Emergency Management Agency

Lake County’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is responsible for coordinating plans, people, and resources to protect our communities.

We encourage collaboration before disasters, find and coordinate resources during disasters, and help communities recover after disasters.

Specific emergency management functions are often grouped into five phases:

  •  Prevention
  •  Preparedness
  •  Response
  •  Recovery
  •  Mitigation
Emergency Management

Volunteer Opportunities

Make a difference in your community! Lake County EMA is seeking volunteers in a wide variety of areas to help build communities that are resilient to hazards and disasters.

Learn about volunteer opportunities (PDF)

Complete our volunteer interest form 

Prevention

 Prevention is directed at criminal or terrorist attacks, and includes activities like:

  •  Analyzing hazards and vulnerabilities
  •  Monitoring groups and organizations
  •  Identifying and hardening potential targets
  •  Collaborative planning and investigation
  •  Information synthesis and sharing

Preparedness

 Preparedness activities include:

  •  Analyzing hazards and risk
  •  Providing training for residents and responders
  •  Anticipating needs and cataloging resources
  •  Fostering partnerships
  •  Developing emergency plans. 

Response

 Response is the work that other first-responder agencies do during a disaster. During disasters, the Lake County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) supports first responders by:

  •  Helping agencies follow their emergency plans
  •  Providing information to responders and residents
  •  Locating and coordinating resources for responders
  •  Documenting actions and costs of response work

Recovery

 Recovery includes:

  •  Compiling damage and impact assessments
  •  Documenting protective and response costs
  •  Identifying unmet needs
  •  Partnering with support organizations
  •  Coordinating with State and Federal disaster agencies

Mitigation

Mitigation is doing things to reduce the impact of disasters and reduce the costs of future disasters in regards to things like property damage, economic loss, physical injury, and loss of life. A simple example of mitigation is the airbag in a car - it won’t stop you from having a crash, but it will help protect you from injuries when you do crash. Read more about Principles of Emergency Management (PDF).