ASHLAND • BOYD COUNTY • CATLETTSBURG
OFFICE
OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Matthew K. Adkins, Director
Jimmie "Harold" Holley, Deputy Director
About Us...
ABC Emergency Management is the unified multi-agency coordination entity, local preparedness agency, and homeland security coordinating organization for the Cities of Ashland, and Catlettsburg, along with Boyd County, Kentucky.
We are located at the confluence of the Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers, where Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia meet. Part of the Advantage Valley Corridor that runs along Interstate 64, our area has the best of both worlds, a rural atmosphere, with all the amenities of a big City. Boyd County, the City of Ashland and City of Catlettsburg, have all seen a continued growth, with a number of large production facilities, including a major oil refinery.
ABC Emergency Management since its inception has been a unified effort by all of the local governments who take their responsibility for the safety, security and well being of their citizenry very seriously.
As part of our continued effort to improve our services ABC Emergency Management is responsible for the following functions, authorities to carry out these functions come from the National Response Plan, Federal Regulations, the National Incident Management System, Kentucky Revised Statute Chapter 39, and local ordinances, which includes the interlocal agreement for Civil Preparedness between the Cities and County, the backbone of the Emergency Management Office.
Our Responsibilities:
A Comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan is required by law for all local governments, this plan sets out the guidelines for how the community as a whole will prepared for, response to, and recover from, emergencies and disasters.
The Emergency Operations Center is the central location where all emergency and disaster operations are coordinated by the local government leaders. The EOC is the linkage, between field units, and higher level authorities, such as State or Federal Agencies. The EOC is a key part of the National Incident Management System.
The Emergency Management Office, is the primary government organization during a hazardous materials incident to insure all HAZMAT Standards are followed, by responders and responsible parties. The nature of Hazardous Materials Incidents require additional on scene incident management support, and coordination as well as the emergency operations center. All EM Staff are trained to the HAZMAT Technician and Incident Commander Level training as outlined in OSHA regulations. The EM Office also has on call technical staff, which includes local chemists, health physicists, and HAZMAT Specialists.
.ABC Emergency Management has taken further steps to insure the proper equipment and supplies are available to all response agencies through the EM Agency Support Unit, a hazardous materials response unit, which acts as a central stockpile of HAZMAT response equipment as well as providing a specialized cache of HAZMAT monitoring equipment, and responders capable of utilizing such equipment. The ASU is a central unit, available to any local requesting agency, who needs additional equipment during an incident. Since its development the ASU has responded to a number of HAZMAT Incidents.
Kentucky Revised Statute requires all Emergency Search and Rescue Operations be coordinated by the County Search and Rescue Coordinator, who serves under the Emergency Management Director as part of the EM Staff.
Preparedness is one of the most important functions of the Emergency Management Office. The Preparedness Program not only encompasses the preparedness of the local government and emergency response agencies to respond to an emergency, but the preparedness of the local population. To complete this task, ABCEM conducts disaster and emergency outreach programs in schools, we work with local business, schools and industry to make sure each individual understands their personal responsibility to take care of themselves and those around them in an emergency. ABC Emergency Management currently supports, the United States Citizen Corps Program, Community Emergency Response Teams, we are members of the Wally Wise Guy National Program, a turtle who teaches children the importance of knowing how to shelter in place during chemical emergencies, and we have been recognized by the National Weather Service as a Storm Ready Community - The storm ready program recognizes communities who actively work to insure local preparedness for weather related emergencies.
ABC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Copyright © 2005 by ABCEM. All rights reserved.
Revised: 11/17/06 21:45:56 -0500.
