Prevention
Actions taken to avoid an incident, stop it from occurring, and deterrence operations with surveillance.
Mitigation
Refers to measures that prevent emergencies, reduce their chances, or lessen their damaging effects. Includes building codes, zoning requirements, shutters, and barriers like levees.
Preparedness
Activities that enhance a community’s ability to respond to disasters. Includes mutual aid agreements, training for response personnel and citizens, disaster exercises, and all-hazards education campaigns.
Response
Actions carried out before, during, and after a hazard impact to save lives, reduce economic losses, and alleviate suffering. Includes activating emergency operations centers, evacuations, shelters, medical care, fire-fighting, and search and rescue.
Recovery
Actions to restore a community to normal or near-normal conditions, involving the repair of physical, social, and economic damages. Includes debris cleanup, financial assistance, rebuilding of infrastructure, and sustained mass care.
Prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery are the five steps of Emergency Management.
Tamarac Fire Rescue works tirelessly to prepare for all events that the city may experience, better known as an “All Hazards Approach” to emergency management. We prepare for all types of emergency incidents such as wind, fire, flood and manmade events.
The graphic above represents the emergency management preparedness cycle and is a good example of the processes we take to protect the City and the community.
The division has developed a City Emergency Management Plan and 14 additional plans that support the master plan by each department, all managed through Fire Rescue. We also have our Continuity of Operations Plan or COOP, and each city department is required to have a section outlining their actions in a COOP event.
We are also utilizing WEBEOC, a premier emergency management tool used for requesting and reporting for activation of the emergency plan. The division trains and supports city staff annually in preparedness for the hurricane season. WEBEOC is used by the County and each municipality has a standalone platform to report and request any city needs.
Emergency management is also a leading educational resource in the city, providing many aspects of public education for adults and children.
Tamarac Fire Rescue has implemented and manages the FEMA program, Community Emergency Response Team or CERT. Residents are welcome to sign up for this 4 day class, where they will learn appropriate actions to take during an emergency (at home day to day or when disaster strikes) before emergency services arrive. Subject matter ranges from fire suppression, light search and rescue, emergency medical operations, psychology and terrorism. CERT is a great opportunity to meet residents in your community and a way to give back. Interested residents are welcome to reach out to the Program Manger, information found below.
The division also takes part in annual emergency state, county and local exercises and develops exercises for the community. Presentations are also available by request to the Program Manager.
Tamarac Emergency Management
