Emergency Management

Preparing for Disasters and Emergencies

The role of Emergency Management is to protect lives, property and environment from natural and/or manmade disasters through preparation, mitigation, response and recovery and to maximize the protection and promotion of public safety, health and welfare during large-scale emergencies. They plan for the coordinated response of county forces to any disaster situation, with special focus on potential wildfires. They are also tasked with acquiring grants that best serve the public safety needs of the region.

There are four principles of Emergency Management. These are:

Mitigation: What activities can help avoid a disaster or minimize its impact?  Examples include building dikes, adopting wind resistant construction methods, and building new warning systems.

Preparedness: What activities can enhance the abilities of individuals, communities, and businesses to respond to a disaster? Examples include creating disaster plans (for the home, workplace, and community) and conducting disaster drills.

Response: What actions can be taken during and immediately after a disaster to prevent loss of life and property?

Recovery: What efforts can help to return the community back to normal following a disaster? Recovery efforts can include debris removal, rebuilding roads, returning people to their homes, etc.

• Emergency Preparation: It's important for everyone to plan for a disaster. Disasters can strike quickly and without warning. You may have to evacuate your home at short notice or may be confined to your home for an extended period of time. What will you do for food? How will you communicate with family members? What medications do you need? What will you do with your pets?  How can you help your community. Learn more about Emergency Preparation...
  
  

  CERT	Family Emergency Plan	Family Emergency Kit
  Radio (RACES)	Pandemic Flu Planning	Pet Emergency Plan
  	Community Wildfire Protection Plan

• Natural Hazards: Natural hazards are hazards presented by the physical world such as blizzards, drought, earthquake, extreme temperatures, flooding, hailstorms, ice storms, infectious diseases, lightning, solar storms, thunderstorms, tornadoes, wildfire, and windstorms.  

• Technological Hazards: Technological hazards are hazards presented by man such as dam failure, hazardous materials, radiological, structural fires, terrorism, wastewater system failure, water supply contamination.