Emergency Management is a vital function involving all departmental levels of local government. Each department takes part in efforts to prepare for, respond to, mitigate, and recover from all types of dangerous or hazardous situations. During times when no emergencies exist, some of the duties handled by the Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) include the identification and analysis of the effects of hazards which might pose a threat to the Town of Newton and to attend training courses to keep skills and knowledge current.
Newton Office of Emergency Management
The official website for the Newton Office of Emergency Management in Newton, New Jersey.
Meet Newton’s Emergency Management Staff
Thomas S. Russo, Jr.
Position: Emergency Planning Committee Chair
Serving since 2008 trusso@newtontownhall.com
Ken Teets
Position: Emergency Management Coordinator
Serving since 2003 kteets@newtonoem.org
Dan Finkle
Position: Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator
Serving since 2008 dfinkle@newtonoem.org
Jason Miller
Position: Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator
Serving since 2017 jmiller@newtonoem.org
What is Emergency Management?
Able Oil Explosion 2003
Emergency management was institutionalized in 1979 with the creation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Five Federal agencies that dealt with many types of emergencies consolidated to form FEMA. Since that time, many State and local organizations have changed the names of their organizations to include the words: emergency management.
The name change indicates a change in orientation from specialized preparedness for single or narrowly defined categories of hazards toward an all-hazards approach that includes potential threats to life and property through environmental and technological hazards, and domestic and foreign attacks. This change reflects not a reduction in security, but an increased emphasis on making the nation’s emergency management capability responsive to any major emergency.
The Four Phases of Emergency Management
Since World War II emergency management has focused primarily on preparedness. Often this involved preparing for enemy attack. Community preparedness for all disasters requires identifying resources and expertise in advance, and planning how these can be used in a disaster. However, preparedness is only one phase of emergency management. Current thinking defines four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
Click the toggles below to learn more about each phase of emergency management.
Mitigation
Preventing future emergencies or minimizing their effects
- Includes any activities that prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or reduce the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies.
- Buying flood and fire insurance for your home is a mitigation activity.
- Mitigation activities take place before and after emergencies.
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A recent study by the Multihazard Mitigation Council (MMC) shows that each dollar spent on mitigation saves an average of $4.00.
Preparedness
Preparing to handle an emergency
- Includes plans or preparations made to save lives and to help response and rescue operations.
- Evacuation plans and stocking food and water are both examples of preparedness.
- Preparedness activities take place before an emergency occurs.
Response
Responding safely to an emergency
- Includes actions taken to save lives and prevent further property damage in an emergency situation. Response is putting your preparedness plans into action.
- Seeking shelter from a tornado or turning off gas valves in an earthquake are both response activities.
- Response activities take place during an emergency.
Recovery
Recovering from an emergency
- Includes actions taken to return to a normal or an even safer situation following an emergency.
- Recovery includes getting financial assistance to help pay for the repairs.
- Recovery activities take place after an emergency.
Let’s Talk About Michael
Hurricane Michael is now a strong Category 2 storm moving north over the Gulf of Mexico. After making landfall in the Florida panhandle, it will make its way across the Southeast United States before moving offshore in North Carolina/Virginia.
Impacts to New Jersey
While Michael's remnants are expected to remain south of our area, we are still expecting heavy rainfall that may lead to flooding concerns on Thursday into early Friday related to deep tropical moisture and an approaching cold front. Generally 1-2"+ of rain can be expected during this time. Skies will remain mostly cloudy through Thursday with warm and muggy conditions. Skies will begin breaking up by Friday as cooler and drier air filters into the region. Sunny skies are then expected over the weekend with much drier air and below normal temps.
Flood Safety Reminders:
-Turn Around, Don’t Drown! NEVER walk, bike, or drive through flooded areas.
- Obey traffic barriers.
- If flash flooding is a risk in your location, then monitor potential signs, such as heavy rain.
- Gather supplies in case you have to leave immediately, or if services are cut off. Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medication. Don’t forget the needs of pets. Obtain extra batteries and charging devices for phones and other critical equipment.
- Keep important documents in a waterproof container. Create password-protected digital copies.
- Protect your property. Move valuables to higher levels. Declutter drains and gutters. Install check valves. Consider a sump pump with a battery.
It’s Hurricane Season!
Are you prepared? Download our FREE NJ Hurricane Survival Guide today at www.nj.gov/njoem/plan-prepare/hurricanes.shtml.
#ReadyNJ
#HurricaneMichael
#HurricaneSeasonLet’s Talk About Michael
Hurricane Michael is now a strong Category 2 storm moving north over the Gulf of Mexico. After making landfall in the Florida panhandle, it will make its way across the Southeast United States before moving offshore in North Carolina/Virginia.
Impacts to New Jersey
While Michael's remnants are expected to remain south of our area, we are still expecting heavy rainfall that may lead to flooding concerns on Thursday into early Friday related to deep tropical moisture and an approaching cold front. Generally 1-2"+ of rain can be expected during this time. Skies will remain mostly cloudy through Thursday with warm and muggy conditions. Skies will begin breaking up by Friday as cooler and drier air filters into the region. Sunny skies are then expected over the weekend with much drier air and below normal temps.
Flood Safety Reminders:
-Turn Around, Don’t Drown! NEVER walk, bike, or drive through flooded areas.
- Obey traffic barriers.
- If flash flooding is a risk in your location, then monitor potential signs, such as heavy rain.
- Gather supplies in case you have to leave immediately, or if services are cut off. Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medication. Don’t forget the needs of pets. Obtain extra batteries and charging devices for phones and other critical equipment.
- Keep important documents in a waterproof container. Create password-protected digital copies.
- Protect your property. Move valuables to higher levels. Declutter drains and gutters. Install check valves. Consider a sump pump with a battery.
It’s Hurricane Season!
Are you prepared? Download our FREE NJ Hurricane Survival Guide today at www.nj.gov/njoem/plan-prepare/hurricanes.shtml.
#ReadyNJ
#HurricaneMichael
#HurricaneSeason
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Here's what you need to know about the Presidential Alert test. Please SHARE to spread #awareness!
For more information, visit NewtonOEM.org/emergency-alert-test/
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and Emergency Alert Systems (EAS) on Wednesday October 3, 2018. The WEA portion of the test commences at 2:18 p.m. EDT, and the EAS portion follows at 2:20 p.m. EDT. The WEA test message will be sent to cell phones that are connected to wireless providers participating in WEA. This is the fourth EAS nationwide test and the first national WEA test.
Cell towers will broadcast the WEA test for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 2:18 p.m. EDT. During this time, WEA compatible cell phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless provider participates in WEA likely will receive the test message. Some cell phones may not receive the test message, and cell phones should only receive the message once. The WEA test message will be accompanied by an audible tone and will have a header that reads "Presidential Alert" and text that says:
“THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”