What is the Emergency Management?
Emergency Management is a systematic, organized approach to analyzing, planning, decision making, and assigning resources to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from all hazards, man-made or natural.
Goal of Emergency Management:
The goal of emergency management is to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect property and the environment if an emergency occurs.
Erie County Emergency Management Agency/Office of Homeland Security:
The Erie County Emergency Management Agency is responsible for planning, mitigation, response, and recovery for both natural and man-made disasters in the County. This includes nuclear attack, terrorism, weather phenomena, nuclear power plant accidents, hazardous materials accidents, and any other occurrence deemed a disaster or emergency. With mutual aid agreements, we have also responded to situations in surrounding counties when requested. To accomplish this task, the EMA constantly coordinates with fire, law enforcement, and EMS throughout the County to insure taskings are compatible. We also coordinate plans with other support and relief agencies such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, area hospitals, local amateur radio and civic/volunteer groups.
We respond to community emergencies and disasters such as: tornados, floods, severe winter storms, earthquakes, and hazardous material (chemical) events and terrorist incidents.
The Agency insures our Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This facility provides emergency communications, radio and telephone, along with other features designed to allow EOC members to help manage any disaster that may befall our county. Our Emergency Response vehicle is also outfitted with communications, and other response type equipment, allowing us the capability of a mobile EOC.
Emergency Management is also tasked with maintaining the Erie County 9-1-1 service. Our telecommunications coordinator provides this service, along with helping to maintain all telephones within the county government umbrella.
Sources of Funding for EMA
Funding for the Agency consists of a 25 cent per capita fee for Emergency Management, and a 7 cent per capata fee for Hazardous Materials, for each Erie County Subdivision. We maintain an Emergency Management Performance Grant with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and a Partnership Agreement with the Davis Besse Nuclear Power Station. We also receive a grant from the State Emergency Response Commission for hazardous material planning and exercises. For the last few years, we have received Federal Homeland Security Grants to better prepare the county for acts of terrorism.
Boards/Committees/Associations
- The Agency chairs, or is a member of, the following Boards, Councils, and Associations:
- Local Emergency Planning Committee (Emergency & Information Coordinators)
- Weapons of Mass Destruction Advisory Board (Chair)
- Erie County Emergency Medical Service Council
- Emergency Management Advisory Council (Chair)
- 9-1-1 Technical Advisory Committee
- Firelands Public Safety Center Board of Directors
- Emergency Management Association of Ohio
- International Association of Emergency Managers
- North Central Emergency Management Association of Ohio
- Erie County Firefighter's Association
- National Emergency Number Association
- Erie County Healthcare Coalition