibilities.  Since implementing procedures change frequently, e.g., names and telephone numbers, they should be developed and maintained by appropriate agencies and organizations.