Emergency Management
Borough of Belmar
Office of Emergency Management
Dennis Ryan, OEM Coordinator
OEM Office 732.681.3700 extension 225
The Emergency Management Division is one of 52 agencies, which act within the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management. The division, created by the Emergency Management Act of 1977, is responsible for protecting the people of Belmar from the effects of disasters, natural and manmade. It was reorganized in 2005 into functional units, using the “Incident Command system (ICS)”, the national model for managing emergency operations. This organizational structure mirrors the local incident command structure and the federal Emergency Response Team structure, thus streamlining and simplifying intergovernmental coordination. The six major functional sections are Public Information, Hazard Mitigation, Operations, Logistics, Information and Planning, and Finance.
The Emergency Management Division responds quickly to support local government emergency operations (Police, Fire & EMS). The several OEM Staff Officers are trained and equipped to rapidly respond to the scene of an emergency to coordinate the delivery of local assistance. The resources of the County and State can also be summoned and available within a matter of minutes to assist local governments.
Mission
In cooperation with our partners, we are committed to enhancing the quality of life in the Borough of Belmar by assisting people to effectively prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against all hazards and disasters.
Vision
Through the use of verifiable data, operate efficiently, formulate sound public policy, and enhance public awareness.
What is Emergency Management?
“Emergency management” is the systematic approach to preparing for, responding to, and recovering from major emergencies. While all emergencies cannot be avoided all the time, some can be prevented, and most can be managed in ways that minimize their impacts.
Belmar has a full-time Emergency Management Coordinator. The OEM Coordinator maintains the Borough’s Emergency Operational Plans and prepares for emergencies ranging from terrorism to chemical, radiological, and biological spills to fires, medical emergencies, and natural disasters.
In general, Emergency Management takes an “all hazards” approach to planning. This means that plans are intended to be applicable to virtually all emergencies, even though each situation may vary widely.
The three components to emergency management are prevention, incident management, and recovery and continuity.
Emergency Response Plans
Belmar’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) guides the response to major emergencies within the Borough. This plan, which conforms to county, state and federal emergency planning requirements, outlines the responsibilities of key administrators and departments during an emergency. The plan establishes a chain of command for making decisions during an emergency and its aftermath.
Belmar’s emergency plan describes processes for direction and control, communications, evacuation, warning and notification, health and medical information, and mass care during an emergency.
The Four-Phase Approach
The work of the Belmar Office of Emergency Management includes a four-phase approach: preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation.
Preparedness
As part of OEM’s mission to protect public safety, public awareness and information programs are conducted throughout the year, including “The Governor‘s Hurricane Conference” and “Severe Weather Awareness Week,” which are conducted in cooperation with other local, state, federal, and private sector organizations. OEM also conducts workshops on specific threats, such as hurricanes and terrorism, for governmental officials and emergency personnel. OEM will also provides literature, audio-visual materials and speakers to promote hazard awareness and risk reduction.
Local Emergency Management Agencies and the Emergency Management Division work as a team to identify and analyze the hazards that may threaten communities, and operations plans are developed accordingly. Emergency Operations Plans address the predictable consequences of disasters, i.e., isolated communities, lost power, downed trees — regardless of the hazard (hurricane, tornado, earthquakes, nuclear power incidents, and terrorism). These consequences are addressed through functional planning. Functional planning allows emergency planners to focus on operational tactics such as evacuation coordination, shelter operations, search and rescue, power restoration, debris removal, and donated goods. Exercises, ranging from tabletop versions to full-scale mock accidents involving multiple counties, are conducted to validate these state and local operations plans. The division regularly participates with local, state and federal agencies and utilities to test the emergency plans for the many different incidents, which may occur.
Hazard awareness and emergency preparedness information are critical to the public. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a cooperative effort between emergency management and commercial broadcasters across the state. New Jersey radio and television stations voluntarily give broadcast time to alert the public when threats become imminent. Such valuable information aids in saving lives, reducing injuries and lessening the impact on property.
Response
Proactive response strategies used by OEM include: Area Commands that are strategically located in an impacted region to assist with local response efforts using local, county and state resources; incident action planning that identifies response priorities and resource requirements 12 to 24 hours in advance. The State Emergency Response Team (SERT), which is comprised of top level management representatives of each state agency involved in response activities, provides the technical expertise and coordinates the delivery of the emergency resources used to support local emergency operations.
When resource needs are beyond the capabilities of Local agencies, mutual aid from other un-impacted local governments and states may be secured using the Statewide Mutual Aid agreement or Emergency Management Assistance Compact. Federal assistance may also be requested through the federal Emergency Response Team, which collocates with the SERT during major disasters.
Recovery
Recovery activities are designed to restore public infrastructure and facilities, and to assist families with securing safe and secure housing. A recovery plan begins with a thorough assessment of damages to facilities, infrastructure, homes, businesses, and agriculture. When the SERT is activated, state agencies are simultaneously activated to begin developing and implementing a recovery plan. The Recovery Team is composed of representatives of state, local and federal agencies as well as such organizations as the, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and church groups who coordinate disaster relief and recovery activities. In this way, prompt assistance can be provided following a disaster or emergency.
When disaster recovery is beyond the capability of local governments and communities, the Governor may use the full resources of the state to support recovery operations. When the disaster is beyond the capability of both the local and state government, the Governor may request the President to declare the event a “Major Disaster.” This designation authorizes federal financial assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts. The federal assistance programs are designed to assist disaster victims begin personal recovery through disaster housing grants and individual assistance in the form of grants and loans, and to assist government agencies recoup disaster expenses and losses. The financial programs traditionally are a cost share between the federal and state government.
Mitigation
Mitigation activities reduce the future impacts of natural and technological hazards on people and property. The priority is to make our homes, businesses and communities as resilient as possible against the impacts of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires and other hazards. Sustainable redevelopment is about making communities more livable than they were prior to the disaster. Regular information and education outreach efforts are conducted to inform citizens, local governments and businesses on specific mitigation measures they can do before a disaster ever occurs in order to reduce potential future losses.
Most hazard mitigation techniques are applied at the local government level, where land use decisions are made, growth and development take place, and where hazards occur. In order to address basic local governmental choices about where and how to build, local mitigation plans are created to identify the hazard risks facing a particular jurisdiction. Specific tools and techniques can be used to reduce those risks. This may include acquisition or elevation of flood prone homes, adopting a local flood ordinance, informing citizens about the importance to purchasing flood insurance, and limiting the extension of infrastructure into known high hazard areas.
An amount equal to 15 percent of the federal investment in a Presidential disaster is provided to the affected state for use in the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The state sets the mitigation priorities and administers the program.
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