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A Newsletter by the City of Saco, Maine	July, 2007	Return to newsletter index

Saco Emergency Management

The Saco Office of Emergency Management is a functional department within the city structure; its office is the local representative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It is responsible for the development and upkeep of the city's emergency response and all-hazards plans.

Emergency Management is responsible for the coordination and management of resources during natural and manmade disasters, as well as enemy attack and large scale emergencies. These resources consist of city departments and county state and federal agencies, as well as volunteers and private organizations.

Domestic Preparedness
Emergency Management's domestic preparedness program uses all-hazards principles to enhance the capabilities for survival during large-scale emergencies or health related disasters.

Prior to September 11th 2001, preparedness programs were seldom able to get ahead of world events and were often unable to meet the public's need for protection from all-hazards due to shifting funding priorities and varying support by senior policy makers. This had an adverse effect on the public's perception of the need to be proactive in preparedness. The attacks of September 11th and the aftermath of Katrina in 2005 served to accentuate the importance of having plans and resources in place to deal with emergencies of all types.

Homeland security funding has helped Saco achieve goals otherwise unobtainable due to lack of local funding and support.

Four Phases of Emergency Management
Mitigation
Mitigation is the cornerstone of emergency management. It's the continuing effort to lessen the impact disasters have on people and property. Mitigation is defined as "sustained action that reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards and their effects." Through effective mitigation practices we can ensure that fewer people and communities become victims of natural disasters. Mitigation can take many forms. It can involve such actions as:

Promoting sound land use planning based on known hazards
Relocating or elevating structures out of the floodplain
Developing, adopting and enforcing building codes and standards
Engineering roads and bridges to withstand earthquakes
Using fire-retardant materials in new construction
Developing and implementing a plan in your business or community to reduce your susceptibility to hazards.

Preparedness
Preparedness takes the form of plans or procedures designed to save lives and to minimize damage when an emergency occurs. Planning, training, and disaster drills are the essential elements of preparedness. These activities ensure that when a disaster strikes, emergency managers will be able to provide the best response possible. Gale force winds, floods, and releases of deadly chemicals, fire, ice, earthquakes and other natural and man-made hazards cause disasters. When disaster strikes, the best protection is knowing what to do.

Response & Recovery
Response is defined as the actions taken to save lives and prevent further damage in a disaster or emergency situation. Response is putting preparedness plans into action. Response activities may include damage assessment, search and rescue, fire fighting, and sheltering victims. Recovery is defined as the actions taken to return the community to normal following a disaster. Repairing, replacing, or rebuilding property are examples of recovery. Local and State governments share the responsibility for protecting their citizens from disasters, and for helping them to recover when a disaster strikes. In some cases, a disaster is beyond the capabilities of the State and local government to respond, and the federal government has resources that can be made available for local use.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers educational and training opportunities, many of which Saco has adopted and implemented. We encourage you to learn more by visiting the following web sites:

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Saco has been blessed with a committed group of volunteers. These citizens have received specialized training in disaster response and augment our Emergency Management, Fire, Police and Public Works during large emergencies and disasters. Some of their duties include traffic control, evacuation notification, shelter operation and damage assessment.

To learn more on the CERT initiative visit us at: http://www.sacomaine.org/departments/ema/ema.shtml