Cole County creates Chief of Emergency Services job description, moves emergency management under EMS for yearlong trial

Cole County commissioners on June 3 voted to approve a job description establishing a Chief of Emergency Services and to begin a one-year trial that places emergency management under the county’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agency.

The proposal, presented by county fire leadership, responds to an ongoing vacancy in the county emergency management director post and would make two operational divisions — emergency medical services and emergency management — part of a unified Cole County Emergency Services agency for the trial period.

Chief Gibson, who led the presentation, told commissioners the plan is intended to “provide an operationally viable solution to address the ongoing vacancy in the emergency management position by leveraging our current qualified county employees.” Gibson said the proposal would create a deputy chief of emergency management to assume the duties of the former director (strategic direction, planning, mitigation and disaster coordination) and a division chief to handle day-to-day operational tasks such as damage assessments and logistics.

The presentation identified two existing county staff to fill the roles under the plan: Chief Gibson (detailed in the presentation as promoted to battalion chief in 2022 and assistant chief of support services in 2024, and holding a bachelor’s degree in emergency management from Saint Louis University) and Chief Kennedy (on staff since 2017, promoted to battalion chief in 2020, an associate degree from State Tech, and a certified all‑hazards communications unit leader). The presenters said both bring “all hazards” experience and existing operational knowledge that would help cover emergency‑management functions.

The county plans to maintain EMS operations while assigning the two new emergency‑management positions additional duties. Gibson said administrative oversight for both divisions would remain with the agency chief, who would focus on budget and personnel, while the two designated emergency‑management positions would perform strategic and field roles. Gibson also described measures intended to preserve operational depth during incidents, including communications supervisors and additional battalion chiefs who would provide backfill in the event the two assigned staff were deployed to an incident.

County officials estimated the net budget impact to implement the change at about $24,000 for the year. The presentation said the posted pay rate for the added emergency‑management portion of the roles is $62.05 (as presented at the meeting) and that much of the employees’ existing benefits are already on the books. The plan also included operational priorities: updating the county’s LEOP (local emergency operations plan), developing a standardized emergency‑management policy and procedure manual, conducting joint EOC activation exercises with the city, performing a gap analysis of training needs across departments, integrating inventory and logistics systems, and exploring expanded grant writing with a professional services partner (Lexipol).

Commissioners discussed the need to preserve institutional knowledge from the county’s interim director, Bill Farr, who is serving on an hourly basis and approaching statutory hour limits for part‑time workers. Commissioner Bushman and others said the arrangement would buy time to test a consolidated model; Commissioner Hellscher encouraged a one‑year trial and said the county could revert to a separate position if the model did not work.

A motion to approve the Chief of Emergency Services job description carried by voice vote. Following the vote, commissioners and staff said they would proceed with updating job descriptions, pay forms and memoranda of understanding with partner jurisdictions as needed.

The county presentation noted the need to update the MOU with the City of Jefferson and to complete outstanding 2025 grant requirements if the new structure is adopted.

If the trial proves unsuccessful, officials said they would revisit the staffing model and consider reposting a separate emergency‑management director position.