Transcript Are You Prepared? - Spartanburg Co. Emergency Management

Are We Prepared?
What elected officials should
know about Emergency
Management!!
April 2006
By:
Spartanburg County Emergency Management Department
Are We Prepared?

What is the role of Spartanburg County Government?

How did the Spartanburg County Emergency
Management Department Score?
 South Carolina Emergency Management
Department – State Assessment

What is the role of local Emergency Management?

What is your role before, during, and after a disaster?
What is the role of Spartanburg
County Government?

The governing body of Spartanburg County shall operate in accordance with
Regulation 58-1, Local Emergency Preparedness Standards, the Emergency
Operating Plan (EOP) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
 Spartanburg County shall be prepared to implement the EOP when an emergency occurs
or at the direction of the Director of South Carolina Emergency Management Division
(SCEMD), or upon a declaration of a State of Emergency by the Governor.
 The County government will support disaster operations of the municipalities with
county resources only after all local resources have been used and/or are inadequate to
handle the situation. All resources, including the military, made available to the county
from outside agencies will be assigned tasks and functions by the county on a missiontype basis, but will remain under the direction and control of their parent organization.
 Each county office, department, agency, service, etc., will coordinate as appropriate to
assure efficient utilization of all resources made available to it. County government will
also assume responsibility for direction of combined emergency operations in areas
where municipal capability has broken down or does not exist, or when the nature or
magnitude of a disaster is such that county government direction of operations is required
for effective response.
State Assessment
 SCEMD
conducted a 49 page
Assessment
 Overall, Spartanburg County EMD
received exemplary marks
 Spartanburg County EMD has
addressed the few weak areas noted in
the assessment
What is the role of local
emergency management?

To establish policies and procedures which will
assure the maximum and most effective utilization
of all resources in the county, minimize the loss of
life and/or injury to the population, and protect
and conserve the resources and facilities in
Spartanburg County during emergencies resulting
from natural disasters or man-induced
technological hazards.
Your local emergency
management agency
 Who
we are? And…
 What we do for you
Your local Emergency
Management Agency; we are….
 Required

by law
Pursuant to Section 6 of Act 1553 of 1972 and Section 7 (3) and (4) of Act 112 of 1973,
and any amendments thereto, the Emergency Preparedness Director is hereby
designated and appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Spartanburg County Council,
and other municipalities which shall adopt this Ordinance, for the purpose of preparing
for and executing all duties and functions specified in all acts of the General Assembly
relating to Civil Defense and Disaster Preparedness…… All such elected and
appointed officials and employees are hereby directed to comply with the orders,
directives, and instructions of the Emergency Preparedness Director during periods of
emergency or disaster, and in the preparation of disaster preparedness programs.
 Diverse
 Assignments
 Size
 Capabilities
Your local Emergency
Management Agency; What we
do for you………

Educate the public
 Assist with first responder training
 Develop emergency response plans
(evacuation, re-entry, EOP, EOC, etc)
 Build Teams (LEPC, Donated Resource
Group, Emergency Animal Response, etc)
 Develop and maintain systems needed during
time of crisis
Your local Emergency
Management Agency; What we
do for you………

Provide 24/7 Emergency Response
Capabilities
 Maintain the Emergency Operations Center
 Link you to mutual aid and regional, state,
and federal assistance, if you run short of
emergency resources
 Provide Homeland Security Coordination and
Planning
Your local Emergency
Management Agency also….

Coordinates State and Federal Grant Funds
 Maintains a Comprehensive Emergency
Operations Plan for the entire County
 Coordinates mitigation plans
 Maintains and Coordinates the Spartanburg
County Haz-Mat and Cobra Teams.
 Maintains essential databases

Resources, volunteers, shelters, tier II facilities,
chemical inventories, emergency contacts,
marplot data, and more!!
Your local Emergency
Management Agency also….
 Provides
on-scene response
coordination
 Facilitates compliance with the
Emergency Planning and Community
Right to Know Act
 Is responsible for the Emergency Alert
and Warning Systems
 Conducts exercises to increase the
efficiency of emergency response
personnel
Political Fortunes…
 Political
Fortunes have been won or lost
not only on the actual role played by
elected officials, but also on the public’s
perception of leadership
Disasters May…
HINDER
Careers or…….
Former Seattle Mayor
Paul Schell
Benefit
Careers
Former NY Mayor
Rudy “The Rock”
Giuliani
Reflections…

On March 28, The Stranger's Josh Feit, Tim
Keck, and Dan Savage sat down with then
Mayor Schell at Cafe Septieme in Seattle.
DAN SAVAGE: Name a mistake you've made
and what you learned from it.
PAUL SCHELL: Well, I think of the WTO. I
mean, my values are intact about letting
everybody be heard.
JOSH FEIT: The mistake was what? You
learned what?
PAUL SCHELL: That we were not prepared
for the worst…..
Your Roles and
Responsibilities
Your Roles and
Responsibilities……..
● Clearly define expectations and goals
● Understand risks and response
capabilities
● Know the Emergency Operations Plan –
and make sure everyone else knows the
plan
● Ensure the plan is current and tested
● Support efforts to address plan gaps or
deficiencies
● Maintain up-to-date lists to ensure
Continuity of Government (COG)
● Review emergency ordinances to ensure
they are adequate
● Visit your Emergency Operations Center
(EOC) and participate in drills
Your Roles and
Responsibilities……..
● Know incident objectives
● Be knowledgeable about overall
response
● Provide visible leadership
● Ensure appropriate management
structures are in place
● Be sure your expectations are
being met
Your Roles and
Responsibilities……..
● Consider the need for an
emergency proclamation
● Review key messages
● Obtain briefings before
meeting with the media
● Brief other elected officials
● Maintain a written log of all
actions you take
Your Roles and
Responsibilities……..
● Continue to provide visible
leadership
● Meet with impacted
constituents
● Support your Recovery Plan
● Participate in after action
reviews and critiques
● Support identified corrective
actions
Domestic Preparedness
Final Comments
Questions or Comments