NEW Town Office Hours Tuesday 8:00am - 6:00pm
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Emergency Management

emaContact InformationKyle Santheson, EMA Director

Emergency Management is a discipline that involves preparing for disaster before it occurs, disaster response (e.g. emergency evacuation, quarantine, mass decontamination, etc.), as well as supporting, and rebuilding society after natural or human-made disasters have occurred. The process of emergency management involves four phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Mitigation efforts attempt to prevent hazards from developing into disasters altogether, or to minimize the effects of disasters should they occur. In the preparedness phase, action plans are developed for when disaster strikes. The response phase includes the mobilization of the necessary emergency services and first responders in the disaster area. The aim of the recovery phase is to restore the affected area to its previous state.

In February 2003, the President issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive (5) which directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and administer a National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS enables responders at all levels to work together more effectively and efficiently to manage domestic incidents no matter what the cause, size or complexity, including catastrophic acts of terrorism and disasters. In 2004, the Secretary of Homeland Security outlined the minimum requirements for states and territories to comply with NIMS. 2005 marked the beginning of a requirement for federal and local government leaders to begin putting in place practices and policies for the NIMS. 2006 was designated as a year for determining what worked and what needed to be improved. Homeland Security officials decided that if local officials had not fully implemented NIMS 2007, federal emergency preparedness funding would not be granted to that state or locality.

The Town of Waldoboro met several significant goals in 2007 to gain NIMS compliancy. First and foremost, voters authorized the "Emergency Management Ordinance of the Town of Waldoboro". The ordinance formally established the Waldoboro Office of Emergency Management and created the position of Emergency Management Director. In addition, The document adopts the NIMS as the municipal standard for incident management. Secondly, an Emergency Operations Plan was written, approved and distributed. The plan outlines coordinated response and recovery details for all municipal departments in the event of a natural or man made disaster.

Duties of the Emergency Management Director include but are not limited to:

  • Updating the Waldoboro Emergency Operations Plan,
  • Establishing, operating and maintaining the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during times of crisis,
  • Coordinating Emergency Response between town Departments,
  • Supervising the Towns Communications System including equipment purchases and maintenance, frequency allocation and licensing,
  • Completing a Hazard Risk and Vulnerability Assessment,
  • Developing all town emergency plans and procedures,
  • Coordinating with Lincoln County Maine Emergency Management Offices and the American Red Cross for disaster relief,
  • Coordinating with local Schools regarding Emergency Procedures,
  • Establish EOC communications and warning systems,
  • Maintains a list of disaster resources,
  • Disseminating Disaster Preparedness information to town residents,
  • Report damage assessments to Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency (LCEMA),
  • Submitting applications for FEMA disaster funds and grants,
  • Providing guidance in the annual Emergency Management budget and preparation of reports,
  • Scheduling training, drills, and exercises to train and test the local government's emergency response capability, and
  • Attending training courses, meetings and seminars and seminars at local, state and regional levels.