hernando county emergency management strategic plan

Hernando County Emergency Management

Strategic Plan

2017 – 2020

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Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3

Purpose ......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Mission .......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Methodology ................................................................................................................................................. 4

Advisory Committee ..................................................................................................................................... 5

Accomplishments of 2016 – 2017 ................................................................................................................. 6

Goals and Objectives for 2017 – 2020 ........................................................................................................ 10

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 14

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Introduction

Hernando County Emergency Management is the agency responsible for administering emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation programs in Hernando County, Florida. This important work is accomplished through established multi-agency partnerships, community engagement, and effective coordination. These partnerships ensure that the needs of disaster survivors and emergency responders are met at all levels, including local, state, federal, private, and volunteer agencies and organizations.

Hernando County is vulnerable to a variety of hazards such as hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, and wildfires that could affect its social, structural, environmental, and economic well-being. These hazards threaten the life and safety of county residents. They have the potential to damage or destroy both public and private property, and disrupt the local economy and overall quality of life of individuals who live, work, and vacation in the community.

It is the goal of the Hernando County Board of Commissioners, its municipalities, and various public and private sector stakeholders to work collectively to mitigate the potential impacts of all hazards that threaten the community’s life, property, and economy.

Purpose

This Strategic Plan serves to channel efforts relating to the overall direction and guidance of the Emergency Management program in Hernando County. It provides the foundation to guide decisions and activities. It is not intended to account for or identify all future issues that may arise. This plan anticipates that elements are sufficiently flexible to meet changing needs.

Mission

The mission of Hernando County Emergency Management is to foster resilience among the whole community by coordinating the activities necessary to build and sustain the capability to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from all hazards.

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Methodology

The goals and Initiatives in this strategic plan were developed through active engagement with program stakeholders, historical pertinent activities, future opportunities, and anticipated community needs. No single performance measure exists to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the emergency management program. Nationally accepted best practices and principles guide the strategic themes of this plan.

The implementation methods and intended results listed are not inclusive but act as a guide. Valuing flexibility and innovation, the Emergency Management program will seek opportunities and new ways to achieve goals and initiatives. Shifts in community needs may also drive changes in the types of milestones necessary to effectively measure program success. The Emergency Management program will also implement continuous and systematic improvement through the utilization of feedback forms, surveys, exercise and actual event after action reports, and assessments.

The complete draft Strategic Plan will be made available for public review and comment on the County’s website, www.hernandocounty.us. Any feedback received from the public will be evaluated for inclusion in this plan at least annually.

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Advisory Committee

The Emergency Management program supports a cross-disciplinary representation to advance strong partnerships and relationships. This group encourages planning initiatives that effectively support and mobilize resources, expertise, and capabilities from all levels of government, the private sector, and the non-profit community.

The following public and private entities have been invited to serve on the Emergency Management Advisory Committee, and participated in the development of this plan. The Advisory Committee will meet at least annually to review this plan and provide feedback for continued improvements.

Cities: Brooksville Weeki Wachee

Constitutional Offices: Hernando County Supervisor of Elections Hernando County Office of the Clerk of Court Hernando County Property Appraiser Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Hernando County Tax Collector

Hernando County Government Animal Services Board of County Commissioners Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport Building Division Business and Tourist Development Engineering Fire Rescue Fleet Operations Health and Human Services Housing Authority Human Resources / Staffing Services Emergency Management Library Mosquito Control Office of Management and Budget Parks and Recreation Planning Public Information Public Works Purchasing and Contracts Solid Waste and Recycling Stormwater Management Technology Services Utilities

Other Agencies: American Red Cross Brooksville Police Department Christian Contractors Association Community Emergency Response Team Dawn Center Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce Hernando Builders Association Hernando County Association of Realtors Hernando County Emergency Communications Services Hernando County School District Jericho Road Ministries Oak Hill Hospital The Arc Nature Coast United Communities of Hernando County United Way of Hernando County U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural

Sciences Extension Service Walmart Distribution Center

State Agencies: Florida Department of Children and Families Florida Department of Health in Hernando County Florida Department of Law Enforcement Florida Department of Transportation Florida Division of Emergency Management Florida Forest Service Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Florida Highway Patrol Southwest Florida Water Management District

Utilities: Duke Energy Sumter Electric Company TECO Peoples Gas Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative

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Accomplishments of 2016 – 2017

Emergency Management Exercises

Hernando County Emergency Management participated in, sponsored, or conducted the following exercises throughout 2016 and 2017:

• 2016 Hurricane Season EOC Tabletop Exercise • 2017 Hurricane Season EOC Tabletop Exercise • 2016 Statewide Hurricane Exercise • 2017 Statewide Hurricane Exercise • Florida National Guard Active Shooter Exercise • Long Term Care Facility Evacuation Tabletop Exercise • Pasco County Hurricane Season EOC Tabletop Exercise • Sumter County Wildfire Tabletop Exercise • Zika Tabletop Exercise

Public Outreach

Community engagement is one of the keys to the success of the emergency management program. Hernando County Emergency Management regularly conducts preparedness programs, planning workshops, education for children and families, and community programs for vulnerable and special needs populations.

Hernando County Emergency Management also encourages volunteerism in a coordinated effort inside our agency and with affiliated nonprofit and faith-based organizations.

As of the publication of this plan, a total of 62 public outreach presentations and events were hosted or attended by the staff of Hernando County Emergency Management in 2016 and 2017. The following public events were well attended by Hernando County residents:

• Chamber of Commerce Keys to Success • Coastal Community Flood Mitigation Workshop • Hernando County Sheriff’s Office National Night Out • Hernando County Utilities Water Awareness Series • Hurricane and Safety Expo • New Residents’ Reception • “Rev Up Your Engines” Back to School Bash

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Stakeholder Engagement

In April 2017, Hernando County Emergency Management hosted an Emergency Operations Orientation for Elected and Senior Officials. The leaders of Hernando County play an important role during each phase of emergency management, and this orientation was specifically designed to help them understand their role before, during, and after disasters. The orientation began with a presentation from Bryan Koon, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director, to provide an overview of emergency

operations at the State level and the capabilities of the State Emergency Response Team. Each staff member of Hernando County Emergency Management then presented a basic overview of emergency management in Hernando County, and addressed the multitude of activities that accompany each phase of emergency management – preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.

Disaster Recovery

The Hernando County EOC was activated for three events in 2016, including Tropical Storm Colin, Hurricane Hermine, and Hurricane Matthew.

Hurricane Hermine made landfall in the early morning hours of Friday, September 2, 2016 in the Big Bend area of the Florida Panhandle, and was the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since 2005. The storm reached Category 1 status with 80 mph winds, and brought five feet of storm surge to the coastal areas of Hernando County. The EOC was activated prior to landfall, and successfully coordinated emergency protective measures, damage assessment in affected areas, and public information dissemination before and after the storm. Contracted resources were engaged to remove almost 4,000 cubic yards of debris. An unmet needs committee was also

established to ensure that basic human services like safe shelter, food, and water were made available to affected county residents.

The impacts of Hurricane Hermine garnered Hernando County a Presidential Disaster Declaration for both Individual Assistance and Public Assistance.

Weeks later, Hernando County was again threatened by a tropical system, Hurricane Matthew. While Hernando County did not receive the impacts of a direct landfall, emergency plans and procedures were enacted to ensure the highest level of response

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capability. The EOC coordinated with the City of Brooksville, Hernando County School District, Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, Hernando County Animal Services, and the Florida Department of Health in Hernando County to open and operate a collocated shelter to accommodate general population, special needs clients, and pets. A total of 25 individuals and 1 dog were sheltered on Thursday, October 6 and Friday, October 7, 2016. This shelter population also included evacuees from Orange and Brevard Counties. While some reports of downed trees and local gas shortages were received, the overall impact to Hernando County from Hurricane Matthew was minimal, and the EOC returned to level 3 monitoring on Friday, October 7, following the closure of the shelter.

In April 2017, a 1,000 acre wildfire was ignited in the Weeki Wachee Preserve that spans the Hernando Beach area. As the wildfire was located deep in the Preserve, no residential structures were threatened.

However, heavy smoke and local road closures impacted the Hernando Beach area for several days. A unified command structure comprised of Hernando County Fire Rescue, Florida Forest Service, Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, and Hernando County Emergency Management was successfully implemented to manage this incident and coordinate the provision of resources for containment. Citrus County Sheriff Fire Rescue, Pasco County Fire Rescue, Hernando County Fire Corps, American Red Cross, and The Salvation Army also provided mutual aid in support of this event.

Training

Hernando County Emergency Management conducts and hosts several trainings throughout the year to sustain and improve emergency operations capabilities among its staff, as well as County Government and community partners. The following list is a sample of trainings that were held in 2016 and 2017:

• Amateur Radio Training • Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) / Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Training • Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training • FL-601 Preliminary Damage Assessment • FL-603 Public Assistance Grant Program • FL-604 Procurement Disaster Assistance Training “Super Circular” • FL-605 Pre-Event Planning for FEMA’s Public Assistance Grant Program • G-300 Intermediate Incident Command System for Expanding Incidents • G-489 Management of Spontaneous Volunteers in Disasters • Public Information Center Staff Training • SKYWARN ® Weather Spotter Training • WebEOC Refresher Training

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Planning Initiatives

Hernando County Emergency Management maintains a repository of plans throughout the year. These plans provide the framework for how we will coordinate, collaborate, and communicate during emergency operations. Some plans are legally mandated by state and federal entities, while others are locally based planning initiatives with the intent of improving operational capability. Although Hernando County Emergency Management is not directly responsible for every plan listed below, Emergency Management staff is actively engaged with our partner agencies in their planning processes.

• Strategic Plan • Comprehensive Emergency

Management Plan • Critical Facilities Inventory • County Terrorism/Homeland

Security Plan • Repatriation Annex • Pandemic Response Plan • Mass Casualty Plan • NIMS/ICS Implementation Plan • Continuity of Operations Plan • Continuity of Government Plan • Local Mitigation Strategy • Community Wildfire Protection Plan • Floodplain Management Plan /

Community Rating System • Post Disaster Recovery Plan • Disaster Housing Plan • Debris Management Plan • Emergency Public Information and

Warning Plan • Emergency Childcare Services Plan • Special Population Sheltering Plan • Emergency Sheltering Plan • Preparedness Campaign Operating

Guidelines • Feeding Plan • Local Transportation / Evacuation

Plan

• Joint Information System / Center Plan

• EOC Dormitory Plan • Civil Unrest Plan • E-Role Plan • County Points of Distribution • Disaster Recovery Center Activation

Plan • Disaster Fuel Plan • Volunteer Management Plan • Donations Center Plan • Cooling Center Plan • Billboard Emergency Alert System

Plan • Dependent Shelter Plan • Social Media Plan / Policy • Peer Support Plan • Adopt a Shelter Plan • Intelligence Section Plan • Family Reunification / Assistance

Center Plan • Special Needs / Well Check Plan • Active Shooter Plan • Damage Assessment Plan • Healthcare/ALF Plan Reviews • Coastal Oil Spill Response Plan

(dovetails with the USCG Area Contingency Plan)

• Logistics Plan

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Goals and Objectives for 2017 – 2020

Goal 1:

Enhance public outreach and education efforts in Hernando County.

Objective Responsible Timeframe

Publish Emergency Management newsletter. Specialist Semiannual

Update the Disaster Planning Guide. Coordinator Annual

Review and update evacuation routes and shelter locations.

Director Annual

Review and update the Emergency Management website.

All Staff Annual

Coordinate and promote the Hurricane and Safety Expo.

All Staff Annual (may fluctuate)

Conduct emergency preparedness presentations for the public. All Staff As Requested

Promote special needs registration. All Staff Ongoing

Pursue the development and implementation of a mobile app for emergency preparedness information.

Director By the end of 2018

Continue to evaluate the emergency and disaster education needs of coastal communities, and target outreach efforts accordingly.

All Staff Ongoing

Goal 2:

Maintain a comprehensive training and exercise program.


Update the Multi Year Training and Exercise Plan (MYTEP). Specialist Annual

Verify trainings are posted in SERT TRAC. Specialist Monthly Coordinate shelter worker training for County and partner agency employees with American Red Cross.

Specialist Annual

Coordinate SKYWARN® weather spotter training with National Weather Service.

Specialist Annual

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Conduct a minimum of one exercise per year to test emergency management processes and systems.

All Staff Annual

Continue to evaluate the training and exercise needs of County staff. All Staff Ongoing

Offer Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training for the public. Specialist Biannual

Conduct Public Information Center (PIC) staff refresher training. Specialist Annual

Conduct WebEOC refresher training for ESFs. Specialist Annual Encourage National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) compliance in all County departments.

Director Annual

Continue to enhance professional development through conference and workshop attendance (e.g. Florida Emergency Preparedness Association, Current Issues in Emergency Management.)

All Staff Ongoing

Goal 3:

Continue to refine emergency management planning initiatives.


Develop and implement a “Know Your Role” program to assign disaster roles to all County employees.

Director Human Resources By June 2018

Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), including Emergency Support Function (ESF) Annex, review and update.

All Staff Review: Annual

Update: Every 4 Years

Annual visit, tour and meeting with the National Weather Service.

All Staff Annual

Review of emergency management plans for facilities for the developmentally disabled, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals.

Specialist Annual

Review and track proposed bills and changes to Federal, State, and Local legislation affecting emergency management.

All Staff Ongoing

Review and update memoranda of understanding between Emergency Management and partner agencies.

Director Partner Agencies Annual

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Monitor the status of pre-event contracts with private sector entities for emergency services.

Director Specialist Annual

Goal 4:

Strengthen response capabilities using technology, community support, and resource management.


Test of EM Net System/Emergency Alert System/NAWAS.

Coordinator Monthly

Participate on the Regional Domestic Security Task Force (RDSTF) Emergency Management Committee.

Director Quarterly

Assess the planned space allocation of all designated risk shelters and evaluate opportunities for improvement.

Specialist Annual

Goal 5:

Continue to improve recovery capabilities.


Provide Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning guidance to County departments and partner agencies.

All Staff As Requested

Review and update the debris management plan.

Specialist Solid Waste

Annual

Work with partner agencies to develop a strategy for determining the post-event status of local businesses, and a distribution plan for business-specific recovery information.

All Staff Sheriff’s Office

Economic Development Ongoing

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Goal 6:

Build a more resilient community through innovative mitigation strategies.


Promote National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in flood prone areas and repetitive loss communities.

Specialist Annual

Review of best practices for Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS).

Specialist Annual

Update LMS project list. Specialist Annual Review repetitive flood loss properties and applications for flood mitigation assistance.

Specialist Annual

Monitor updates to the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for declared disasters in Florida.

Specialist Ongoing

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Conclusion

Hernando County Emergency Management’s Strategic Plan is intended to be a roadmap that addresses both practical needs at the department level, while addressing the planning needs at a countywide level. This Strategic Plan expresses the continued commitment to provide the best possible stewardship in making our community better prepared and resilient to all hazards.

The plan will not achieve success unless we widely communicate these strategic goals and incorporate them into the day-to-day activities of the agency, with support from all of our partnering agencies. The strength of Hernando County’s Emergency Management program comes from our partnerships. These partnerships, forged over the last decade, have enabled the program to grow through planning, training, exercises, and coordinated emergency response activities.

This Strategic Plan will guide us as we continue our long and distinguished tradition of excellence in the emergency management community. Hernando County Emergency Management has a proven track record of carrying out its plans and achieving results. As staff monitors performance throughout the year, adjustments will be made to make certain we achieve the desired results.

This strategic plan cannot represent the entirety of what Hernando County Emergency Management hopes to accomplish over the coming years. It does however serve as a framework to make difficult decisions, focus our resources, and advance the program. With the support of dedicated staff, talented and creative partners, and committed leadership, we will continue to build on our distinction as a leader in emergency management and set Hernando County on a path of increasing excellence.

hernando county emergency management strategic plan

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