Monroe County Emergency Management Center
The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) executes the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan for disaster relief before, during and after any type of natural or man-made disaster or a wartime situation. In accordance with State Executive Law 213, the office develops and maintains a comprehensive emergency management plan to include prevention/mitigation, readiness, response and recovery. OEM plans and coordinates with government and non-government agencies for rapid response in an emergency, and assists towns and villages in the preparation of their emergency response plans.
Each county in the U.S. is mandated to have an Emergency Management Center and associated plans. The primary focus of the OEM is on life safety of the citizens and responders.
The Monroe County Emergency Management Center serves as the command post for approximately 75 different organizations that can be brought together in an emergency situation, including the County Executive, Fire, EMS, Police, NYS DES, NYS DOT, City, Town Governments, School Districts, FEMA and others. As needed, corporations are brought into the Center as part of the command post. The County Executive generally will issue any State of Emergency from the Emergency Management Operations Center.
Emergencies in the Monroe County area include items such as high lake levels, snow and ice storms, significant fires, the recent COVID pandemic, etc. Monroe County (along with Wayne County) is also known as a radiological county due to the proximity of the Ginna Nuclear Power facility.
There is a continuous cycle of evaluating risks and hazards and determining plans and actions for: 1) Mitigation, 2) Preparedness, 3) Response, and 4) Recovery
Monroe County OEM has developed plans for many areas of possible emergency covering such items as mass care, contingencies for housing such as shelters, response to a radiation incidents, and debris management. It will work with other counties when needed such as supporting the recent massive snow storms in the Buffalo area.
The Center is well structured for communications (both live and virtual) and for facilitating key organizations to work together rather than in silos.
Special thanks to Timothy Henry, Deputy Director of Public Safety & County Emergency Manager and Peter Mikiciuk, Monroe County Safety and Security Administrator (and ASIS Member) for hosting ASIS Rochester community at the Monroe County Emergency Management Center.
