AGENDA DATE: 8/19/2020
TITLE:
Title
Emergency Management Work Plan
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Introduction of the County’s Emergency Manager and the work plan and priorities over the next 12-18 months.
ITEM TYPE: Consent Information Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Walker, Eggleston, Oprandy, Matthews
PRESENTER (S): N/A
LEGAL REVIEW: Not Required
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: In the Fall of 2019, the Board approved a new position to focus on Albemarle County’s emergency management needs and goals. After a competitive hiring process, Nichole Matthews was selected for the position and began working with the County on April 20th, 2020. Nichole has established a work plan for the office of emergency management (OEM) to guide use of resources and decisions over the next 18 months.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Quality Government Operations: Ensure County government's capacity to provide high quality service that achieve community priorities
DISCUSSION: Initially the work of the OEM has been in support of the County’s response to the COVID 19 Pandemic. This work included serving on the County’s IMT, assisting with FEMA and CARES Act funding and/or re-imbursement, and documenting decisions and actions the County has taken to create an official continuity of operations plan (COOP) pandemic annex. The overall work plan is attached (Attachment A) and provides more detail on the current OEM priorities which include continued pandemic support; seeking grant opportunities; conducting a county wide hazard and threat assessment; major planning efforts to include writing the County’s Emergency Operating Plan (EOP), climate resiliency plan, and full continuity of operations plan (COOP). Finally, the work plan includes ongoing priorities for community engagement and building a resilient community where threats and hazards are mitigated and the whole community bounces back quickly from those disasters that do occur.
A long-term goal of OEM is to achieve accreditation through the Emergency Management Accreditation program (EMAP).
“EMAP, the voluntary standards, assessment, and accreditation process for disaster preparedness programs throughout the country, fosters excellence and accountability in emergency management and homeland security programs, by establishing credible standards applied in a peer review accreditation process. EMAP was created by a group of national organizations to foster continuous improvement in emergency management capabilities. It provides emergency management programs the opportunity to be recognized for compliance with industry standards, to demonstrate accountability, and to focus attention on areas and issues where resources are needed.” (https://emap.org/index.php/what-is-emap)
The threat assessment and all plans published by OEM will be developed under the guidelines and standards recommended by EMAP.
BUDGET IMPACT: None
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Board receive this report for information.
ATTACHMENTS: A - Albemarle County Emergency Management Work Plan 2020