We are
Ready Millcreek!
E
mergency Management dates back to the days of the
Civil Defense program in the 1950’s. Duck and Cover
drills were commonplace and Bert the Turtle taught
our children to “duck and cover” when they “saw the flash”.
In those days, Emergency Management covered everything
from fall out shelters to search and rescue. As the threat of
nuclear war waned and public safety agencies increased
capabilities, Civil Defense transitioned to the “All Hazards”
approach of Emergency Management.
Emergency Management is the process where
communities manage complex emergencies and disasters.
This is separate from organizations that respond to
emergencies on a daily basis. Fire, Law Enforcement,
Emergency Medical Services, and Public Works are the
subject matter experts in their fields. Rarely though, do
they have to work on an daily basis as teams dealing with
complex events, nor do they work with the elected leadership
of a community in their daily responses. The 4 phases of
the Emergency Management Cycle are: Preparing for the
emergency/disaster, Responding to an emergency/disaster,
Recovering from an emergency/disaster, and Mitigating the
emergency/disaster. The Job of Emergency Management is to
improve the outcome of a disaster. This can be measured in
lives saved, reduced damages, decreased disruptions, and/or
shorter recovery time just to name a few.
Millcreek Township’s Emergency Management program
had humble beginnings with one employee who split
Emergency Management job duties with being the Fire
Inspector. Emergencies were handled as they occurred and
there was limited time for planning for disasters. Soon, the
Department began to grow and a better understanding of
the need for Emergency Management took hold. After 9/11,
the Department had to again adapt to the growing threat of
Terrorism and the need to incorporate Homeland Security.
In the last 4 years, the Department grew from one
employee with part time duties and a few volunteers, to a
department with 3 full time employees as well as a large
contingent of volunteers who serve Millcreek Township
during times of disaster. In addition, pre-planning is now
conducted with schools and organizations. Plans have also
been created for major disasters to standardize how we
will respond. As a result of this growth and after assessing
the risk that the Township faces on a daily basis, the Board
of Supervisors placed a plan in motion at the beginning of
2017 to establish a formal Emergency Operations Center
(EOC) within the Township Building to monitor and respond
to events across the Township. Prior to the permanent EOC,
Emergency Management staff had to set up an EOC “on the
16
MILLCREEK
Deputy Caleb Dixon (left) and Director Matt Exley
fly” out of storage containers. This created a delay in being
able to attack the emergency/disaster in its early stages. After
many months of planning, the EOC became fully operational
on January 3rd 2018.
The new Emergency Operations Center is outfitted with
enough space and technology to allow us to respond to
disasters that may threaten the Township now and in the
future. Each responding agency and support agencies have
dedicated seats that allow us to coordinate and direct the
response to an emergency or disaster. Multiple computer
displays allow us to monitor the disaster and anticipate the
needs of the operation. Communications consoles allow us
to communicate with our responders in the field.
In 2017 alone, Millcreek Township experienced 4 major
disasters. The flooding, tornado and historic snowfall
stretched the resources of the Township. Fire, EMS, Police
and Public Works worked together in the EOC to ensure
that Millcreek Township was able to properly respond to the
disaster and reduced our recovery time. Many municipalities
see disasters maybe once a year. The ability for Millcreek
Township to endure this many disaster, is a testament to
the emergency management program, our day to day
responders and most importantly the resolve and resiliency
of our residents who helped each other during the disasters.
The Millcreek Township Department of Emergency
Management will continue to protect the Township and act
on threats to the residents of our great community in the
future. Please interact with us on our Twitter and Facebook
Pages to learn more about your Department of Emergency
Management.