Office of Emergency Management
WHAT IS THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT?
The Sayreville Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is responsible for coordinating the Borough's response and planning activities during major events within the Borough or surrounding area. OEM brings together the public safety and administrative departments within the Borough to ensure that cohesive multi-level planning is undertaken before a disaster strikes. Once an emergency or disaster is predicted or occurs, OEM coordinates between different departments within the Borough as well as with the County and State to ensure that the Borough's response is efficient and effective. Sayreville OEM ensure that all of the Borough's Emergency Operations Plans (EOP) for dealing with a multitude of events and emergencies is updated and maintained. These plans are kept current through each individual department by the Local Emergency Management Council (LEMC) and Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) by reviewing annually and meeting on a quarterly basis. For an actual emergency, OEM's coordinated preparation and response can include:
- Orderly evacuation of residents when they are identified as being at risk
- Opening shelters for residents who are evacuated or cannot reach their homes
- Coordinate resources and responses between the Police Department, Fire Department, First Aid Squads, Public Works, Middlesex County and New Jersey State Agencies.
The Office of Emergency Management is responsible for the four phases of Emergency Management:
- Mitigation: eliminate or reduce the probability of a disaster occurrence.
- Preparedness: planning, exercising, training, and developing public information programs and warning systems.
- Response: include direction and control, warning, evacuation, emergency services, and are designed to address immediate and short-term effects of the onset of an emergency or disaster. They help to reduce casualties and damage and to speed recovery.
- Recovery: short-term operations seek to restore critical services to the community and provide for the basic needs of the public. Long-term recovery focuses on restoring the community to its normal, or improved state of affairs.
The purpose is to protect life and property in emergencies by coordinating response activities of municipal and volunteer entities to ensure their optimum use. It provides for actions to be taken to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the effects of an emergency. This plan is an all hazards approach to emergency management and covers natural disasters, technological disasters, and security crises. This office works closely with County, State, and Federal Emergency Management Organizations to ensure a rapid, well-coordinated response to emergencies. The Office of Emergency Management continually develops and revises Sayreville's Emergency Operations Plan to address any potential threats to the Borough.
- The Sayreville Office of Emergency Management
Christopher Bardsley, Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC)
Vincent Buffalino, Deputy EMC
Brian Braile, Deputy EMC
Daniel Plumacker, Deputy EMC
PREPARING FOR A DISASTER
As part of OEM's preparation for a disaster or an emergency, we advise local residents and businesses on how to prepare themselves for an emergency situation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) site Ready.gov has a comprehensive list of what supplies you should prepare in advance for your family to access in case of an emergency. We have recommended some supplies to start with to help you get started.
The Sayreville Office of Emergency Management is an official NOAA Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador. The Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador initiative is an effort to formally recognize NOAA partners who are improving the nation's readiness against extreme weather, water, and climate events. As a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador, our organization is committing to work with NOAA and other Ambassadors to strengthen national resilience against extreme weather. More information can be found at the NOAA Weather-Ready Nation website at www.weather.gov/wrn/
