Overview | vcema

PROJECTS

Intelligence Liaison Officer

An ILO is the principle point of contact for their agency, county, or sector, relating to terrorism and all crimes related to critical infrastructure. Each ILO is properly certified by attending an Ohio Homeland Security Intelligence Liaison Officer workshop. The ILO remains active in their region through outreach in their community and engaging with the Ohio Fusion Center Network.

Mitigation Planning Grant

Vinton County EMA has recently received a Mitigation Planning Grant to update our Hazard Mitigation Plan. This plan serves as a list of projects that would help prevent or lessen the impact of disasters in Vinton County. As a part of the project, a full risk assessment will be completed to determine what hazards pose the most significant threats to citizens, businesses, and infrastructure in the county. Once completed and approved, Vinton County will be eligible to apply for Mitigation Project Grants to obtain funds to complete the projects proposed in the plan. The public is invited to review the current plan and submit comments and project suggestions. Please see our publications page for more information.

Emergency Preparedness Community Outreach

The preparedness of a community's citizens is vital to the overall recovery after a disaster. Vinton County EMA recently provided a preparedness presentation for the Citizen's Academy sponsored by the Vinton County Sheriff's Office. If you are interested in holding a preparedness workshop for your business or organization, please contact us.

Storm Ready Status

Vinton County EMA, along with other county agencies and organizations, is continuously working toward improving the quality of preparedness, response, and recovery during severe weather events. Using NWS guidelines, we are taking steps to obtain a STORM READY status to better serve the community before, during, and after this type of emergency.

Past Projects

In addition to response and recovery actions during various declared and non-declared disasters and incidents, Vinton County EMA has previously been involved in the implementation of programs such as Citizen Corps (CERT) and Citizens Academy. The agency has also previously obtained grants for the purchase of outdoor warning sirens, first responder communications equipment, and other emergency equipment.

Functional Needs Assessment

Vinton County EMA is currently partnering with several community organizations to identify citizens with Functional Needs and create a database to improve emergency response. The functional needs population is made up of persons who might need additional assistance to be able to effectively participate in disaster response operations such as sheltering. Subsequently, we will work to create a Functional Needs Task Force that would deploy in the event of an emergency (such as a prolonged power outage, flood event, etc.) to confirm the safety of citizens who may not be able to maintain their health and independence, or to be able to manage the stresses of disaster/emergency response-related operations.