Hello, all!
Today, Ron and I embarked on what could be the most important job for which the EMA is responsible: Reviewing and updating the Local Emergency Operations Plan (LEOP). We were fortunate that our coordinator from Missouri State Emergency Management Agency Region F, Brenda Gerlach, could take the time amidst her duties during the pandemic to come down to the EMA building here in Camden County!
Brenda was impressed by the renovations Ron has singlehandedly undertaken this year to improve our building! We like the updates to the county’s Emergency Operations Center as they will serve the county well during large-scale emergencies!
Not only did Brenda come down to help us with dissecting the county’s plan, she had read ALL of it, jotted down some notes for changes to be made, and provided us with resources to begin the overhaul! She is amazing!
We spent two and a half hours reviewing policy changes, new resources and information to add, and some things we could remove to better streamline the plan. As you may know, during emergencies, you want things spelled out in an easy-to-understand way so a lot of forethought and planning work is poured into the LEOP well before it is needed by the residents and visitors of Camden County.
It will take us quite some time to overhaul of the plan. Brenda has proposed the idea that all the emergency management directors (EMDs) of Region F work together on the changes in the coming months to ensure they work not only for each county, but also for the region as a whole! This should help when we need to borrow assets or manpower from other counties in the region if we are struck by a disaster.
We are ready to get to work! Look for updates throughout the process and then we will post the final product on our LEOP page when it is complete!
Camden County, MO Emergency Management Agency 