Sheriff Falls' Monthly Update - March

What is Emergency Management?

A crisis or catastrophe can strike at any time.  Are you prepared?  For his monthly update for March, Sheriff Falls asked Jackson County Emergency Manager Sara Rubrecht to talk about her department.  You'll also find links to some important information on how you can prepare your family for an emergency.

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The Jackson County Emergency Management (JCEM) office resides within the Sheriff’s Office, and has the full support of Sheriff Falls and his staff and resources.  Jackson County Code outlines the Jackson County Administrator’s responsibility to carry out the Emergency Management requirements listed in Oregon Revised Statutes.  The County Administrator appointed an Emergency Manager to administer the program’s day to day operations.

Jackson County Emergency Management is the liaison between the 11 incorporated cities, the county, and Oregon Emergency Management and FEMA.  JCEM participates locally in the four distinct phases of emergency management, which sometimes overlap:

• Preparedness
• Response
• Recovery
• Mitigation

While first responders such as deputies and fire personnel react to immediate situations, Jackson County Emergency Management is responsible for a wide variety of functions and activities at the various phases.  These include:

• Jackson County Emergency Operations Plan
• Jackson County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan
• Cohesive Wildfire Plan/Integrated Fire Plan
• County Continuity of Operations/Continuity of Government Plan
• Emergency Alert System (EAS)/Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS)
• Citizen Alert Emergency Notification System
• Jackson County Amateur Radio Emergency Services (JCARES) Volunteer Program
• HAM Radio emergency communications
• County Emergency Operations Center
• Resource acquisition
• Response Coordination
• Citizen Hotline – call center
• Public Information Coordination
• Homeland Security Grants

Other regular activities include training, exercises, public education, and evacuation planning. JCEM coordinates with all first responding agencies in Jackson County, and provides assistance when needed.

We take advantage of numerous opportunities to interact with community and neighborhood groups – a challenging feat considering we have just two full-time staff members to cover a county of more than 208,000 citizens.  To help reach as many people as possible, we operate the JCEM website.  It is full of information about preparedness and resources.  You can also follow us on Facebook for the latest updates.

Thank you,

Sara Rubrecht

Jackson County Emergency Manager