Emergency Management and Homeland Security

Countryside’s Emergency Services and Disaster Agency is evolving as the core roles and responsibilities for Emergency Management change.  To better align with the evolution in responsibilities, the unit is changing its name to Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

Mission

Our objective is to serve the residents of the City of Countryside, and to provide emergency preparedness planning and response along with public education as it relates to a variety of natural and manmade disasters, including terrorism.  With the support from a variety of agencies that include Cook County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA), Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, Countryside continues to review and amend its Emergency Operations Disaster Plan to meet the requirements to respond to these events.

The City’s Emergency Operations Disaster Plan is a comprehensive guide for maintaining the continuity of government in the event that the Mayor makes a major disaster declaration.  The Emergency Operations Disaster Plan is a “living” document that is continually reviewed and amended to meet the every changing requirements set forth by County, State and Federal Government mandates.

Services

As our name has evolved, so has the functions and services that we perform on an ongoing basis.  These duties may include:

·         Emergency Preparedness Response – To continue to develop and implement plans that allow for a seamless continuity of government, while providing the core essential services to our residents.

·         Traffic Control – Often these services are provided at the scene of traffic accidents, fires or major intersections during power failures.

·         Crowd Control – Maintain order at large City functions such as Party in the Park, or the Annual Halloween and Christmas Parties.

·         Coordinated Park Patrols – The daily seasonal patrols of the City’s parks as a visual deterrent to criminal activity.

·         Neighborhood Watch – During patrol of the parks, the patrol team also monitors the neighborhood during these patrols for suspicious activity.

·         Emergency Lighting – To provide emergency scene lighting by use of portable light standards and generators.

·         Emergency Communication – To provide, via the mobile command vehicle, communications during emergency situations or mutual aid.

·         Downed Line Security – To maintain the quarantine areas where downed electrical wires are present and to relieve Police and Fire units while maintaining the safety of the area.

·         Provide Departmental Assistance – To assist any governmental agency or mutual aid municipality in any capacity as deemed necessary.

                                                The city of Countryside became only the fifth community in Cook County and is one of thirty-seven within the state to become a StormReady recognized community as of June 2005.  This designation was achieved after the city met the criteria established by the National Weather Service for developing procedures to plan for and mitigate the effects of extreme weather related events. 

Mutual Aid Agencies

Our unit works closely with our neighboring communities of Brookfield, Lyons and Hodgkins. While McCook currently does not have an E.S.D.A. unit, we have been requested to assist their police and fire departments in the past. On a broader scale, we have been asked to provide manpower and equipment to the Cook County Sheriff’s Department, Cook County Emergency Management Agency and the Illinois State Police.

For further information, please e-mail Coordinator Steve Norman at snorman@countrysidepolice.org or phone (708)354-8484.

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