OEM Overview
OUR VISION
"To foster community resilience, with integrity and professionalism, against high impact events by reducing loss of life, damage to property, and harm to the environment."
MISSION STATEMENT
To prepare the community, with integrity and professionalism, for large scale emergencies and disaster events to minimize loss of life and property, with effective response and recovery management, by:
- Coordinating education, training, and exercises
- Planning in Mitigation and Emergency Operations
- Collaborating with community leaders in information and resources
- Leading a Southwest Missouri effort towards a regional Emergency Management system
Location: 833 Boonville in Springfield, Missouri
Seven Paid Staff:
- Director
Email: Ryan Nicholls - Assistant Director
Email: Larry Woods - Planning Specialist
Email: John Elmore - Homeland Security Specialist
Email: Shea Lane - Training & Education Specialist
Email: Ty Davisson - Administrative Services Coordinator
Email: Carole Kidwell - Administrative Assistant
Email: Sandra Hawks
Contracted Staff
- Education Coordinator
Email: Warren Robinson - Regional CERT Coordinator
Email: Holly Johnston - Planning Support
Email: Carly Crocker
The Office focuses on the four phases of Emergency Management which include:
- Mitigation:
- Preparedness:
- The Springfield-Greene County Emergency Operations Plan is updated each January by office staff.
- The Emergency Operations Plan is a major effort on the part of all emergency service agencies (police, fire, EMS, etc.) to plan for disaster response and recovery.
- Training courses in Emergency Management for staff and other emergency service agencies are provided by federal, state and local agencies.
- Exercises are conducted by a coordinated group of emergency service agencies, governmental officials, and business leaders under the guidance of the Exercise and Training Specialist. Two major exercises are conducted each year--a Hazmat exercise and another major disaster, i.e. airplane crash or tornado. Each exercise has a design team, coordinated by the Exercise and Training Specialist, which plans the exercise to address the particular hazard within the community and essential tasks tied to response and recovery from the particular hazard.
- Public awareness and education are provided by OEM through work with the media, as well as other agencies, that may be involved. Disaster preparedness programs for schools, nursing home staffs, and civic groups are given by staff. Videotapes and printed materials are provided by federal, state and local Emergency Management, the National Weather Service, and the American Red Cross for this purpose.
- Response:
- This involves coordination of all response agencies to a disaster. The Incident Command System (ICS) and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) are important factors in this coordination.
- ICS is a command structure for all emergencies and disasters at the scene. Emergency Management has been teaching an abbreviated ICS course to assist in this effort. Emergency Management has been working with other Springfield and Greene County agencies to insure the ICS is used by all agencies for standardization.
- EOC is a place where policy makers from government and other agencies meet to make major policy decisions required during disaster response and recovery.
- Recovery:
- Following a disaster, there needs to be a coordinated effort in damage assessment, filling victims' and first responders' needs, and supplying resources.The EOC coordinates these actions with other agencies.
- This involves working on legislation, actions to eliminate risk, and planning documents to govern response and recovery activities.