The County Emergency Management Agency Director serves as a link between local jurisdictions and the State for both the collection and the dissemination of information throughout a disaster. Local and County government are the front line of emergency management organizations. The Emergency Management Agency is not a replacement for police, fire, ambulance, Red Cross, or other emergency response groups. The Emergency Management Agency coordinates response and recovery in declared disasters when more than one department is responding to a threat. The County Emergency Management Agency coordinates emergency response when a disaster extends beyond the normal mutual aid boundaries of the affected community, or when several communities are involved. The county director provides guidance, planning models, home study courses, and workshops on emergency management to local communities and their Emergency Management Agency staff. Emergency response is handled at the lowest level of government possible. The law requires the political subdivisions of the State to use all their available resources to the maximum extent possible to minimize loss of life and damages to public and private property in an emergency. When the resources of local government, the private sector, and volunteer agencies are inadequate, or it is evident they will be exhausted, a request for assistance is made through the community’s normal mutual aid avenues. When these resources are also exhausted, the County Emergency Management Agency Director is notified and a request for additional aid is made to meet any unmet needs. The County Director also coordinates interjurisdictional assistance, and oversees the distribution of county-owned or controlled resources. If the emergency is beyond the capabilities of both local and county government, the county director contacts the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) with requests for State assistance. The County Director verifies, quantifies, and qualifies all resource requests before relaying the request to the State Emergency Operations Center. The County Director keeps the State Emergency Operations Center appraised of the status of resource needs occurring in the county throughout this process. All County Emergency Management Agencies have developed mutual aid agreements with neighboring counties for the sharing of Emergency Management Agency personnel, and sometimes other resources, during emergencies. The natural disasters most likely to occur within Piscataquis County are winter storms, flooding, wildfires, and severe thunderstorms. The most likely man-made disasters include railroad derailments, tanker truck accidents, or a major structure fire.
