What Does the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Do?
Homeland Security & Emergency Management
Each county in WV is mandated by
State Code Section 15.5 to appoint a local office of Homeland Security and
Emergency Management. This agency is
tasked with preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies of
various types, both man-made and natural disasters. The local DHSEM is the sole point of
contact for outside assistance from agencies such as the WV Army National
Guard, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and other state and federal
resources. During an emergency the
DSHEM Director is in constant contact with State officials in Charleston to
keep them apprised of the situation and to request additional resources needed
to respond to and recover from any type of emergency that may strike the
county.
In Pocahontas County, like many other
counties in WV, the DHSEM is also tasked with operating the emergency 911
dispatch operations. Pocahontas County
has a fully enhanced 911 system. This
means that when you dial 9-1-1 on your telephone we automatically get an
enhanced version of Caller ID. We see
not only the number you are calling from and your name, but we also get a
physical address of the phone’s location and in most cases exact driving
directions to the location of the phone.
If you are calling from a mobile phone, we get GPS coordinate
information that can be plotted on a map to give us an approximate location
where you are calling from in addition to the cell phone number.
Each Pocahontas County 911
dispatcher is certified as an APCO Public Safety Telecommunicator, Emergency
Medical Dispatcher, WEAPON teletype operator and various other
certifications. The dispatchers receive
this special training so that they can provide 911 callers with important
life-saving information over the phone.
Even if the caller has no medical training, our dispatchers can talk you
through skills such as performing CPR while you are on the phone with them.
Pocahontas County Office of Homeland
Security & Emergency Management is here to help you, whether you are a
resident or visitor to Pocahontas County.
If you have a situation that you are not sure if it requires an
emergency response, do not hesitate to contact 911. The dispatcher will assist you and determine
if an emergency response is necessary.
We dispatch for the following
agencies: US Forest Service Law
Enforcement, WV State Police, WV DNR Police, WV State Parks, Pocahontas County
Sheriff’s Department, Pocahontas County Prosecutor, Pocahontas County
Magistrates, Pocahontas County Coroner,
Marlinton Fire & Rescue, Bartow-Frank-Durbin Fire & Rescue,
Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, Shavers Fork Fire-Rescue, Frost Fire Dept., Cass
Fire & Rescue, Pocahontas Memorial Hospital EMS.
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Office
of Homeland Security & Emergency Management
Shawn
Dunbrack - Director
Phone:
1-304-799-3985 (Non-emergency only) To
report an emergency dial 911
1008 Jury St.
Marlinton, WV 24954
E-Mail:
sdunbrack@pocahontasemergency.com
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Mutual Aid Agreements
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There are mutual aid agreements
between all the fire/rescue departments.
Each fire and EMS agency relies upon the expertise of one another to
handle large scale incidents and special rescue circumstances. The Pocahontas County 911 Dispatch Center
automatically dispatches two fire departments to all structure fires or other
situations as needed based on the information from the reporting party.
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NIMS
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National Incident Management
System (NIMS). After the September 11th attacks, the command and control of
emergencies have changed dramatically. All Emergency responders are required
by FEMA to be trained under NIMS to understand how different groups (Fire,
EMS, Police, etc) need to work together in a large scale emergency.
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Other Information
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1) All local fire and rescue
squads are managed by their own individual department leaders and must abide
by state and federal rules and regulations.
2) Emergency Medical Services
(EMS) is NOT operated by the Office of Emergency
Management.
3) There are no elected officials
in the Emergency Management Department. The director is appointed by the County
Commission and he reports directly to the County Commission.
4) During a state of emergency or
disaster situation, the Director of Homeland Security & Emergency
Management is in charge of all response and recovery operations in the
county.
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Bartow Frank Durbin
Fire and Rescue Company
Rt. 250
Durbin, WV 26264
Phone: (304)-456-4070
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Cass Volunteer Fire
Department
Cass, W.V. 24927
Phone: (304)-456-4118
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Frost Fire
Department
Frost, WV
Phone: (304)-799-6660
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Hillsboro Volunteer
Fire Department
Route 219
Hillsboro, WV 24946
Phone: (304)-653-4636
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Shavers Fork Fire
and Rescue
Snowshoe, WV
Phone: (304)-572-3473
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Pocahontas Memorial
Hospital
RR 2 Box 52W
Buckeye, WV 24924
Phone: (304)-799-7400
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Salvation Army
Marlinton, WV 24954
Phone: (304)-799-4082
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