Emergency Services

What Does the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Services  Do?

911 Center in Marlinton 

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.
 
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
 
  
 Mutual Aid Agreements
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.
NIMS
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.

Other Information
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.
For more information visit our website at: www.pocahontasemergency.com  or Like us on Facebook
 
 
Marlinton Volunteer Fire Department
709 Second Avenue
Marlinton, WV 24954
Phone: (304)-799-4211
 
Bartow Frank Durbin Fire and Rescue Company
Rt. 250
Durbin, WV 26264
Phone: (304)-456-4070
Cass Volunteer Fire Department
Cass, W.V. 24927
Phone: (304)-456-4118
Frost Fire Department
Frost, WV
Phone: (304)-799-6660
Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department
Route 219
Hillsboro, WV 24946
Phone: (304)-653-4636
Shavers Fork Fire and Rescue
Snowshoe, WV
Phone: (304)-572-3473
Pocahontas Memorial Hospital
RR 2 Box 52W
Buckeye, WV     24924
Phone: (304)-799-7400
 
Salvation Army
Marlinton, WV 24954
Phone: (304)-799-4082
 
WV Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management www.dhsem.wv.gov
Ready.gov  www.ready.gov
 ​