Text Version of  MEMORANDUM PDF

DATE: May 12, 2009
TO: Board of County Commissioners
FROM: Bertha Henry, County Administrator
SUBJECT: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

I want to provide some clarification and additional information with regard to the issues raised in the recent Miami Herald article and on WIOD as to our ability to respond to an emergency.

While there are four vacancies in the Emergency Management Division (EMD), two are grant-funded positions, which we anticipate will be filled upon receipt of the Homeland Security Grant Award that has been approved for EMD. The remaining two are general fund positions which are vacant due to recent resignations.

A staffing assessment was conducted for each general fund vacancy, and it was decided that one position should be filled and the other two heId vacant pending the outcome of budget process. This decision took into consideration the skill sets of recently hired staff including the director, assistant director, an emergency management coordinator and the availability of staff in other agencies to provide
the needed complement of resources. For example, the primary responsibility of one of the vacancies is public information, which is handled by the Office of Public Communications during an activation. With regard to the day-to-day responsibilities, this function is now being handled by Mr. Lanza. The training responsibilities of these vacancies have been transferred to other EMD staff and the Department
has provided secretarial back-up during the training period. Additional planning and GIS resources have been made available to the EMD to supplement that which is customarily provided by the Department.

While Mr. Lanza has expressed preference for budgeted staff within his division, the Department has secured the fuIl-time assignment of three significant additional resources that reside in the EOC. Also, as you know, every county agency is responsible for and assigns staff to develop emergency operations plans for their functional area, participate in training exercises for service delivery and support emergency operations at the EOC during any activation.

It is important to note that during an activation the majority of the ESF leads within the newly established Incident Command System at the EOC are seasoned county department, office and division directors. Training, specific to the responsibilities under NIMS, is continuing.

We are all well aware that budgetary issues are impacting all areas of County government. Just as we have achieved efficiencies within the Department and the EMD through the "sharing" of planning and GIS resources, it is my job to continue to ensure that all County agencies stand ready to meet the needs of the community in aII areas of essential service delivery, especially during an emergency when needs
are greatest.

Additionally, I think it is important to differentiate between the services offered at the Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County Emergency Management Agencies versus Broward's. Both our neighbors to the north and south have significantly more unincorporated area, and thus more municipal level responsibilities, such as Public Safety in Miami-Dade. Therefore, the numbers of staff at each agency is
not an appropriate benchmark to determine readiness.

I am confident that we have the necessary staff resources in the EMD and fiom other County agencies to support a successful activation in the same manner as we have in the past.

Please call me if you have any questions regarding this issue.

BWH/ds

C: Dick Brossard, Interim Deputy County Administrator
Pamela Madison, Assistant County Administrator
Cynthia Chambers, Director, Environmental Protection and Growth Management
Chuck Lanza, Director, Emergency Management Division