Prince George's County Office of Emergency Management

Prince George's County Office of Emergency Management
Name	Prince George's County Office of Emergency Management
Jurisdiction	Prince George's County, Maryland
Headquarters	Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Region served	Prince George's County, Maryland
Parent agency	Prince George's County

Prince George's County Office of Emergency Management is the primary emergency management agency serving Prince George's County, Maryland and coordinating hazard mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery for the county. The office operates within the county seat at Upper Marlboro, Maryland and works with municipal, state, federal, and nonprofit partners including Maryland Emergency Management Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States Department of Homeland Security, and local Prince George's County Police Department and Prince George's County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department. Its activities intersect with regional actors such as Washington, D.C., Montgomery County, Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and national institutions including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Weather Service, and American Red Cross.

History

The office traces its roots to civil defense initiatives during the Cold War era and formalized after lessons from events like Hurricane Agnes (1972) and the Northeast Blackout of 1965, aligning with federal policy shifts embodied in the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and the creation of Federal Emergency Management Agency. County-level modernization accelerated following high-impact incidents including Hurricane Isabel (2003), the September 11 attacks, and regional mass-casualty responses that involved Johns Hopkins Hospital, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, and Howard University Hospital. Subsequent reforms integrated concepts from National Incident Management System and National Response Framework, and expanded coordination with entities such as the Maryland National Guard and Prince George's Community College.

Mission and Responsibilities

The office’s mission is to reduce loss of life and property in incidents from natural hazards like Hurricane Sandy and Tropical Storm Isaias to man-made crises such as Hazardous Materials (hazmat) incidents, active shooter events exemplified by incidents in Fort Hood, and public health emergencies like the 2009 swine flu pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. Responsibilities include emergency operations center activation consistent with Incident Command System principles, hazard mitigation planning under the Stafford Act, continuity of operations with agencies such as Prince George's County Office of Homeland Security, and coordination with Maryland Department of Health and Prince George's County Public Schools for sheltering and reunification operations.

Organizational Structure

The office is typically organized around divisions for operations, planning, logistics, finance, and public information, mirroring structures used by FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. Leadership liaises with elected officials including the Prince George's County Executive and the County Council, and operational units embed liaisons to the Prince George's County Police Department, Prince George's County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department, Maryland State Police, and U.S. Coast Guard for flood response on waterways like the Potomac River and Anacostia River. Specialized teams collaborate with Maryland Emergency Management Agency on logistics support and the Maryland National Guard for high-water rescues and evacuation missions.

Emergency Preparedness and Planning

Preparedness activities include county hazard mitigation plans aligned with the National Mitigation Framework, continuity planning referencing Executive Order 12656, and community resilience initiatives informed by case studies from Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy. The office produces risk assessments incorporating floodplain data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Flood Map Service Center and infrastructure inventories referencing Prince George's County Department of Public Works and Transportation. Planning involves partnerships with Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for transit disruptions, Baltimore Washington International Airport stakeholders for regional impacts, and nonprofit partners such as Salvation Army (United States) for mass care operations.

Response Operations and Incident Management

During incidents, the office coordinates activation of the county Emergency Operations Center, implements Incident Command System roles, and manages resource requests through mutual aid systems used by National Mutual Aid partners and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. Response operations include shelter activation in collaboration with American Red Cross chapters, medical surge coordination with University of Maryland Medical Center, and hazardous materials response with Prince George's County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department and Maryland Department of the Environment. The office supports public information through joint information centers modeled after National Incident Communications Conference practices and liaises with media outlets serving Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

Training, Exercises, and Public Outreach

The office conducts training using curricula from FEMA Emergency Management Institute and the Center for Domestic Preparedness, organizes multi-agency exercises (tabletop, functional, full-scale) referencing the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, and partners with academic institutions like University of Maryland, College Park and Towson University for research and exercise support. Public outreach includes citizen preparedness campaigns inspired by Ready.gov and community resilience initiatives engaging Prince George's County Public Schools, faith-based organizations such as Catholic Charities USA, and volunteer groups including Community Emergency Response Team programs and CERT collaborations.

Interagency Partnerships and Mutual Aid

Interagency partnerships extend to federal agencies such as FBI, Department of Energy, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for specialized incidents, state partners like Maryland Emergency Management Agency and Maryland Department of Transportation, and local jurisdictions including Hyattsville, Maryland, College Park, Maryland, and Bowie, Maryland. Mutual aid arrangements include agreements with neighboring counties Montgomery County, Maryland and Howard County, Maryland and participation in regional coalitions coordinated through the Council of Governments (Washington metropolitan area). The office also maintains relationships with nonprofit relief organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Feeding America, and philanthropic partners such as United Way to support recovery and long-term resilience.

Category:Emergency management in Maryland Category:Prince George's County, Maryland