About Us
The Michigan Emergency Management Act (P.A. 390) stipulates that each
county shall appoint an emergency management coordinator to be responsible for
disaster preparedness. In Lapeer County this person is the Director of Emergency
Management. This person carries out a wide variety of tasks; however the overall
mission of the department can be summarized in four categories: mitigation,
preparedness, response, and recovery. The purpose of mitigation is to prevent
disasters from happening, or if the disaster cannot be prevented work to
minimize its effects on the community. Mitigation comes in many forms, from
public education to flood plain management. The second phase of emergency
management is preparedness. We know that not all disasters can be prevented so
the community must be prepared to respond and recover from disasters when they
occur. In order to prepare, the Director of Emergency Management identifies
public and private resources throughout the community that can be drawn upon in
the event of disaster. Organizations are matched with tasks. Policy is developed
in the form of an Emergency Action Guidelines (EAG). In simple terms, the
Emergency Action Guidelines describes who is responsible for doing what during a
disaster. Other emergency plans and procedures are developed to support the
Emergency Action Guidelines. Site specific emergency plans are developed for
industrial locations as well as dam structures within the County. The Emergency
Management Department also assists businesses and other facilities with the
development of their own emergency plans. Training of emergency response
personnel is also a big part of preparedness.
Response
Response is taking proper action when a disaster occurs. This may include
such things as public warning, search and rescue, fire fighting, emergency
medical care, evacuation and sheltering and damage assessment. The response
required is determined by the event. Whether the disaster is a flood, tornado,
chemical release, airplane crash, or some other type of incident, the Emergency
Operations Center (EOC) is activated. The EOC is where local officials gather to
coordinate disaster response and recovery efforts. The Director of Emergency
Management is responsible for maintaining the readiness of this facility.
Training exercises are regularly conducted to test the Emergency Action
Guidelines and the EOC. Disaster response in the community is carried out by
many dedicated people. The Director of Emergency Management works to coordinate
their activities in an attempt to ensure the most effective response for the
community.
Recovery
Recovery is the process of bringing the community back to normal after a
disaster has occurred. This includes detailed damage assessment to determine the
community needs. Recovery may include coordinating assistance from the State of
Michigan and the Federal Emergency Management Agency such as occurred after the
floods of 1986, 1996 and the snowstorm of 2000.
Communicating
Communicating information to the public is one of the most important
tasks for local officials before, during and after a disaster. This includes
providing public education programs and free printed material about disasters,
as well as the development of warning and emergency information systems. County
public information officers work with local television, radio and newspaper
organizations to assist in this effort.
Additionally
Another task includes a working with the ham radio operators within our
community who provide an alternative means of communication when it's needed the
most. The radio communications system used by all other agencies is managed and
maintained by Lapeer County Central Dispatch office.
As Lapeer County changes, so too must the Emergency Management Department,
adapting to the needs of the community. Developments around the state, the
nation and even the world impact what we do. In order to keep the community
prepared and in a position to take advantage of federal funding the Emergency
Management Department has a lead role in meeting the directives of the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security and the Michigan State Police Emergency
Management Division. Since September 11, 2001 agencies within Lapeer County have
received approximately $2millon dollars in homeland security funding for
training, equipment, planning and exercising. The Emergency Management
Department has been (and is) responsible for administering these funds and
ensuring that critical needs are met within the eligibility requirements of the
grant programs.
The Emergency Management Department has many partnerships throughout the
community for the purpose of developing and promoting emergency preparedness.
These partners include: the Lapeer County Fire Fighters Association, Lapeer
County Fire Chiefs Association, the Lapeer County Police Chiefs Association, the
Lapeer County Department of Public Health, the Lapeer County Sheriff's
Department, Lapeer Regional Medical Center, the Lapeer County Medical Control
Authority, the Lapeer County Central Dispatch Center, Lapeer Community Schools,
Dryden Community Schools, North Branch Community Schools, Imlay City Public
Schools, Genesee-Lapeer Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Lapeer County
Road Commission just to name a few. Lapeer County also has established emergency
management mutual aid agreements with Tuscola, Sanilac, St. Clair County for the
purpose of providing aid to one another in emergency and disaster situations.
EMAC
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
Create and maintain SARA Title III / 302 Response Plans. Write two S.A.R.A.
response plans. Conduct the annual disaster exercise. Improve the County's
weather monitoring system. Improve the department's intergovernmental relations
with the cities, villages and townships of the county.
Lapeer County Emergency Management Advisory Council/Local Emergency Planning
Committee
The Council meets the 2nd Wednesday at 1:00 pm of the odd months.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
The Lapeer County Office of Emergency Management is responsible for assuring
that the community is ready for major emergencies and disasters. The department
maintains the County Emergency Action Guidelines, the Emergency Resources Manual
and several Off-site Chemical Response Plans.
EAG
Please contact our department at
810-667-0242 if you would like a copy of the Emergency Action Guidelines
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