DOUGLAS COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Keith Kesler, Director
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LOCATION & CONTACT INFORMATION

DUTIES

Emergency Management is the four-phase protection process of coordinating available resources to deal with emergencies effectively, thereby saving lives, avoiding injury, and minimizing economic loss.

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Douglas County Emergency Management is to utilize effective planning, training, and coordination to continually develop the mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities of the county’s cities, villages, and townships for emergencies resulting from all hazards.

HISTORY

Emergency Management is the outcome of the "Old" Civil Defense days of the 50s. Changes to federal and state laws have brought new concepts and responsibilities to the office. In the 80's implementation of the Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act created a repository for reporting the storage of hazardous materials in the community. In conjunction with these laws the Local Emergency Planning Committee was formed to help provide oversight in local emergency planning.

TODAY

Currently Emergency Management is involved in an all hazards planning approach to assist in community preparedness. This is accomplished through a four-phase process:

     1.  MITIGATION:

           Prevent an emergency;
           Reduce the chance of an emergency occurring; and
           Reduce the damaging effects of unavoidable hazards.

     2.  PREPAREDNESS:

           Developing plans to ensure an effective, efficient response;
           Taking steps to minimize damage;
           Recruiting and training personnel; and
           Equipping and staffing the Emergency Operations Center.

     3.  RESPONSE:

           Provide emergency assistance to casualties;
           Search and rescue;
           Shelter;
           Medical care; and
           Reduce secondary damage.

     4.  RECOVERY:

           Return to normal after an emergency;
           Redevelopment grants and loans;
           Legal assistance; and
           Community planning.

The four phases of emergency management are cyclical, we learn to prevent and diminish future emergencies from what we learn from past events.

For additional information regarding emergency management:

• Federal Emergency Agency

• Wisconsin Emergency Management

• National Weather Service

• American Red Cross