What is the Grant County Emergency Management Agency?
Grant County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is mandated by Indiana Code Title 10-14-3. We work in conjunction with the Indiana
Dept. of Homeland Security, United States Dept. of Homeland Security, and the Office for Domestic Preparedness, and many other State and Federal agencies. The primary responsibility of the Grant Emergency Management Agency is to better prepare Grant County
for natural, manmade or technological disasters, hazards, or acts of terrorism. We also work with city and county response agencies of all types, ensuring preparedness and response capabilities for any manmade or natural disaster that may occur anywhere
within Grant County.Grant Count EMA is responsible for writing, updating and disseminating the Grant County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, Strategic Preparedness Plan, Standard Operating Procedures, Memorandums of Understanding and Mutual Aid Agreements. The Grant County EMA assists local governments with multihazard emergency operations plans and maintains the Grant County Emergency Operations Plan as well as providing mutual aid to neighboring counties. We receive new and updated requirements from IDHS, and relay them to county agencies. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) acts as lead in crisis/consequence management response and operations to notify, activate, deploy and employ county resources in response to any threat or act of terrorism.
Emergency Management's goal is to help our citizens prepare for and cope with any type of emergency through the maintenance of the County's emergency operations plan. This document coordinates all fire, law enforcement, medical, and other allied disaster agencies. A large portion of the office's responsibility is to educate the general public and businesses on disaster preparedness and response. The office is also responsible for emergency communications for the community in the event of a large-scale failure.
The Grant County EMA operates under the authority of the Grant County Board of County Commissioners, who appoints the Director, and is a branch of county government. The Grant County EMA is the local link to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which assist in obtaining homeland security grant funding from state and federal agencies and provide financial assistance in the event of a significant disaster.
OUR MISSION
The Grant County Emergency Management's mission is to fulfill the four phases of emergency management.
- Mitigation - prevent any disaster before it happens.
- Preparedness - training and education to be ready for the disaster when it occurs.
- Response - to respond on scene and provide services to local agencies and coordination with state and federal departments.
- Recovery - to return a community or the affected area back to normal after a disaster.
Some of these actions are accomplished by getting information out to the public; by way of educational materials, presentations to organized groups, social clubs, and press releases. To educate the public regarding, whom to contact; what to do before,
during and after; and where to go for assistance. Assist the public to be self prepared to minimize the impact caused by emergencies.
The Grant County EMA is committed to a regional all-hazards emergency response concept. The EMA serves through coordination and support of disaster preparedness, planning and recovery efforts of Grant County and its political subdivisions in conjunction with the State of Indiana, community organizations, businesses and the public.
Grant County Emergency Management provides coordination of resources during disasters, as well as providing information on disaster preparedness. Each year Grant County EMA responds to numerous small incidents. These include transportation accidents, hazardous material incidents, weather events, and others. Grant County EMA also responds to any major event that might impact Grant County.
The Grant County EMA is committed to a regional all-hazards emergency response concept. The EMA serves through coordination and support of disaster preparedness, planning and recovery efforts of Grant County and its political subdivisions in conjunction with the State of Indiana, community organizations, businesses and the public.
Grant County Emergency Management provides coordination of resources during disasters, as well as providing information on disaster preparedness. Each year Grant County EMA responds to numerous small incidents. These include transportation accidents, hazardous material incidents, weather events, and others. Grant County EMA also responds to any major event that might impact Grant County.
OUR GOALOur goal is to coordinate resources in and around Grant County to better prepare, prevent and handle emergencies. These resources include the people who live, visit and work in Grant County.
OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC)
The Grant County EMA Emergency Operations Center (EOC) provides a central location where disaster management can be carried out.
The EOC has three main functions:
- Coordination of disaster response during a large scale disaster event.
- Coordination of storm monitoring during a severe weather or winter storm event.
- Emergency Management meetings and training sessions.
GRANT COUNTY EMA FUNCTIONS
- Develops emergency plans and procedures in coordination with city, county, state and federal agencies.
- Develops and conducts emergency management training and education programs for the county.
- Coordinates with private relief agencies such as the American Red Cross to ensure provision of relief supplies.
- Assesses potential hazards and notification to county officials.
- Supports the Incident Command System at a scene of an emergency or disaster.
- Assists in the development of media information regarding incidents.
- Assists Law Enforcement/Fire Containment agencies as needed at incident sites.
- Assists in disaster recovery operations.
- Coordinate Emergency Management activities for Grant County.
- Maintain and update the county's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, Hazards Vulnerability Analysis and Hazard Mitigation Plan.
- Activate and staff the county Emergency Operations Center.
- Work with other county, city, town, departments, agencies and task force elements to develop a variety of related emergency plans, procedures and guidelines.
- Coordinate for local, state and federal government response and recovery operations during a major emergency or disaster.
- Maintain and operate the counties fixed -site and mobile Emergency Operations Center.
- Conduct community emergency and disaster education workshops.
- Monitor severe weather watches, warnings and special statements issued by the National Weather Service and provide this information to other local government departments including public safety and public works agencies.
- Serve as staff support for the Grant County Local Emergency Planning Committee for Hazardous Materials.
- Provide assistance and support to all public safety agencies, government entities and private sector partners through planning, training and exercising.
- Coordinate resource support to tactical response units and on scene Incident Commanders.
- Provide Continuity of Operations Planning information and guidance.
Being part of a Weather-Ready Nation is about preparing for your community's increasing vulnerability to extreme weather and water events. Americans live in the most severe weather-prone country on Earth. Some 98 percent of all Presidential declared disasters are weather related, leading to around 500 deaths per year and nearly $15 billion in damage. The StormReady program helps arm America's communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property--before, during and after the event. StormReady helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen local safety programs.
StormReady communities, counties, Indian nations, universities and colleges, military bases, government sites, commercial enterprises and other groups are better prepared to save lives from the onslaught of severe weather through advanced planning, education and awareness. No community is storm proof, but StormReady can help communities save lives.
StormReady uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle all types of severe weather—from tornadoes to tsunamis. The program encourages communities to take a new, proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations by providing emergency managers with clear-cut guidelines on how to improve their hazardous weather operations.
To be officially StormReady, a community must:
- Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
- Have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public
- Create a system that monitors weather conditions locally
- Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars
- Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.
Grant County received StormReady designation in 2012
and became a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador in 2017.
and became a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador in 2017.
Additional information regarding StormReady can be found
on the National Weather Service website: StormReady
on the National Weather Service website: StormReady