The Four Phases of Emergency Management
Emergency Management encompasses four phases: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Mitigation refers to actions taken to prevent disasters or lessen the harmful effects of unavoidable disaster. Preparedness is planning and training for potential disasters and emergencies. Response includes all those action taken to lessen the impact of an actual
or emergency. Recovery involves actions taken to return communities and their citizenry to their pre-disaster state, including measures to enhance future disaster preparedness. Emergency Management is "to protect lives and property from the effects of natural and technological disasters and enemy attack", and begins with the President of the United States. At the federal level it is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Within Minnesota, the Governor, working through the state's Department of Public Safety, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM), is responsible for maintaining an effective emergency management program throughout the state. This includes monitoring county and municipal Emergency Management programs to insure compliance with federal and state regulations and statutes. At the local level, the appointed county and city Emergency Management Director has the responsibility to develop disaster response capabilities and coordinate the development of an emergency response plan for their jurisdiction. Who We Are
Pipestone County Emergency Management is charged with coordinating the emergency preparedness and homeland security efforts of the county. In addition to planning and educating, we provide assistance to local jurisdictions and county agencies before, during and after disaster strikes. EM works closely with county, local and state law enforcement, and cooperatively with neighboring jurisdictions to enhance homeland security and better prepare for and respond to incidents ranging from tornadoes to terrorism. Homeland Security involves working with all aspects of public safety - from the federal level to working with individual citizens - to ensure the most comprehensive and coordinated approach to protection of the public safety. The division works with many agencies and jurisdictions to coordinate information, training and equipment needed for protecting the county and the nation from acts of terrorism. In the awful event that such an act is perpetrated upon us, EM staff will work with these agencies and jurisdictions to meet the problem quickly, mitigate its effect, inform the public, and reduce the chances that such an event can happen again. Emergency Management is a dynamic process. Planning, though critical, is not the only component. Training, conducting drills, testing equipment and coordinating activities with the community are other important functions. The Minnesota Division of Emergency Management has six regions that are geographically the same as AMEM's regions. These regions are represented by Regional Program Coordinators (RPC).
