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Douglas County adopts updated Local Emergency Operations Plan after director's orientation
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Summary
Douglas County commissioners unanimously approved an updated Local Emergency Operations Plan after an orientation from Emergency Management Director Whitney Shipley, who described alignment with federal and state requirements, increased interagency training and concerns about aging sirens and replacement costs.
The Douglas County Board of Commissioners voted 6–0 to adopt the county's updated Local Emergency Operations Plan after Director of Emergency Management Whitney Shipley presented an orientation and review of major revisions.
Shipley told the board the LEOP is required under state and federal frameworks and must be approved every five years to maintain eligibility for state and federal assistance. "I'm Whitney Shipley. I'm director of emergency management, and I'm bringing to you today an orientation to the local emergency operations plan that you approve every 5 years," she said.
The plan ties county operations to the U.S. Stafford Act and the Nebraska Emergency Management Act and aligns local responsibilities with the National Incident Management System and Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5, Shipley said. The LEOP is organized as a base plan with 12 functional annexes that describe roles for law enforcement, public health, mass care and other functions; Shipley said the 2025 revisions sharpened assignments and clarified when county-level coordination is required, particularly for incidents that span multiple jurisdictions or multiple operational periods.
Shipley highlighted increased emphasis on interagency training and tabletop exercises after major incidents in recent years. She said the county has scheduled multiagency exercises in 2026 — including rural and urban mass-casualty scenarios and a hazardous-materials tabletop — to practice coordination among incident commanders, emergency operations center staff and public information officers.
Commissioners asked about the county's outdoor siren system. Shipley said the county installed redundant activation paths after the 2024 tornado and moved to a preventive maintenance schedule (inspecting roughly one-third of sirens each year). She warned that siren technology is aging: one control-box repair recently required shipping the unit to Milwaukee at an estimated cost of about $10,000, and a full siren replacement could cost roughly $40,000–$50,000; she also said about 17 of approximately 120 sirens have no available replacement parts. "With an investment that you approved last year, we moved to a preventive maintenance program," Shipley told commissioners. "But there are far more informative ways to learn of weather now that are free and available to the public, and the technology with that is improving."
Commissioner Borgeson moved to approve the resolution adopting the updated LEOP; Commissioner Rogers seconded. The board approved the resolution 6–0. The resolution remains in effect until the next approved version and will be provided to the state as required.
