Join us on the March edition of the HometownREADY Podcast to learn about an often hidden but priceless gem in the emergency services world:  CERT!  Dive in with us as we learn about the Community Emergency Response Team and how they can help us with everything from major disasters to local special events.  Tune in wherever you get your podcasts.   Are you in the know?  Don’t forget to click the subscribe button.  Also, you can stay in touch with us via social media to remain HometownREADY and, as always, BE AWARE and TAKE CARE! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com ..read more

This month’s edition is a conversation with OEM’s newest employee, Ronnie Bell, who has joined the OEM team in a brand-new position, Community Engagement Specialist.  Tune in to learn what this position entails and how she can help you.  Don’t forget to click the subscribe button.  Also, you can stay in touch with us via social media to remain HometownREADY and, as always, BE AWARE and TAKE CARE! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpringfieldGreeneOEM X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/gcoem Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gc_oem/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/u ..read more

Portions of the Public Safety Center are currently under construction, including the HometownREADY Podcast Studio.  We will be taking a short hiatus from the monthly podcasts but will return as soon as reasonably possible.  We apologize for the disruption and look forward to getting back in the seat with our future special guests! In the meantime, feel free to review or catch up with past episodes and don’t forget to click the subscribe button.  Also, you can stay in touch with us via social media to remain HometownREADY and, as always, BE AWARE and TAKE CARE! Facebook: https ..read more

Prevention, Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.  The 5 main components of emergency planning.  Join our host, Aubrey Johnson, as he talks to Katie Kovach (Area Municipalities Planner) and Gretchen Ruffa (City/County Planner) about all things related to emergency planning.  ..read more

The Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management has been busy the past few weeks planning two special events which occur annually.  The Ozark Empire Fair and the Birthplace of Route 66 Festival draw thousands of people and require a collaborative effort among public safety partners and non-governmental organizations in order to provide a safe environment for attendees.  In this episode, we talk with Kevin Bosley, the General Manager of Wade Shows to discuss planning and safety for the Ozark Empire Fair.  Next, we have a discussion with Laura Dannegger of Aaron Sachs ..read more

The answer is no, but . . . there was a time when a drone pilot had to explain why their drone did not have one.  Listen to our host, Aubrey Johnson, discuss this and many other drone-related issues with Jason Preston of 417 Drone Imaging and Kenneth Norris, OEM Logistics Specialist, during this month’s HometownREADY podcast ..read more

This month, 3 subject matter experts from the community met with our host to discuss Operation Chem Loco, a hazardous materials table-top exercise recently conducted by OEM.  Ralph Siccama with Greene County LEPC, Larry Woods as the Director of Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management, and Christopher Roush EMS & Special Operations with Springfield Fire Department.  With railway hazmat exercises in the news recently, the timing of this tabletop was highly relevant to current events, though the planning to put this together began more than 6 months prior. In this ..read more

On April 18, 2023 Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management hosted a functional exercise at Praise Assembly in north Springfield. An unusual disaster exercise with no visual damage or responders, the focus of this exercise was purely on recovery efforts. Many from throughout the state had never experienced an exercise like this and OEM staff had at least no recollection of such an exercise in the past 10 years. The exercise itself brought together 20 organizations throughout the state with the majority coming from Region D. This recovery exercise showing the capabilities of a MA ..read more

In this episode, the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management staff discuss the coming season of Special Events. The current OEM staff brings to the table many different walks of life, viewpoints, and education. Most of the group has however participated in the planning process for special events, as well as the working of said events. The OEM crew discusses an entry level understanding of tools and processes needed to put together a Special Event. The crew also shares their experience and lessons learned from working a command post at the events.  ..read more

In this episode we talk with Keely Leeper and Brody Harrison from Mercy Springfield Burn Unit. The focus of the conversation is the burn unit itself and management of moderate to serious burns sustained by the community. The Level 1 Burn Center in Springfield at Mercy is the only burn center in at minimum at 150 miles radius. This brings many other communities into Springfield for burn related emergencies. The Mercy burn center nurses go into discussion of what is treated at this burn center, how common burns are, and when someone should be seen at the burn center. If you wish to have more inf ..read more