IN Millcreek Spring 2018 | Page 18

We are Ready Millcreek! E mergency Management dates back to the days of the Civil Defense program in the 1950’s. Duck and Cover drills were commonplace and Bert the Turtle taught our children to “duck and cover” when they “saw the flash”. In those days, Emergency Management covered everything from fall out shelters to search and rescue. As the threat of nuclear war waned and public safety agencies increased capabilities, Civil Defense transitioned to the “All Hazards” approach of Emergency Management. Emergency Management is the process where communities manage complex emergencies and disasters. This is separate from organizations that respond to emergencies on a daily basis. Fire, Law Enforcement, Emergency Medical Services, and Public Works are the subject matter experts in their fields. Rarely though, do they have to work on an daily basis as teams dealing with complex events, nor do they work with the elected leadership of a community in their daily responses. The 4 phases of the Emergency Management Cycle are: Preparing for the emergency/disaster, Responding to an emergency/disaster, Recovering from an emergency/disaster, and Mitigating the emergency/disaster. The Job of Emergency Management is to improve the outcome of a disaster. This can be measured in lives saved, reduced damages, decreased disruptions, and/or shorter recovery time just to name a few. Millcreek Township’s Emergency Management program had humble beginnings with one employee who split Emergency Management job duties with being the Fire Inspector. Emergencies were handled as they occurred and there was limited time for planning for disasters. Soon, the Department began to grow and a better understanding of the need for Emergency Management took hold. After 9/11, the Department had to again adapt to the growing threat of Terrorism and the need to incorporate Homeland Security. In the last 4 years, the Department grew from one employee with part time duties and a few volunteers, to a department with 3 full time employees as well as a large contingent of volunteers who serve Millcreek Township during times of disaster. In addition, pre-planning is now conducted with schools and organizations. Plans have also been created for major disasters to standardize how we will respond. As a result of this growth and after assessing the risk that the Township faces on a daily basis, the Board of Supervisors placed a plan in motion at the beginning of 2017 to establish a formal Emergency Operations Center (EOC) within the Township Building to monitor and respond to events across the Township. Prior to the permanent EOC, Emergency Management staff had to set up an EOC “on the 16 MILLCREEK Deputy Caleb Dixon (left) and Director Matt Exley fly” out of storage containers. This created a delay in being able to attack the emergency/disaster in its early stages. After many months of planning, the EOC became fully operational on January 3rd 2018. The new Emergency Operations Center is outfitted with enough space and technology to allow us to respond to disasters that may threaten the Township now and in the future. Each responding agency and support agencies have dedicated seats that allow us to coordinate and direct the response to an emergency or disaster. Multiple computer displays allow us to monitor the disaster and anticipate the needs of the operation. Communications consoles allow us to communicate with our responders in the field. In 2017 alone, Millcreek Township experienced 4 major disasters. The flooding, tornado and historic snowfall stretched the resources of the Township. Fire, EMS, Police and Public Works worked together in the EOC to ensure that Millcreek Township was able to properly respond to the disaster and reduced our recovery time. Many municipalities see disasters maybe once a year. The ability for Millcreek Township to endure this many disaster, is a testament to the emergency management program, our day to day responders and most importantly the resolve and resiliency of our residents who helped each other during the disasters. The Millcreek Township Department of Emergency Management will continue to protect the Township and act on threats to the residents of our great community in the future. Please interact with us on our Twitter and Facebook Pages to learn more about your Department of Emergency Management.