EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Operation

The Office of Emergency Management operates out of the Fire-Rescue Department and the Town’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Purpose

The purposes of emergency management are to save lives, prevent injury, and minimize economic loss. Emergency management's goals are to protect the residents of the town through the coordination of available resources to deal with emergencies effectively.

Phases

Emergency management incorporates four specific phases to achieve our goals, namely:

Phase 1:  Mitigation

Any activities that can prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or reduce the damaging effects of unavoidable hazards are considered mitigation. Mitigation activities take place before an emergency occurs. A classic example of mitigation in our normal everyday lives is the Town's Fire Codes.

Phase 2:  Preparedness

Emergency plan development to ensure an effective and efficient response to emergencies is a major aim of preparedness. Staffing and equipping the Town's Emergency Operations Center is an example of being prepared. The Town's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) provides guidelines for preparing for and reacting to emergency events.

Phase 3:  Response

Response is the phase that occurs after the beginning of an emergency.We are fortunate in Palm Beach to have highly trained and motivated first responders in the Fire-Rescue and Police Departments to assist us in our time of need.

Phase 4:  Recovery

Returning to normalcy is the key aim during this phase of activity.The best example of this is the fine work the Department of Public Works does after a hurricane to return the town to its normal pristine appearance.Also, this phase pushes the town into more mitigation and preparedness activities from lessons learned.

Emergency management is an ongoing process even when there are no emergencies.The town continually strives to prevent and diminish future emergencies through experiences and training.