County Commission | The Magazine October 2018 | Page 48

Q
A
What do you see as
priorities for AAEM?
One priority I have is to
work with our partners and
colleagues to grow AAEM into an
information-sharing, networking
and collaboration destination for
other emergency management
professionals who are not affiliated
with a local or state emergency
management program. For instance,
we reached out to our colleges and
universities across Alabama, most of
which have a person designated as
their emergency manager, to assess
interest in developing an Institution
of Higher Education Caucus within
the AAEM. We had some positive
feedback, and the caucus is on its
way to becoming a reality.
We also need to take a hard
look at how we are investing in
preparedness at the local level.
Capabilities vary widely from
county to county, and there may be
opportunities for better cooperation
in planning, procurement and
operations. The same is true for
severe weather warnings. We also
have to focus on the 13 counties that
are not in either county-to-county
mutual aid compacts and see where
the disconnect is. Having a mutual
aid compact in place before a disaster
will help you answer the “where can
we get help?” question before and
during an event.
Q
Many new county
commissioners will take
office next month. What’s your
best advice to your colleagues
for establishing good working
relationships with newly elected
commissioners?
A
Strong connections and
working relationships
between elected officials and
emergency managers are critical.
Emergency managers should
develop a relationship early with
new commissioners, because
commissioners have key roles in
emergency management, particularly
in policy administration and support
for emergency services during events.
Q
A
What does “67 Counties,
One Voice” mean to you?
To me, it means we are all
in it together, through the
good and the bad. Every county
has similar problems that may be
difficult to overcome individually,
but when you place the collective
power of the ACCA together, we can
accomplish so much more. n
Workers’ Compensation | Liability | Property
For nearly four decades, the Association of County
Commissions of Alabama’s (ACCA) Self-Funded Insurance
Pools have utilized an outside company to serve the
insurance needs of Alabama’s 67 counties.
Beginning in 2019, counties’ insurance needs will be
served by a new entity, a nonprofit created exclusively
for counties by counties — County Risk Services, Inc.
48 | OCTOBER 2018