Emergency Management
Function of Department
Norton County Emergency Management is responsible for the planning, coordination of response, recovery, and mitigation activities related to county-wide emergencies and disasters; serving as the primary coordination point for communication between the Federal, State, and local levels; developing emergency operation plans for the county, assisting local jurisdictions with emergency action plans; conducting training and educational outreach programs related to emergency preparedness; and sponsoring emergency management training.
Mission
Norton County Emergency Management mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a county we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
What is Emergency Management
Emergency Management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Kansas law requires every county to have a state approved Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), and to appoint an Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC). The EMCs, in conjunction with local governments, are responsible for coordinating the necessary actions to protect lives and property before, during, and after times of disaster and/or emergency.
Philosophy of Emergency Management
There are four aspects to Emergency Management's philosophy:
- Mitigation - Preventing or reducing the impact of possible events
- Preparedness - Identifying hazards and preparing plans for particular hazards
- Response - The hands-on response to the emergency event
- Recovery - Operations that will insure the orderly return to normal, near-normal, or improved levels following a disaster
Hazard Mitigation Plan
The Kansas Homeland Security Region B Hazard Mitigation Plan was developed as a guide for Norton County jurisdictions and citizens to prepare for possible natural disaster events by taking actions to mitigate the effects of potential hazards. The Kansas Homeland Security Region B Hazard Mitigation Plan is valid for 5 years from the date it was adopted by the Norton County Board of County Commissioners, by Resolution 2020-01 on January 6, 2020.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management began in 2012 to develop regional mitigation plans in an effort to provide sustainment of mitigation plans and save taxpayers’ money. The Norton County Mitigation Plan was replaced with a regional mitigation plan. The Kansas Homeland Security Region B Hazard Mitigation Plan is comprised of nine participating counties: Ellis, Graham, Ness, Norton, Phillips, Rooks, Rush, Russell and Trego Counties. The regional plan was prepared to meet the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000), as defined in regulations set forth by the Interim Final Rule (44 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) Part 201.6).
Mitigation is commonly defined as sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and their property from hazards and their effects. Hazard mitigation planning provides communities with a roadmap to aid in the creation and revision of policies and procedures, and the use of available resources, to provide long-term, tangible benefits to the community. A well-designed hazard mitigation plan provides communities with realistic actions that can be taken to reduce potential vulnerability and exposure to identified hazards.
Anyone with questions on the Mitigation Plan are encouraged to stop by the Norton County Emergency Management Office.