Emergency and Crisis Management Exemplary Community Award Nominations Sought

The Emergency and Crisis Management Exemplary Community Award is a prestigious recognition for exceptional service and achievement in emergency crisis preparedness. Through this award, the Barbour County Commission is recognizing the work being done in Barbour County to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies and disasters.

The development of this recognition program was inspired by the progressive planning of Sentinel Complex/Leer South and their continued emergency preparedness exercises and community collaboration to make their emergency plan flawless and effective.

The recipient must have an active emergency plan that covers the following criteria:

Emergency Management - The Emergency Management Framework includes all activities and risk management measures related to prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

Prevention and Mitigation - to adapt to, eliminate, or reduce the risks of disasters in order to protect lives, property, the environment, and reduce economic disruption.

Preparedness - to be ready to respond to a disaster and manage its consequences through measures taken prior to an event, for example emergency response plans, mutual assistance agreements, resource inventories and training, public awareness activities, equipment and exercise programs.

Response - to act during, immediately before or after a disaster to manage its consequences through, for example, emergency public communication, search and rescue, emergency medical assistance and evacuation to minimize suffering and losses associated with disasters.

Recovery - to repair or restore conditions to an acceptable level through measures taken after a disaster, for example return of evacuees, trauma counseling, reconstruction, economic impact studies and financial assistance. Recovery efforts should be conducted with a view towards disaster risk reduction.

Nomination Process

The nomination period will be open from September 1 through October 30. A nomination form will be published on the Barbour County Commission's website: www.barbourcountywv.org. Announcement of the nomination period will be provided to county organizations. On November 1, all review panel members will receive a copy of the nomination form. The review panel will meet to choose a recipient. The recipient will be notified to attend the December Barbour County Commission Meeting, at which time, the award will be presented to the organization.

Decision Panel

The Decision Panel will be comprised on five individuals, one each from the County Commission, Office of Emergency Management, Barbour County Development Authority, Barbour County Sheriff's Department, and the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). The recipient will be chosen by majority vote. There are no limitations on consecutive wins.