Emergency Management
Rockland Fire & EMS is the lead agency responsible for Emergency Management for the City of Rockland, with the Fire Chief also serving as the Emergency Management Director. The Emergency Management Director is responsible for directing emergency management and recovery activities of City personnel, other responders and volunteers. Additionally, the City’s Emergency Management agency is responsible for the five phases of Emergency Management, which are:
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Prevention – action(s) taken to avoid an incident or stopping an incident from occurring by such means as deterrence operations and surveillance.
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Mitigation – measures that prevent an emergency, reduce the likelihood of an event, or limit the damaging impacts of unavoidable emergencies; typical mitigation measures include establishing building codes and zoning requirements, installing shutters, maintaining drainage systems, etc.;
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Preparedness – activities that increase a community’s ability to respond when a disaster occurs; typical preparedness measures include developing mutual aid agreements and memorandums of understanding (MOU), training for both response personnel and concerned citizens, developing response plans, conducting disaster exercises to reinforce training and to test capabilities and presenting all-hazards education campaigns;
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Response – actions carried out immediately before, during, and immediately after a hazard impact that are aimed at saving lives, reducing economic losses and alleviating suffering; response actions may include activating the emergency operation center, fire fighting and urban search & rescue, emergency medical operations, evacuating threatened populations, opening shelters and providing mass care;
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Recovery – actions taken to return a community to normal or near-normal conditions, including the restoration of basic services and the repair of physical, social and economic damages; typical recovery actions include debris cleanup, financial assistance to individuals and governments, rebuilding of roads, bridges and key facilities, and sustained mass care for displaced human and animal populations.
In addition to providing fire and emergency medical services, Rockland Fire & EMS provides the bulk of the hazmat technicians to the area’s ODP (Office of Domestic Preparedness) Funded Hazardous Materials Team and offers confined space and other technical rescue services in order to better serve the City of Rockland. We are a full service department!
All of these services can be brought to bear in response to fires, mass casualty incidents, hazardous materials releases, flooding, epidemic, terrorist attacks, etc. You can rest assured that your local public safety agencies, including Rockland Fire & EMS, will be first on scene when it comes to your safety.
One of the best ways in which you can help us help you is to be prepared for a potential natural or man-made disaster. Families should
- Plan together for an emergency
- Build a Disaster Supply Kit
- Make a Family Communications Plan, and
- Stay Informed
Excellent information is available through the Maine Emergency Management Agency.
Other Good Preparedness Websites Include:
If you have any questions regarding preparedness, please do not hesitate to call us at 594-0318 and ask for the Fire Chief.
Download the City of Rockland 2008 Emergency Operations Plan (5 MB PDF)