ODPS Ohio Emergency Management Agency State of Ohio Emergency Operations Plan

State of Ohio Emergency Operations Plan

State of Ohio Emergency Operations Plan Detail

The Ohio Emergency Operations Plan provides a comprehensive framework for statewide emergency management while:

• Addressing the administrative and operational functions, authorities and responsibilities of the organizations of state government
• Providing a link with the federal, local and private organizations that may be activated to address emergencies in Ohio
• Ensures consistency with current policy guidance and describes the interrelationship with other levels of government
• Continues to evolve, reflecting lessons learned from actual experiences in disasters and ongoing state planning, training and exercise activities

Hazardous Materials Planning

Ohio EMA Plans Branch coordinates the planning for hazardous materials incident response at the State level. The Ohio Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Plan (Emergency Support Function #10) addresses:

• Assessment of the health effects of a hazardous materials release
• Air, water, soil and other materials sampling to test for contamination
• Resource requests from local jurisdictions for State-level hazmat incident support
• Coordination of state agencies in support of local response
• Coordination with federal agencies through various federal plans
• Dissemination of protective action recommendations to the public

Ohio EMA also works in cooperation with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Department of Health in administering and carrying-out activities and responsibilities related to the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) facility in Piketon, Ohio.

Ohio EMA's responsibilities with respect to the Piketon Facility include:

• Revising and maintaining emergency plans.
• Conducting joint training and periodic drills and exercises with USEC/USDOE and county response agencies.
• Monitoring and improving communications and warning systems between the state, counties and the facility.
• Conducting joint public information operations

County Emergency Preparedness Plans

Ohio EMA conducts annual reviews of county Emergency Operations Plans on a four-year cycle, based on the federal fiscal year, October 1 through September 30, to coincide with federal funding cycles. These reviews will improve the overall quality of plans statewide and, more importantly, facilitate county-to-county and county-to-state interactions during disasters.

The Plans Branch and Field Operations, Training and Exercise Branch formed teams to review all county Emergency Operations Plans. Each review team, consisting of one planner and one field liaison, will work cooperatively with each county to evaluate where each EOP is in the four-year plan review cycle. The process begins with the county completing a crosswalk indicating where each of the planning elements resides in the plan. This essential part of the process ensures that the review teams do not overlook any elements of the county plans. At the conclusion of each year's planning review process, the county will be provided a document that recommends corrective actions needed to comply with planning guidance.