Vernon Hills board presents and readies village Emergency Operations Plan certified by Lake County

Vernon Hills village staff presented an updated Emergency Operations Plan that Lake County Emergency Management Agency certified on June 20, 2024, and said the document will remain in effect until June 2026.

Assistant Village Manager delivered the presentation and said the Illinois Emergency Management Agency's new guidelines require external review. "The village submitted this EOP to Lake County EMA with the plan being approved and certified on 06/20/2024," staff said. The assistant manager told the board the plan identifies roles and activation steps, staging areas and shelter locations, and outlines how the village will request county or state assistance if local resources are exceeded.

Bree Kingshot, an emergency response specialist with Lake County EMA, thanked village staff and praised the plan. "I want to applaud Vernon Hills for creating a strong plan," Kingshot said, calling the document a key step to build local resiliency and communicate preparedness to residents.

Staff said the certification process included multiple departmental reviews during 2024, coordination with fire protection districts and police command staff, and that annual exercises and updates are part of maintaining the plan. The county-certified document requires the mayor's signature to authenticate it; staff said the next required external review cycle would begin in roughly 18 months with a submission expected in spring 2026.

The board did not take further formal action beyond acknowledging the certification and thanking staff. Staff said they will return with the written authentication for the mayor's signature as the final administrative step.