Emergency Services

Our Mission

Natural hazards are an inevitable and unfortunate aspect of life. Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, earthquakes, wildfires and other hazardous events are natural and dangerous events that are beyond our control.

The aftermath of these hazardous events is visible in the ecological environment: fire can destroy forests, tornadoes can uproot trees, earthquakes can alter the landscape. The natural environment is surprisingly capable of restoration from the forces of nature, and can restore habitat and restore habitat and ecosystems in time for the next generation of plant and animal life to begin anew.

Emergency Management coordinates and responds to incidents of terrorism involving the use of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) weapons; for the protection of critical infrastructure and prevention of terrorist incidents.

Our Four Phase Approach

The work of Emergency Management includes a four phase approach: 

• Preparedness
• Response
• Recovery
• Mitigation