The Portage County Emergency Management (PCEMA) operates within the realm of public safety and is tasked with the overall preparedness and resiliency mission of Portage County. PCEMA was established in 1989 by today’s ORC 5502.271 as a countywide emergency management program under the chief executives of the county. Essential deliverables are the annual review or development of the county all-hazards emergency operations plan and an annual exercise(s) testing such plan. ORC 5502 emergency management provisions provide guidance to the director/coordinator of EMA’s to deliver preparedness programs beyond the broad scope of solely the planning and the development/performance of exercises. In Portage County, the EMA is much more than planning and exercises to our local communities and county as a whole. The EMA is the essential cornerstone of a local government’s capability to coordinate and collaborate during disaster situations. The EMA’s ability to embrace and engage stakeholders is a necessary, if not the most influential part of an emergency management program. Limited on resources, the EMA relies heavily on partnerships so that the right resources are called at the right time to complete the right task. These partnerships lead our department to the individual or agency identified for their specific capability/resource and is often outlined in the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). This includes training in emergency management concepts and being well-versed in the Emergency Operations Center if the need occurs. With countless emergency and disaster situations occurring locally and nationally, Portage County residents need information on how to stay safe. Resident can reduce the risk of injury and loss of property if they have a local trusted resource for information. The Portage County Emergency Management Agency undertakes the establishment of a preparedness education program encompassing print, social media and outreach activities to provide residents with needed information. Portage Prepares is a county-wide, long-term education program for preparing Portage County communities to meet the challenges of emergencies and/or disasters in order to be safe, reduce risks of injury and reduce property destruction. Specifically, it is an education program providing preparedness information for Portage County, Ohio communities to prepare for natural disasters including: tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, winter storms, general severe weather etc. and public health emergencies, active threat/crisis events, nuclear disasters and other types of emergencies that are relevant to Northeast Ohio. The information will be applicable to residents of these Ohio communities: Aurora, Kent, Ravenna, Streetsboro, Garrettsville, Mantua, Hiram and Windham and the townships of Mantua, Hiram, Nelson, Franklin, Shalersville, Freedom, Ravenna, Charlestown, Windham, Brimfield, Rootstown, Edinburg, Paris, Suffield, Randolph, Atwater and Deerfield. The program is anchored by a dynamic web page at https://www.portagecounty-oh.gov/portage-prepares where citizens can find links to local, state and national resources for preparedness. The page on the Portage County government website also provides education that citizens will find valuable when making plans for staying safe when a storm hits or there is a health emergency. Portage Prepares objectives are:
• To educate Portage County citizens about how to prepare for the challenges of major weather events, disasters, health emergencies and other types of incidents.
• To provide a long-term, county-wide resource for education about preparing for disasters, serious incidents, weather-related problems and health emergencies.
• To prepare citizens to be self-sufficient for the first 72 hours of an emergency and/or disaster.
• To motivate Portage County citizens so they can on their own reduce risks of injury or illness in the event of disasters, serious incidents and health emergencies.
• To expand the resource to provide important information before, during and after a disaster, serious incident, weather-related problems, health emergencies or other types of incidents. Primary audiences for Portage Prepares education:
• Educational institutions (including educators)
• Elected officials to disseminate to local government including first responders
• Community leaders
• Adult head of households
• Community organizations and social service providers
• Senior population
• Persons with disabilities
• Media
• Faith-based communities
• Organizations that provide care to persons with disabilities
• Business owners and managers, also to include utilities and persons responsible for infrastructure
All shared, commented on or otherwise posted material on government owned social media accounts is subject to Ohio Public Records Law. Departmental websites, web pages or social media sites serve as a mechanism for communication between the public and the department and the following guidance is established:
The department will remove any postings containing confidential personal information or infringing on copyrights, trademarks or other intellectual property where permission for use has not been granted by the property holder. The department reserves the right to remove any material appearing to be spam, malware or other material potentially harmful to County property. The department reserves the right to remove content that includes vulgarity, personal attacks and content that discriminates or harasses on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, military status, genetic testing, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or other intrinsic personal characteristics. Statements advocating illegal activity or advertising commercial products, or services will not be tolerated and are also subject to removal. The department reserves the right to remove content that is inflammatory in nature or creates a personal attack against another member of the public or a member of the department. Social Media Policy and Online Content Terms of Use Statement can be found in Appendix B of the Portage County Board of Commissioners Personnel Policy Manual:
https://www.portagecounty-oh.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3706/f/uploads/ppm_-_effective_january_28_2020.pdf
