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Division of Emergency Management
The Division of Emergency Management works to mitigate, plan, and prepare for emergencies; educate the public about preparedness; coordinate emergency response and recovery efforts; and develop tools and identify resources to support the overall preparedness of Montgomery County.
The Division has numerous programs and initiatives, each described below.
Community Outreach
The Division of Emergency Management provides disaster preparedness education programs to community groups, schools, businesses, and municipalities to promote community resilience. Additionally, the Division maintains and promotes ReadyMontco, Montgomery County's public emergency notification system.
Emergency Planning
The Division of Emergency Management serves as the lead for the development and maintenance of the Montgomery County Emergency Operations Plan and other supporting emergency plans, including the Limerick Generating Station Radiological Emergency Response Plan. In addition, the Division provides assistance to municipalities, critical infrastructure organizations, and partner agencies in designing and updating preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery plans.
Hazardous Materials Planning
The Division of Emergency Management ensures chemical facility compliance with SARA Title III and Pennsylvania Act 165 in both chemical quantity reporting and facility emergency planning. The Division also administers the Montgomery County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC).
Logistics Support
The Division of Emergency Management maintains and coordinates the distribution of resources for preplanned or emergency deployment.
Operational Coordination
The Division of Emergency Management maintains, equips, and staffs the Montgomery County Emergency Operations Center and Watch Desk. Additionally, the Division provides personnel for field response and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) deployment.
Recovery
The Division of Emergency Management coordinates damage assessment after disasters and collects information to initiate the recovery process. The Division coordinates with local, state, and VOAD partners to return communities to normalcy.
Special Operations
Montgomery County Special Operations is composed of two teams, overseen by the Division of Emergency Management and staffed by part-time paid responders.
- The Montgomery County Hazardous Materials Response Team is capable of detecting and identifying chemical, biological, and radiological materials. In addition, the team is equipped to perform Level B and A entries and technical decontamination, mitigate large spills, and conduct atmospheric monitoring, plume modeling, and facility planning.
- The Montgomery County Urban Search and Rescue Team provides specialized assistance with structural collapse (breaching/breaking, shoring), technical search (visual, acoustic, & wide area), heavy lifting, trench rescue, confined space rescue, specialized rope rescue, and flood/swift water incidents.
Training and Exercises
The Division of Emergency Management designs, develops, and implements a variety of training and exercise programs to test the capabilities of emergency responders in Montgomery County. The Division also works closely with the response community to schedule and implement the training required for all levels of emergency management certification.