Emergency Management: Are You Ready?

Emergency management is critical to every municipal official and municipality charged with preparing for, responding to, and recovering from a disaster or major emergency event. Regardless of the size of your city or town, you will be responsible for handling and coordinating resources needed before, during, and after a disaster strikes.

There are many documents available that provide the guidelines and steps needed to support an effective emergency management program for cities and towns. These documents can be shared from other MML partner agencies. Additionally, there are many educational programs available, both online and through educational institutes that will help guide political officials and administrative staff with establishing, managing, and running an effective emergency management program. Here are several steps that you can take to establish your local emergency management program:

STEP 1: Enact ordinances creating and establishing an emergency management program for your city or town, including who’s responsible for program oversight and management. You'll find sample ordinances as part of the Response & Recovery page, and other valuable documents under Preparedness Resources.

STEP 2: Designate an individual who will be responsible for emergency management within your jurisdiction. This person should be an experienced emergency manager who has the knowledge, skills, and abilities to support and enhance your emergency management program. For information on the training required to develop these competencies, check out the Training Resources page.

STEP 3: Coordinate with other MML emergency management partners in the identification, development, and implementation of the various emergency management facets. Preparedness, response, & recovery phases of an emergency management program are the critical pieces to providing the necessary tools for all communities when dealing with significant incidents or events.

EDUCATION & TRAINING: It is imperative that both elected officials and administrative staff complete the necessary training needed to help assist and enhance their knowledge about emergency management. Also, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) training is highly recommended for anyone participating in the emergency management field. Emergency management education should be included in all job classifications that have a role in the preparedness, response, or recovery phases of an emergency incident or event. Find out more on the Training Resources page.

HEPAC TALKING POINTS: Need a set of concise talking points to share with fellow municipal officials or constituents? We encourage you to download and share this Municipal Emergency Preparedness Talking Points (PDF) page to help guide your discussion.

Hometown Emergency Preparedness Ad hoc Committee (HEPAC) 

 This committee provides guidance, assistance, and direction regarding all aspects of emergency management for Maryland’s cities and towns.