Nevada Division of Emergency Management Overview
Nevada's Division of Emergency Management (DEM) is a Division of the Department of Public Safety and Operates Under the Authority of NRS 414.
Emergency Notifications – DEM Duty Officers
Duty Officers rotate on a weekly schedule and are available 24/7/365
Primary Emergency Contact Number – 775-687-0498
Secondary Number – DPS Dispatch – 775-687-0400
Staff is on call 24/7/365 to
assist local and tribal authorities in response to emergencies and incidents in
their jurisdiction. In addition, DEM staff the State Emergency Operations
Center (SEOC) when a disaster or emergency threatens the state, as well as
prior to, during and after large scale events. Depending on the complexity of incident, the SEOC
is activated, it is staffed by DEM and representatives from other appropriate
state agencies and volunteers, with responsibility for disaster response and
recovery efforts.
Day-to-day responsibilities are managed by DEM's sections:
Administrative/Fiscal Section
Our administrative/fiscal staff handles, budgets, fiscal accounting, personnel,
payroll, travel and all other functions that support all facets of our agency.
Grants & Recovery Section
Grants Management – State Homeland Security Grant Program(SHSP), Urban Area Security
Initiative (UASI), Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) funding, Emergency
Management Planning Grant (EMPG) funding, Department of Energy (DOE) funding, and
Waste Isolation/Project Plant (WIPP) funding.
Hazard Mitigation - Hazard analysis and risk assessment, and grants. Public
Assistance - Mutual aid, coordination of financial assistance for state of
emergencies and Presidential declarations.
Interoperability
Communications Section
This section is responsible for managing emergency management
programs that provide for interoperability activities and response
capabilities; ensure assistance is provided to local governments and other
state agencies in sustaining emergency management capabilities; ensure that
funding levels can support programs; and prepare, review, submit required
fiscal reports and expenditures. This position manages resources that must
satisfy the emergency preparedness mandates and initiatives associated with
federal grant programs as well as operational functions of the State Emergency
Operations Center.
Preparedness Section
Operations and Planning - Statewide
planning, operations support and communications.
Training and Exercise - Training, anti-terrorism planning,
critical infrastructure analysis.
Southern Nevada Office - Regional Preparedness staff and Statewide
Interoperable Communications Coordinator.
Homeland Security Section
In 2003 the Nevada Legislature created the Nevada Commission on
Homeland Security as a response to the terror attacks against the United States
on September 11, 2001. As described in Chapter 239C of the Nevada Revised
Statues (NRS 239C), the Nevada Commission on Homeland Security is tasked with
several responsibilities directed toward making recommendations to the
Governor, the Legislature, local governments, private business, and citizens
about actions and measures that may be taken to protect the citizens and
visitors to this State from potential acts of terrorism and related
emergencies.
State Emergency Operations Center -Activated when local capabilities are overwhelmed or when
there is an operational need for the resource. An Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) is the physical location at which the coordination of information
and resources to support incident management (on-scene operations) activities
normally takes place.
Mission & Vision Statements
Vision: Building Nevada resilience through coordination and
partnerships.
Mission: Coordinating mitigation, preparedness, response,
and recovery programs and resources through partnerships to build resilient
communities for Nevada’s residents and visitors.
Values: Leadership,
Accountability, and Teamwork
Division Goals
Goal
1: Efficient teamwork, strengthened by collaboration, communication, and
leadership.
Goal
2: Accountable partnerships in coordinating emergency and disaster resources
for the Whole Community.
Goal
3: Effective leadership in building and maintaining statewide emergency and
disaster capacity.
Strategic Planning Framework
The strategic planning framework was built upon over 18 months of effort and establishes a
roadmap for the Nevada Division of Emergency Management (DEM) to
evolve over the next five years. It is based on previous DEM strategic planning efforts with input
from the statewide community, and it aims to provide a vision for emergency management throughout
the state, and not just a vision for DEM.
Annual Report
This report does provide significant detail of DEM’s daily activities over the last year, it is
primarily intended to provide a high level overview to partners and decision makers throughout
the state.
Nevada State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (SCEMP)
The
objective of the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (SCEMP) is to
reduce the possible consequences of an emergency by preventing loss of life and
injuries; reducing damage to infrastructure, buildings, and homes; thus
accelerating the resumption of normal daily life activities; and to the maximum
extent possible, protect the environment.
Continuity of Operations Plan
Continuity of Government is paramount in the
event of a crisis or emergency within, or affecting the State of Nevada. The
State is vulnerable to a variety of hazards that threaten its citizens,
communities, businesses, economy and the environment. The September 11,
2001 attack on our nation emphasized this point and increased the urgency to
strengthen plans and procedures that provide for the continuation of civil
government and a capability to perform essential functions over a wide range of
contingencies.
The Continuity of Government (COG) Plan of the State of Nevada provides
that each of the three branches of government (Executive, Legislative, and
Judicial) will establish and maintain a viable Branch Continuity of Operations
(COOP) plan that assures the performance of essential functions during
emergency or other situations that disrupt normal operations. This document is updated
annually.
Statewide Resilience Strategy
The Statewide Resilience Strategy provides a general overview
for how and why Nevada should transition to a resilience paradigm for its
emergency management and homeland security initiatives. It examines the
existing efforts and provides proposals for how to reinforce existing systems,
and more important, how to coordinate all of these systems in the most
efficient and productive way possible.
EMAP Accreditation
The
State of Nevada-Division of Emergency Management/Homeland Security (DEM) has achieved
full accreditation and exhibits “best practices” in the management of
emergencies by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP).
EMAP
is a voluntary accreditation process for state, territorial and local
governments’ emergency management programs that coordinate preparedness and
response activities for all disaster types based on national standards. It
recognizes the ability of emergency management programs to bring together personnel,
resources and communications from a variety of agencies and organizations in
preparation for and in response to an emergency, in addition to obtaining the
ability to measure those capabilities.
DEM
was the lead agency responsible for ensuring the state’s accreditation, which
is a means of demonstrating through program examination, documentation and
on-site assessment by an independent team that a program meets national
standards.
DEM
met stringent criteria and went through a rigorous yearlong program of
evaluation, documentation and review. The EMAP process evaluates emergency
management programs on compliance with 64 national standards in 16 functional
areas, including: planning; resource management; training; exercises;
evaluations and corrective actions; and communications and warning.
History of DEM
- Nov. 28th, 1861, territorial
Gov. James Nye signed off on the “An Act in relation to the Militia of the
Territory of Nevada” and established the Nevada National Guard.
- The Nevada Territory acquired statehood in
1864
- The Nevada Division of
Emergency Management was established in 1953.
- From
1953 to 1967 DEM was under the Nevada department of Defense before converting
into the Nevada Department of the Military in 1967.
- In 1993 the Nevada Department of the Military was
renamed the Nevada Office of the Military
- DEM
was under the Nevada Department/Office of the Military from 1967 to 1999. In
March 24th, 1999, Governor Guinn approved NRS 414.040 which states:
“A division of emergency management is hereby
created within the department of motor vehicles and public safety.”
“The
chief of the division is appointed by and holds office at the pleasure of the
director of the department of motor vehicles and public safety.”
“The
division is the state agency for emergency management and the state agency for
civil defense for the purposes of the compact ratified by the legislature
pursuant to NRS 415.010.”
“The chief is the state’s director of
emergency management and the state’s director of civil defense for the purposes
of the compact.”
- In January 2010, Office of Homeland Security merged
with the Division of Emergency Management.
Past Legislative Actions
- AB 715 (9/01/1988)
Require division
of emergency management to establish procedures of reports of spills or
accidents involving hazardous materials.
- SB 533 (9/01/1988)
Allow funding of local emergency response planning committees.
- AB 445 (9/01/1988)
Authorize employment of additional deputy director of department of
motor vehicles and public safety.
- BDR 53-1007 (9/01/1988)
Allow emergency response
commission to have access to certain records of employment security
department.
- SB 329
(01/13/1989)
Various changes concerning board of Search and Rescue.
- AB 351 (02/07/1989)
Create funds for division of emergency management.
- Ch. 269 (02/07/1989)
Appropriation to the division of emergency
management to update state’s disaster preparedness plan.
- AB 933 (06/09/1989)
Appropriation for support of Department of Motor
Vehicles and Public Safety.
- AB 124 Ch. 483 (08/14/1990)
Required consideration of
certain hazards to populated areas in planning and zoning.
- SB 458 (01/24/1991)
Require division of emergency management to
establish program for earthquakes education for school children.
- AB 109 (06/11/1992)
Create a State Emergency Operations
Center within Division of Emergency Management of Department of the
Military.
- BDR 43
(02/13/1995)
Creates Divisionof Special Services within the Department
of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety.
- AB 626 (08/19/1998)
Department of Motor Vehicles and
Public Safety- Emergency Management; Makes changes concerning emergency
management.
- SB 193
(10/16/1998)
Revises procedures under which local government may receive
services related to emergency management.
- SB 441 (2001)
In
2001, a NRS was passed to determine that the division of emergency management is
created within the department of public safety.
- AB 441 (2003)
Legislature passed Assembly Bill 441 which created the Office of
Homeland Security and the Nevada Commission on Homeland Security
- SB 39 (12/20/12)
Revises provisions governing the Nevada
Commission on Homeland Security. (BDR 19-342)
- SB
44(12/20/12)
Revises provisions relating to allocations from the Disaster
Relief Account.
DEM Chief's
- Justin Luna: August 2019
- Caleb S. Cage: July 2015 to July 2019
- Christopher B. Smith: October
2011 to April 2015
- James Wright:
Interim Chief March 2011 to October 2011- Appointed DPS Director
- Frank Siracusa: 1997- 2011
- Tom
Manning: Deputy Chief in 1997
- Charles W. Owen: 1997
- James P Hawke: May 1993-1997
- Bill Langley: April 1993
- Joe Quinn: March 1993
- David McNinch
- Bob
King
- Bob Andrews: Executive
Director of SERC
- General Tony Clark
- Major
General James May: 1953 to 1967