|
|
HAMILTON COUNTY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
|
Mission
Statement: To provide planning for disaster preparedness including
coordinating the efforts of government, private and volunteer agencies
capable of providing assistance during disaster response to include
resource management. Command and control during response and recovery
phases of disasters and large scale emergencies is maintained in the
Emergency Operations Center. |
DEFINITION
OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT:
Emergency management is the process of coordinating available resources
to deal with emergencies effectively, thereby saving lives, avoiding
injury, and minimizing economic loss.
Hamilton County
Emergency Management has several roles…
-
Advising on building
codes and flood plain management
-
teaching people how to
get through a disaster
-
help equip city and
Hamilton County emergency preparedness organizations
-
coordinating with
TEMA and FEMA
with response to a disaster
-
coordinating the
disaster assistance programs available to citizens, communities, and
businesses
-
supporting the
surrounding agencies of fire, EMS and law enforcement services in
Hamilton County
-
administering the
federal emergency-related grant programs
|
 |
The Disaster Life Cycle
The disaster life cycle
describes the process through which emergency managers
prepare for emergencies and
disasters,
respond to them when they
occur, help people and institutions
recover from them,
mitigate their effects, reduce
the risk of loss, and prevent disasters such as fires from occurring. |
provided by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
Preparedness
Preparedness ensures
that if disaster occurs, people are ready to get through it safely, and
respond to it effectively. Whether you're an individual citizen, a
volunteer group or a government agency, preparedness means figuring out
what you'll do if essential services break down, developing a plan for
contingencies, and practicing the plan.
Readiness for disaster
is important at every level of the emergency management system. And it's
equally important for the public at large. By encouraging planning,
making resources available for facilities and equipment, giving
emergency personnel the training they need, sponsoring exercises and
getting information out to the public. Hamilton County Emergency
Services helps build an emergency management system that can protect
people and property in any kind of disaster.
-
Planning:
Hamilton County Emergency Management is responsible for developing and
maintaining the Hamilton County Management Plan, which is the legally
binding document that dictates how Hamilton County will respond to
disasters and emergencies. Hamilton County Emergency Management also
coordinates the development of many other adjunct plans and standard
operating procedures covering county response to a variety of "unique"
situations that affect Hamilton County in some form or fashion.
-
Training:
Every year thousands of emergency responders within Hamilton County,
(firefighters, EMS rescue personnel, and law enforcement agents,
attend training classes.
-
Exercises:
Hamilton County Emergency Management works with local emergency
officials to develop exercises to test the training and planning that
have taken place to validate the concepts developed during those
processes. Hamilton County also participates in the annual licensing
exercises held by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
-
Information:
Hamilton County Emergency Management provides information of
preparedness and response to the media and the general public.
Response
Response begins as soon
as a disaster is detected or threatens. It involves mobilizing and
positioning emergency equipment; getting people out of danger; providing
needed food, water, shelter and medical services; and bringing damaged
services and systems back on line. Local responders, government agencies
and private organizations take action. Sometimes the destruction goes
beyond local capabilities.
Recovery
The task of rebuilding
after a disaster can take months, even years. Not only services,
infrastructure, facilities and operations, but the lives and livelihoods
of many thousands of people may be affected.
Hamilton County can
request three types of assistance:
-
Individual assistance
for individuals, families, farmers and businesses -- loans and grants,
emergency housing, tax relief and unemployment assistance
-
Public assistance
for local communities and nonprofit groups -- financial assistance to
restore public systems and facilities
-
Mitigation
funds for local agencies and local communities for projects that
eliminate or reduce an area's vulnerability to a hazard.
Mitigation
Mitigation is the
ongoing effort to lessen the impact disasters have on people and
property. Mitigation involves keeping homes away from floodplains,
engineering bridges to withstand earthquakes, creating and enforcing
effective building codes to protect property from hurricanes -- and
more. Mitigation is defined as "sustained action that reduces or
eliminates long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards
and their effects." It describes the ongoing effort at the Federal,
State, local, and individual levels to lessen the impact of disasters
upon our families, homes, communities and economy.
Hamilton County Hazard
Mitigation Committee evaluates and approves projects submitted for
funding to local agencies and local communities.
|
