ONE-ON-ONE WITH MICHAEL BARTON
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE LONG-RANGE OBJECTIVES THE CALHOUN COUNTY EMA HAS SET OUT AND HOW WILL YOU ACHIEVE THEM?
For 2019 we are looking at relationships, resources, and resiliency. Through our public education and partnership building, we are making sure we have good working relationships in place to be able to do the job that we need to do. Resources is our next objective. We must know who can provide different resources and when and how those resources are available. The resources aren't just those available in the county, but also state and nationwide. Resiliency is when it all comes together. We have to make sure our plans, training, relationships, and resources all work together. That is our focus for 2019. I think those three things would be stable focus points every year. But in terms of large projects, we are looking at our notification systems over the next few years. Are we truly using every way possible to communicate with people and get our notifications out? While our siren system is robust in this county, it is old. There are a lot of needs to be tended, and some are very expensive. We will continue to look at whether there are more tech-savvy ways to communicate. Another thing we really thought about after the March tornado includes the placement of resources around the county–the types of things we have in place to support the different agencies. An example of such would be technology kits. Let’s say the Oxford Fire Department is damaged during a natural disaster–they still need to be able to operate without internet connectivity, computers, phones, and so forth. Calhoun County EMA has resources that can be deployed and set up in pods to help get the fire department fully operational. If those technology kits are housed and stored in the same facility, we are out of luck if that structure is involved in the disaster. We do not want to put all of our eggs in the same basket and will be looking at ways to strategically place those resources around the county.
HOW CAN PEOPLE INTERESTED IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FIELD?
We would be happy to spend some time with anyone looking into making emergency management their career–educating them more one-on-one about what emergency management entails. In order to get involved and test the water, I suggest becoming a volunteer. We have a lot of volunteer opportunities through our VOAD program, local emergency planning committee, logistics support team, radio communications group, and more. There are lots of opportunities there. Calhoun County EMA also has a great resource in Jacksonville State University and their Department of Emergency Management. They have experts there that have seen things across the country and world. I recommend taking an entry-level class to learn more about the field. Those are good ways to get an overall understanding of the topic.
IS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT BECOMING A MORE POPULAR FIELD OF STUDY?
I don’t have any data supporting such, but it may seem like it is gaining popularity. You have private sectors that recognize that they need emergency managers within their organizations. You have different levels of emergency management. You have the federal level, state level, and county level. Below the county level, you have the community and organization level. For instance, school systems, hospitals, and industries often have their own emergency managers. Their jobs are to look at the preparedness plans and make sure their response and recovery are intact for their organizations. There are a lot of opportunities in emergency management, and by having Jacksonville State’s emergency management program here, it has heightened the awareness for emergency management in this region, as have the disasters that we have faced.
OXFORD ACCESS MAGAZINE | SPRING 2019
45
