Last week, July 14-17, 43 of our local leaders and emergency officials traveled to Emmitsburg, Maryland to get exclusive emergency training from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Macon-Bibb County took this opportunity ten years ago, and we were given the privilege to be chosen again for FEMA’s Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC).
The Integrated Emergency Management Course is a four-day, exercise-based training activity for Emergency Operations Center personnel to practice simulated, but realistic, crisis situations, within a structured learning environment. The design reflects the jurisdiction’s specific hazards and organizational structure included in its emergency plans.
“Taking our community partners to the FEMA Integrated Emergency Management Course has been an unqualified success,” said EMA Director Spencer Hawkins. “The collaborative environment and hands-on training strengthened our preparedness acumen and response capabilities, ensuring we’re better equipped to serve our community during an emergency.”
Representatives from Macon-Bibb County Government, the Macon Water Authority, the Macon-Bibb County Transit Authority, local media, non-profit organizations, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS), the National Weather Service, the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation all participated in the course. They took 13 classes that were delivered by Emergency Support Functions (ESF) partners and FEMA staff. They also participated in two Tabletop exercises and concluded with a functional Emergency Operation Center (EOC) exercise.
A Tabletop Exercise is a discussion-based exercise where team members talk though a scenario and discuss what their actions would be in a real event. This kind of exercise stimulates deep conversations and helps all players better understand each other’s rolls and responsibilities.
A Functional Exercise is like a real-life scenario but not actually moving assets or personnel. For their functional exercise they were in an EOC making calls, getting reports, making requests for resources, and even interviewing with the media.
“We had a simulation cell, or a group of people simulating the rolls of anyone outside of the EOC, that helped make the exercise flow and we always had new tasks to accomplish just like in a real event,” said EMA Deputy Director Robert McCord.
Over the course of several months, those who attended the trip had to complete different courses to prepare them for the training.
“This training and exercise shows our continued commitment to preparedness and public safety,” said County Manager Dr. Keith Moffett. “By simulating real-world scenarios, we strengthened coordination across agencies, identified areas for improvement, and ensured our enti re community is ready to respond.”
Click here to see pictures more from the training.