Administrative Section
Our administrative/fiscal staff handles, budgets, fiscal accounting, personnel, payroll, travel and all other functions that support all facets of our agency.
Grants Management Section
The State of Nevada, Division of Emergency Management is responsible for applying for federal funding through the Department of Homeland Security. We are the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for the distribution of these funds. This provides funding for equipment, planning, training, exercise, and management and administrative funding to emergency prevention, preparedness and response personnel in Nevada. These grants also provide funding to local governments for our critical infrastructure. This is defined as food and water systems, agriculture, health systems and emergency services, information and telecommunications, banking and finance, energy (electrical, gas and oil, dams), transportation (air, road, railways).
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
Operation Branch
The most effective way to exercise direction and control under emergency conditions is to provide a single site for key officials—an Emergency Operating Center (EOC) or field location. The EOC provides a central location for authority and the dissemination of official information, and allows for face-to-face coordination among personnel who must direct local support operations. The State of Nevada response functions are conducted in the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). In the SEOC, representatives from various agencies coordinate response activities such as public alert and warnings, mobilization of response personnel and the coordination and application of resources. Direction and control of resources are coordinated by the DEM chief and the Operations Chief.
The State Emergency Operations Center is activated by the Operations Chief when local capabilities are overwhelmed or when there is an operational need for the resource.
Planning Branch
The Nevada Division of Emergency Management (DEM) Planning Branch is part of the overall DEM Preparedness Program, which includes
the DEM Training and Exercise programs.
The Planning Branch develops statewide and regional
all-hazards plans to support local and tribal jurisdiction emergency and
disaster response, including the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan
(SCEMP) and the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) Operating
Guides. The DEM Planning Branch also provides “Whole Community”
planning expertise to city, county, tribal and state agency emergency
management programs that are required to develop all hazards emergency
operations plans.
DEM Planners provide technical assistance in the
development of jurisdiction and agency Continuity of Operations (COOP)
plans. COOP plans are used to ensure businesses and local governments are
able to provide essential services and functions when the entity is directly
impacted by an emergency or disaster. The Planning Branch accepts and
maintains emergency plans that are developed from resort casinos, public and
private schools and utilities in accordance with the Nevada Revised
Statutes. A critical function of the DEM Planning Branch is
support to the State Emergency Operations Center during activation due to a
state emergency. This branch falls under the SEOC’s incident command
structure and maintains the state’s common operating picture, tracks resources,
determines statewide resource needs, and develops the state’s Incident Action
Plan for the event.
Training Branch
In
support of Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPD) 5, 8, and 11, The
Nevada Division of Emergency Management has a formal, documented training
program composed of training needs assessment, curriculum, course evaluations,
and records of training.
Emergency
personnel receive and maintain training consistent with their current and
potential responsibilities. Specialized training related to the threats
confronting the jurisdiction is included in the training program.
Training
is regularly scheduled and conducted in conjunction with the overall goals and
objectives of the training program. Training is based on the training needs
assessment, internal and external requirements and mandates (i.e NIMS) and
addresses deficiencies identified in the corrective action process.
DEM
utilizes courses developed from the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium
(NDPC) comprised of: FEMA’s National Emergency Training Center/Emergency
Management Institute (EMI), Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston,
Alabama, the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMIMT), Louisiana
State University (LSU), Texas A&M University (TEEX), and the Department of
Energy's Nevada Test Site (NTS).
Exercise Branch
Exercise section
is committed to providing the Nevada emergency management community, emergency
response professionals, volunteers, and the private sector with the means to
produce quality exercises that improves the preparedness of the State of
Nevada, its citizens and resources. This is accomplished through the use of a
State-wide exercise program: the Nevada Exercise Program (NEP), which includes
standardized policies, processes, products, and assistance in all aspects of
exercises. The
NEP is an all hazard, multi-discipline, multi-jurisdictional program that
utilizes a progressive approach with
exercises focused on capabilities
prioritized in the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA)
and the State Preparedness Report (SPR) processes.
Exercises validate capabilities of individuals, teams, organizations and
communities to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond, and recover from the
effects of all emergency/disaster events. In order to successfully accomplish
the validation of capabilities exercises need to have consistent processes for
development, conduct, and evaluation. The Homeland Security Exercise and
Evaluation Program (HSEEP) provides this consistency. All exercises conducted
in Nevada, utilizing Federal grant funds, are required to adopt the principles
and guidance provided in HSEEP.
Recovery and Mitigation Section
A disaster or emergency will occur which overwhelms the capabilities of local government to effectively recover. In order for local government to provide a timely and effective recovery effort, assistance from the State may become necessary. This will require short-term and long-term planning which allows for a smooth, efficient and coordinated recovery effort for any size disaster up to and including a Federally Declared disaster. Recovery activities are those necessary to restore services and systems to a state of normalcy. Recovery actions include damage assessment and those necessary to return health and safety systems (e.g., water) and services (e.g., acute health care) to minimum operating standards. Various recovery activities are likely to be long-term and may continue for many years. The hazard mitigation programs purpose to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster.
State Public Assistance
The public assistance program provides supplemental Federal disaster grant assistance for the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities and the facilities of certain Private Non-Profit (PNP) organizations.
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.
Public Information
The
Public Information Officer (PIO) contributes to fulfilling the DEM mission and
meeting strategic objectives and program goals. This is accomplished by
organizing and implementing public information activities in order to provide
the partnering agencies, public, and media with timely and accurate information
during an incident and in matters of public interest and to provide a positive
organizational image.
One
of the priorities for the PIO is to educate and prepare residents through
relevant, prompt, and authoritative emergency information. Internally
communication systems and networks are essential for protecting lives and
property in the event of any kind of significant disaster or emergency. The
media and the public seek information and guidance during times of natural and
manmade disasters and emergencies; therefore, the DEM PIO has an inherent
obligation to protect its citizens by disseminating this information.
Due
to the importance of disseminating information quickly and accurately in times
of crisis, DEM has several operational documents outlining policies, procedures
and protocol. Dependent on the size of the incident and the division’s activation
level, the PIO determines the execution of the appropriate action plan to
include the Joint Information Center (JIC).
PIOs
are often referred to as crisis communicators. They obtain information from
various sources, compile the pertinent details in a concise manner and
disseminate the specifics to pertinent parties internally and externally.
Information is provided on warnings, alerts, shelter, evacuation orders, and
the general progress of events. All facts must be reported as accurately as
possible and in a timely manner as the incident unfolds.
Communication may occur through a number of avenues, including press conferences,
phone calls, email, media outlets, and through social media platforms. (Many
federal and state agencies provide timely updates and information through
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, for example.) Further, external affairs are
often involved in developing public outreach materials, such as handbooks and
flyers, web site development and media materials, such as press
releases/advisories.