PUBLIC OFFICIALS EMERGENCY RESOURCE GUIDE | OVERVIEW

The Pennsylvania Region 13 Emergency Task Force is responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness and response in southwestern Pennsylvania. Its membership includes the Emergency Management Coordinators of 13 counties and the city of Pittsburgh, plus representation from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Table of Contents
Introduction

Preparedness

Emergency Management Coordinator
Emergency Operations Plan
Emergency Operations Plan Checklist
Emergency Operations Center
Emergency Response Organizations
Mutual Aid Agreements
Training
Commonwealth and Federal Laws
Always Be Prepared

Response

Reporting a Disaster
Going to the Disaster Scene
Incident Command Post
Assuring the Public
Record Keeping and Documentation
Media Relations
Disaster Declaration
Commonwealth Assistance
Evacuation
Disaster Checklist

Important Contact Information

Documents Consulted

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this handbook is to acquaint public officials with their roles and responsibilities in emergency management. It covers key issues in emergency preparedness and response and discusses actions that may need to be taken during an emergency incident or in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. This handbook is not intended to supersede or serve as an emergency operations plan; it is not an all-inclusive guide to emergency operations. Rather, it seeks to assist public officials in ensuring that effective emergency preparedness procedures are in place and in responding effectively should an actual emergency occur. In addition, this handbook contains a pocket-size pamphlet with essential “first steps” information for public officials should an emergency occur.

In a disaster or emergency situation, you may be held legally and morally responsible for the decisions you and your appointed professionals make, as well as for how thoroughly your community was prepared. Citizens will call on you for guidance, assurance, and leadership. Few of them worry about emergencies during normal times, but if an emergency occurs they will expect you to be ready. It is our hope that this handbook will help you make sure that you and your emergency management staff are prepared to deal with most situations.

Cochairs, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Policy Committee, Institute of Politics

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PREPAREDNESS 

Emergency Management Coordinator

Each Pennsylvania county and municipality must select an Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) to oversee planning, training, and preparation during non-disaster time, and to act as coordinator of the Emergency Operations Center during a time of disaster. At the county level, the EMC is usually a full-time employee; however, in most local municipalities (i.e., cities, boroughs, and townships), the EMC is either a volunteer, a full-time employee doing one or more jobs, or a part-time employee. The EMC is the primary agent for elected officials in emergency preparedness and response, so it is crucial that the right person be selected for the job. The EMC's failure to respond effectively in an emergency situation could lead to significant loss of life and property, as well as to significant lawsuits filed against the community and its officials.

To be effective in the position, an EMC must be a skilled leader, must have the respect of the various emergency response groups (police, fire, emergency medical) in the community, and must be capable of rallying the total resources of the community in a coordinated, concerted effort to bring about an effective response to an emergency.

The EMC must have effective planning and training abilities. He or she must be able to coordinate the development or revision of an Emergency Operations Plan and to coordinate the training necessary to prepare the principal players to carry out the plan when needed. Finally, the EMC must possess administrative abilities to handle training arrangements, plan implementation, response coordination, and damage assessment.

One possible option is to select the police or fire chief as the local EMC, as these professionals should have the necessary knowledge and skills. This choice is not ideal, though, because in an emergency, the chiefs may be too involved with their own departments to be effective performing double duty as the EMC. However, especially in smaller communities, there may be no other qualified person available. In such circumstances, there must be several other persons available to run the fire or police program if the chief is on duty as the EMC.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Services Code stipulates that the governor appoint coordinators at all levels of government. EMCs are selected by, and are responsible to, the elected officials of the county or municipality. Accordingly, elected officials must take appropriate action, working through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), to have the governor formally appoint their selected person as EMC.

In fulfilling its legislated responsibility to support in-service training of county and municipal EMCs, PEMA has developed a series of certifications. There are basic, advanced, and professional certifications for coordinators and staff members at the municipal and county level. Commonwealth law requires all coordinators to complete basic certification within one year of their nomination and advanced certification within three years. Basic and advanced certifications are voluntary for emergency management staff members; professional certification is voluntary for everyone. The criteria differ slightly for county coordinators as opposed to municipal coordinators, so as to take into account the fact that most municipal coordinators are volunteers whereas most county coordinators are full-time employees and able to attend training during weekdays.

The EMC is the direct representative of elected officials. In an emergency, the EMC must take action on behalf of elected officials until and unless those officials deem it necessary to assume direction of the response effort.

An EMC must be available at all times, so elected officials and their EMC should designate a certified person to fulfill this role in the event that the EMC is absent or incapacitated.

While an effective EMC is very important, an effective emergency preparedness program requires a team effort. The EMC does not have the authority to call on department heads and other staff to cooperate; public officials do. Thus it becomes your responsibility to ensure that all key players do their parts.

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Emergency Operations Plan

The primary tool enabling a municipality to address an emergency situation in a preplanned, organized, predictable, and professional manner is its Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). To be effective, the plan must be thorough, coordinated, practiced, and frequently reviewed.

Elected officials will not be writing their municipality's EOP, but they can ensure that it identifies:

• all types of possible hazards;
• the priority hazards most likely to affect the specific community;
• the resources available to respond to an emergency—including nonprofit organizations, volunteer groups, possible shelters, transportation resources, equipment, and supplies—and a means of ensuring that adequate resources will be available to do the job; and
• how and by whom various functions will be carried out in an emergency. These functions might include communications and warning, evacuation, shelter and mass care, public information, health and medical services, emergency medical services, law enforcement services, search and rescue, and radiological survey.

In addition, an effective emergency management program includes approaches to educating citizens in advance as to how they can protect themselves in various emergency situations.

The EOP must be practiced. (Training activities related to the EOP are discussed later in this handbook.) Lessons learned from training exercises—or from actual emergencies—should be used to improve and update the EOP.

The EOP must include a promulgation statement, which elected officials sign to indicate their acceptance of the plan as adequate for their municipality.

The EOP must be reviewed periodically, at least once every two years. A plan should be re-promulgated whenever a majority of the governing body signatories has changed since the previous promulgation approval.

PEMA's area offices and its Bureau of Plans can assist counties and municipalities in the preparation and maintenance of EOPs. Additionally, PEMA's Bureau of Training and Education offers an emergency planning course at least once a year for coordinators who wish to sharpen their planning skills.

Elected officials wishing to verify the adequacy of their municipality's EOP can obtain a generic, sample EOP from PEMA for comparison purposes.

Emergency preparedness is an extremely complex and thorny topic. Previous studies by the Institute of Politics at the University of Pittsburgh have shown a significant lack of clarity in a number of areas, such as where the expertise to respond to a large-scale health or bioterrorism emergency would come from and who has the authority to quarantine citizens in the interest of public health. Interaction, practice, and analysis are all-important to bring these issues to the forefront and, insofar as possible, resolve them in advance of an unforeseen incident.

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Emergency Operations Plan Checklist

The following excerpt from the Salt Lake County ( Utah ) Fire Department's emergency planning guide provides a useful list of questions that public officials may wish to use when reviewing their EOP and their community's level of emergency preparedness.

Planning:

• What kinds of disasters and emergencies could occur in your community?
• Do you have a current hazard analysis?
• What mitigation procedures, such as zoning or building codes, have been implemented to prevent or reduce the effects of disasters in your community?
• Are hazardous or radiological materials stored in or transported through your community?
• How recently has your community's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) been updated?
• How often are exercises conducted to test the plan?
• Does your Emergency Operations Plan reflect population shifts and account for new industries and land uses?
• Are members of your emergency management team getting the training and support they need?
• Are you aware of the training opportunities offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and your state emergency preparedness agency?
• What plans do you have for working with the media in an emergency?
• What plans are there for protecting and communicating with schools in your jurisdiction in an emergency?
• What about plans for the hospitalized, handicapped, and prisoners?

Systems:

• What kinds of warning and emergency communication capabilities does your community have? Does it have Emergency Alert System linkages?
• Are local emergency responders trained to operate according to the incident command system?
• Is your Emergency Operations Center (EOC) properly equipped and maintained in working order?
• Does your emergency management team have the necessary equipment to do the job?
• Do you have enough shelters and a shelter management staff for people who must be relocated in an emergency? Can they handle stranded tourists or motorists?

Information you must have:

• Do you know your legal responsibilities in planning for emergencies?
• Do you know your authority and limitations in directing an emergency response?
• How have you prepared to deal with the liability issues involved in emergency response?
• Do you know what resources and funding the federal and state government can provide for emergency management? Do you know how to apply for them?
• Do you know what you are required to do during a disaster to qualify for federal and state relief funds?

Community relations:

• How effectively is emergency planning information getting to all of your constituents?
• Have you involved local news media in cooperative planning efforts?
• Do you have a public education program to inform citizens of ways they can prepare themselves and their families for potential emergencies?
• Does your emergency management program involve volunteer agencies, religious groups, and social or civic organizations?
• Does your program include volunteers and plans for using them during an emergency?
• Do you involve local businesses and industries in your preparedness planning?

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Emergency Operations Center

During an emergency, effective communication among all responding parties is essential. For this reason, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Services Code requires each municipality to have an Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC is a physical location where representatives of the major decision-making and response organizations in the community will come together. The EOC is charged with sustaining community confidence in a disaster situation. It does not necessarily exercise direct control over response agencies, but it obtains a comprehensive view of events, coordinates emergency response, and allocates resources.

The county or municipal planning process determines which agencies should have representation in the EOC. Some types of actual emergencies may not require every EOC staff member to be present; others may require calling in outside experts to assist for the duration of the emergency. Of course, to effectively use expertise and decision-making capabilities, those at the EOC must receive accurate and complete information about the emergency and about the available resources not already at the scene. Within the EOC there must be a means of obtaining and disseminating this information and of allowing the EOC staff to keep abreast of a rapidly changing situation.

The complexity of the EOC will vary according to the needs of the community and its assets. In some counties, elaborate, state-of-the-art computer equipment located in underground complexes is manned 24 hours a day; in smaller municipalities, the EOC may be a designated room in the municipal building or a community center where a map and a copy of the Emergency Operations Plan are stored.

Components of a good, suitably equipped EOC site include (1) proximity or accessibility to the seat of government; (2) adequate space and ventilation; (3) communication capacity with the disaster scene, with EOCs in other communities, and with higher-level governing bodies (i.e., county or state); (4) emergency lighting and electric power; (5) visual displays, maps, and status boards; (6) sanitary facilities, food, and water to accommodate relatively long-term stays; and (7) protection from possible hazards (e.g., not located in a floodplain). Examples of locations used by municipalities across Pennsylvania include conference rooms in the government center, training or bingo rooms in the fire hall, and recreation rooms in the community center.

Equipping the EOC need not be a major task. The most important tools are communication devices, including an ample supply of two-way radios and telephones. The primary furniture will be a conference table and chairs. There should be room for wall charts and maps, which may be rolled up and stored in a drawer during non-disaster time.

EOC planning should also include the development of an alternate site to provide for effective response and continuity of essential operations should a disaster directly affect the primary EOC site.

EOC staffs may range in size from four to more than a dozen members and may be divided into groups that handle different functions. Frequently a policy group actually makes the decisions related to emergency response. This group usually includes elected and appointed officials, the Emergency Management Coordinator, police and fire representatives, the public works/road supervisor, and the public information officer. Other specialties that may be included are health and medical care, environmental protection, evacuation and relocation, mass care and sheltering, and radiological protection.

A coordination/operations group often supports the policy group and ensures that its decisions are implemented. (This group includes communications and dispatch, volunteer organization representatives, logistics and procurement, and perhaps assistants to the members of the policy group.) Additionally, when recruiting members, you must consider a possible need for 24-hour operations, which will require a complete second shift. To cover the full range of possible response needs, members must be able to fulfill more than one of the policy or coordination/operations roles listed.

Once the EOC staff members are selected, they should be trained, mainly through a series of self-paced, tabletop exercises that will familiarize members with their responsibilities and with methods for communicating within and outside the center. Initial and ongoing participation in such exercises is essential to emergency preparedness. Public officials may wish to monitor their staffs' completion of tabletop exercises or even participate personally in some of them.

Large, elaborate, expensive EOCs are not necessarily more effective. The more complex an EOC is, the more investment and training are needed to maintain it. You can expect, in any case, that a well-planned investment in developing and maintaining your EOC will be more than repaid by the quality and efficiency of response should an emergency occur.

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Emergency Response Organizations

Effective emergency management requires the coordination and training of a wide range of people, both paid and volunteer. A thorough planning process should allow for discussion of the expectations and responsibilities of all groups involved. This exchange can provide the foundation for contractual agreements and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that define how local governments and other organizations will provide for public safety in emergency situations.

Following are some of the public and private entities that should be involved in this planning, along with the roles they may be called upon to play.

Public officials: directing government activities, community leadership

Fire department: fire services, rescue, limited hazardous materials response, radiological monitoring, decontamination

Police/sheriff's department: law enforcement, traffic control, search and rescue, warning, evacuation, emergency highway traffic regulation

Emergency medical services: medical care and transportation of injured

Hazardous materials team: hazardous materials response

Public transit: emergency transportation

Public works: engineering services, heavy rescue, emergency traffic regulation

Public schools: sheltering students, public communication

Utility companies: utility management or recovery

Health department: emergency health and sanitation, risk assessment, immunization

Hospitals: medical care, immunization, infection control

Other healthcare providers: medical care in mass casualty situations

Public information officer: coordination of public communications

Media: public communications

American Red Cross or The Salvation Army: emergency food, shelter, counseling

Food banks: food coordination and distribution

Other community organizations: shelter, social services

Coroner: identification of bodies, mortuary services

Emergency response planning should build on existing relationships among these organizations to develop clear understandings as to the authority and responsibilities each entity will carry in an actual emergency.

In addition, municipal leaders should be familiar with the county's emergency response personnel and capacities, and county leadership in turn should be integrated with the commonwealth's homeland security structure.

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Mutual Aid Agreements

Many emergencies will overburden the response capacity of the municipality in which they occur, or may call for specialized response capability not available in that municipality. For these reasons, local jurisdictions are encouraged to enter into mutual aid agreements so as to enhance their response and recovery capabilities. As suggested in the previous section, mutual aid is not limited to agreements between jurisdictions; it may also include agreements with private entities, such as the American Red Cross, so as to facilitate the timely delivery of needed assistance when an incident occurs.

At a minimum, mutual aid agreements should include definitions of key terms used in the agreement; roles and responsibilities of each party; recognition of each party's qualifications, certifications, and resources; procedures for requesting and providing assistance; procedures for payment, reimbursement, and allocation of costs; notification procedures; protocols for interoperable communications; relationship to other mutual aid agreements in which each party participates; and treatment of liability, immunity, and workers' compensation issues.

As of this writing, the Institute of Politics and the commonwealth's emergency management community are involved with the development of proposed legislative language that would create a statewide mutual aid system in which all local governments would automatically be a part of unless they specifically elected to opt out.

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Training

Training at various levels is essential to emergency preparedness. Emergency Management Coordinators and other key response personnel should participate in ongoing professional development. EMCs should also be involved in countywide emergency response meetings and training activities. At least once a year, each local jurisdiction should hold a realistic exercise designed to test various agencies' responses and how the agencies interface with each other. The agencies should also participate in larger, multiple-jurisdiction exercises such as those held periodically in the city of Pittsburgh .

Public officials are expected to receive training in the National Incident Management System (NIMS). They should also ensure that EMCs and other staff are pursuing appropriate course work and staging suitable practice exercises. Whenever possible, public officials should participate in the exercises themselves.

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Commonwealth and Federal Laws

The main law governing local emergency management in Pennsylvania is the Emergency Management Services Code of 1978. Chapter 75 of the code covers most of the local issues discussed in the preceding sections of this handbook, such as the need for an Emergency Management Coordinator, certification and training of the EMC, the responsibility to prepare an Emergency Operations Plan and establish an Emergency Operations Center, participation in drills and exercises, and agreements among political subdivisions. It also authorizes municipalities to declare a local disaster emergency.

Other important commonwealth laws related to emergency management are the Pennsylvania Radiation Protection Act (Act 147 of 1984) and the Pennsylvania Hazardous Material Emergency Planning and Response Act (Act 165 of 1990).

At the national level, the Federal Civil Defense Act, originally designed as war-preparedness legislation, was subsequently amended to support the development and maintenance of an all-hazards approach to emergency management. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act provides for federal assistance to state and local governments after a disaster. Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) covers emergency planning and right-to-know issues related to hazardous materials.

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Always Be Prepared

Emergencies don't wait for you to be ready before they happen; you need to be ready at all times. For this reason, you should carry a list of the phone numbers (including cell phone numbers) of key emergency contacts at all times. These contacts/numbers should include the EMC, EOC, mayor or county executive, fire department, police department, health department, emergency medical services, communications director, and utilities.

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RESPONSE

In an actual emergency, response decisions will be guided primarily by your municipal or county Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) and other members of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). However, as a public official, you must also be prepared. You must know how to express public leadership, how to ensure quality performance by the governmental entities for which you will be held accountable, and when to stay out of the way. The following sections discuss key issues related to public officials' response to emergencies.

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Reporting a Disaster

If you are among the first persons to become aware of a disaster or emergency event, you should ensure that the following actions are taken:

• Activate local warning systems
• Alert the EMC
• Activate the EOC
• Mobilize emergency response resources

Your first call should probably be to the EMC, who may ask for your assistance with other communications.

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Going to the Disaster Scene

In most cases, the best thing a public official can do is to stay away from the disaster site, at least until the emergency has passed. However, it is understandable that public officials may want to express their government's concern for affected citizens as urgently and quickly as possible. If you do go to an emergency scene:

• Tell your immediate family members where you are going and how to contact you.
• Consider taking food, water, medications, clothes, and toiletries with you, in case you are detained longer than anticipated.
• Park your car at a safe distance from the incident and at a location where it will not obstruct traffic or emergency access.
• Do not attempt to enter areas where fire, police, or emergency response staff have restricted entry.
• Go to a location upwind and uphill from the incident if possible.
• Report to the incident command post (see next section) before entering the immediate area of the emergency. You may need special protective clothing or equipment before proceeding further.
• Watch where you walk. Be sure to avoid creating any risk of spreading infection or contamination.

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Incident Command Post

Public officials responding to an emergency should be familiar with the normal practice of establishing an incident command post at or near the site. This post will include representatives of the various response agencies, will be in communication with the EOC, and will provide for a coordinated response to the emergency. Its location should be readily identifiable by a previously agreed-upon signal, such as a colored sign or light. The incident command concept is central to the coordination of emergency response, and public officials must not bypass it in their eagerness to assist. Rather, they should consult with incident command representatives and follow any instructions they receive from the command post.

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Assuring the Public

Whether you are at the emergency scene or not, you will likely receive calls from your constituents. The following steps are recommended:

• Maintain a calm, assuring tone.
• Collect any useful information that the constituent may have. You may be able to direct helpful information to the right agency or emergency responder.
• Assure callers that the appropriate authorities are responding to the situation, that government is still operating, and that trained professionals are working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.
• Do not offer assessments or make promises that go beyond what you know with absolute certainty about the situation.

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Record Keeping and Documentation

You can contribute to the response and recovery processes by keeping records of what you observe. Begin a personal log immediately upon becoming aware of the emergency. Carry your log book with you. Remind the EMC and other staff to maintain activity logs and financial records. Make note of any problems, resource shortages, or weaknesses in response. These actions may not only assist the immediate response, but may also protect against legal liability, provide necessary documentation for post-emergency reimbursement, and improve preparedness before the next emergency.

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Media Relations

In an emergency, it is extremely important to disseminate accurate and consistent information. For this reason, all media requests should initially be referred to a designated public information officer.

The Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) should identify a staff member from the EOC who will serve as the communications contact during an emergency, along with a backup person should the primary contact be unavailable. All local media outlets should be informed in advance of who the public information officer is and how to contact that person in an emergency. The public information officer and backup person should maintain a complete, up-to-date list of media contacts.

Public officials should expect to receive briefings from emergency response staff as the situation unfolds and throughout the recovery period.

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Disaster Declaration

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Services Code authorizes a municipality or county to declare a local disaster emergency if a disaster has occurred or is imminent. The local governing body may delegate this authority to the mayor or other chief executive officer, subject to ratification by the governing body within seven days. The declaration of emergency activates the response and recovery aspects of the EOP and authorizes the furnishing of aid and assistance.

Following is a sample text of a disaster emergency declaration:

WHEREAS, [community] suffered serious damage to roads, bridges, homes, businesses, and other public and private facilities caused by [reason], which occurred on [date]; and

WHEREAS, the cost and magnitude of responding to and recovering from the impact of the ensuing event is far in excess of [community]'s available resources;

Now THEREFORE , be it resolved that the mayor [or appropriate official] of [community] declares [community] to be a disaster area.

ated this [date] day of [month], [year].

In the event that two or more municipalities within a county are affected by the same disaster, the county emergency management agency will exercise responsibility for coordination and support of emergency services.

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Commonwealth Assistance

PEMA's Western Regional Office should be advised promptly of an emergency situation and should be kept abreast of developments. PEMA can offer technical support at all stages of an emergency response. Declaration of a disaster emergency makes the affected municipality or county eligible to formally request additional resources from PEMA. Your EMC should be equipped to handle these communications.

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Evacuation

Once a local disaster emergency has been declared, county commissioners or executives, mayors, and township supervisors have the authority to order (that is, to command or direct), but not to compel , an evacuation within their jurisdiction. The emergency order, by activating the county or municipal EOP, puts into effect the evacuation measures contained in that EOP so as to safeguard the health and safety of residents.

If a disaster emergency affects only one municipality, the mayor or senior township official would be responsible for directing any evacuation. His or her evacuation order would be communicated through the municipality's emergency management agency (or, if none exists, through the county's emergency management agency), to police and fire officials for implementation, and to the general public. If two or more municipalities within a county are affected, the county commissioners (or county executive), as well as the mayor or senior township official of each municipality, would have the authority to direct an evacuation order. Normally the county commissioners would direct an evacuation only if the appropriate municipal official could not be located or failed to take suitable action.

Local officials may also establish restricted areas or curfews.

Fire or police chiefs would normally implement the evacuation orders of public officials, but they may also order evacuations if the appropriate elected officials are unavailable. Their discretionary authority in such a situation should be stipulated in the EOP. Regardless of the existence of such a statement, the fire or police chief may order an evacuation if he or she believes that an emergency poses an imminent threat to public health or safety.

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Disaster Checklist

The following material, adapted from a brochure prepared by the State of Maine for its local officials, can serve as a handy emergency response checklist.

Local Emergency Response

First response is critical and must be achieved by local response agencies using resources already in the community, including the activation of existing mutual aid agreements. Elected officials should remember that their role is policy making, not operational. Actions to take include:

• Start and maintain a personal event log. Include date, time, persons reporting, key information, factors weighed, and decisions reached.
  
• Implement local Emergency Operations Plan.

• Provide public warnings.

• Activate local Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

• Notify county emergency management agency director of EOC activation and status of the emergency.

• Notify town's legal advisor.

• Designate (if not already designated) a single public information officer.

• Remind staff to keep logs of actions, financial transactions, and calls.

• Mobilize community resources.

• Gather situation reports.

• Assess immediate needs for evacuation, shelter, emergency feeding, medical care, law enforcement, security, and traffic clearance.

• Evaluate need for outside assistance.

• Communicate with county emergency management agency director regarding status of the emergency and unmet needs.

• Notify amateur radio groups, American Red Cross, county sheriff, volunteer groups, social service agencies, and hospitals of the emergency.

Major Disaster Assistance

Steps that may assist with obtaining state or federal aid in a major disaster include:

• Make a map of the community to show damage sites and types of damage. Take photographs for documentation.

• Estimate damage to public facilities and the cost of public personnel services for repair and cleanup in each of these categories: debris removal; emergency measures; roads, streets, bridges, and culverts; water control facilities; public buildings; private nonprofit facilities; parks and recreation.

• Identify the effects of damage on people and on delivery of essential public services. Determine the number of dead, injured, missing, and homeless; people needing shelter, food, or clothing; number already in shelters; and number evacuated.

• Collect information at the municipal office to determine damages to private residences, businesses, farms, schools, and healthcare facilities.

• Report the information gathered to your county emergency management agency office. Report severe damage as soon as possible, even if you cannot make a good cost estimate. Request state or federal assistance through this office.

• Maintain records of labor, equipment, and materials used in disaster response.

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IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION

Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC)

EMC Substitute

Fire Chief

Chief of Police

Emergency Medical Services

Municipal Office

Municipal Elected Officials

County Elected Officials

School Districts

Public Works

Hospital(s)

Health Department

Public Information Officer

Electric Provider

Water Provider

Gas Provider

Commonwealth

Office of the Governor

Edward G. Rendell, Governor
Web site: www.governor.state.pa.us
Phone: 717-787-2500

Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security

Roland R. Mertz, Acting Director
Web site: www.homelandsecurity.state.pa.us

Pennsylvania Department of Health

Calvin B. Johnson, Secretary
Web site: www.health.state.pa.us
Phone: 1-877-724-3258

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

Dennis C. Wolff, Secretary
Web site: www.agriculture.state.pa.us
Phone: 717-787-4737

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Kathleen A. McGinty, Secretary
Web site: www.dep.state.pa.us
Phone: 412-442-4000 (Southwest Regional Office)

Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

James R. Joseph, Director
Web site: www.pema.state.pa.us
Phone: 717-651-2007

Pennsylvania State Police

Colonel Jeffrey B. Miller, Commissioner
Web site: www.psp.state.pa.us
Phone: 717-508-0033

Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General

Tom Corbett, Attorney General
Web site: www.attorneygeneral.gov
Phone: 717-787-3391

Federal

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Web site: www.hhs.gov
Phone: 1-877-696-6775

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Web site: www.cdc.gov
Phone: 1-800-232-4636

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Web site: www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home2.jsp (Emergencies and Disasters)
Phone: 202-282-8000

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Web site: www.fema.gov
Phone: 1-800-621-3362

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Web site: www.fbi.gov
M. Chris Briese, Special Agent, Pittsburgh Division
Phone: 412-432-4000

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Web site: www.usda.gov
Phone: 202-720-3631

U.S. Department of Justice

Web site: www.usdoj.gov
Phone: 202-514-2000 

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Mary Beth Buchanan, U.S. Attorney
Web site: www.usdoj.gov/usao/paw
Phone: 412-644-3500

International

World Health Organization

Web site: www.who.int/topics/emergencies/en (Emergencies)

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TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS

EMC Emergency Management Coordinator

EOC Emergency Operations Center

EOP Emergency Operations Plan

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

NIMS National Incident Management System

PEMA Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

SARA Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act

DOCUMENTS CONSULTED

Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services. 2004. Elected officials handbook.

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. 2005. Standing together: An emergency planning guide for America’s communities.
(www.jointcommission.org/NR/rdonlyres/FE29E7D3-22AA-4DEB-94B2-5E8D507F92D1/0/planning_guide.pdf)

Maine Emergency Management Agency. 1995. State of Maine local officials disaster response checklist.

National Governors Association. 2002. A governor’s guide to emergency management.
(www.nga.org/cda/files/GOVSGUIDEHS2.pdf)

Prince William County (Va.) Office of Emergency Management. 2005. Elected officials guide to disasters. (www.vml.org/CONF/05CRichmond/05ConfHandouts/Elected%20Officials%20Guide.pdf)

Salt Lake County (Utah) Fire Department Emergency Services Bureau. 2001. Public officials handbook for emergency management.
(www.saltlakefiredistrict.org/pdf/govofficial2.PDF)

Washington State Emergency Management Association. 2003. Elected officials guide to emergency management.
(www.mrsc.org/Subjects/PubSafe/emergency/em101offguide.pdf)

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Public Officials
Emergency Resource Guide

Overview

Introduction

Preparedness

Response

Important Contact Information

Documents Consulted