Emergency Management Agency

About Us

The Emergency Management Agency, functioning under the Emergency Management Agency Director, is responsible to ensure the community knows its vulnerabilities, hazards and threats; plans for emergencies, responds timely and effectively in an emergency or disaster; and conducts recovery operations. The fundamental goal of emergency management is to create and maintain an effective organization to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from major threats to lives and property.

The director is responsible for coordinating the various components of the emergency management system-fire, law enforcement, emergency medical services, public works, volunteers, and other groups. By incorporating the four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, the local director can effectively respond to all hazards (natural, technological, and national security).

The Emergency Management Agency is responsible for the county 9-1-1 Response Center. The director is a designated member of the 9-1-1 Planning Committee, established in Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 4931.42c. The planning committee advises the coordination of all 9-1-1 emergency communications within the jurisdiction. 9-1-1 is a three-digit telephone number that you can call 24 hours a day for police, fire, or medical emergencies. It saves valuable time in an EMERGENCY. When you call 9-1-1, your call is received by a trained communications dispatcher who takes your information. Then the appropriate police, fire, and/or medical services team located in your area is notified and service is dispatched.

The agency also works directly with the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC), an arm of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is the recipient of countywide hazardous substances in inventory from all businesses in Richland County.