Emergency Management Duties
Emergency Management
The overall goals of the Emergency Management program are to reduce the loss of life; to minimize property loss and damage to the environment; and to protect Barton County from all threats and hazards. The local emergency management program enhances the protection of the county, its communities and its citizens through planning, training and coordination of resources. In addition, a local emergency management program allows the County to more effectively respond to and recover faster from the effects of a major emergency or disaster.
Instead of creating a unique and individual plan for every hazard or risk within the county, emergency managers work with community partners - emergency services (fire, ems, law enforcement), public works, public health, hospitals and medical facilities, schools, utilities, private sector businesses and non-governmental entities ( i.e. Salvation Army, American Red Cross, ) to create all-hazards plans.
The Emergency Management Director also serves as the county’s liaison with State and Federal agencies responsible for emergency management and is the direct communication link to the Kansas Division of Emergency Management.
The emergency management structure that exists in the United States has its origins in the Civil Defense efforts that arose after World War II. The possibility of nuclear attack during the 1950s was the main focus of the Civil Defense program. The program has since expanded to include planning for chemical or technological events, natural disasters, disease planning, or in short, a multi-hazard or all-hazards approach.