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County emergency manager outlines local response system, siren policy and volunteer network
Summary
Jim Davidver, director of Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management, briefed the Hickman City Council on the county’s emergency operations center, incident-command system, volunteer liaison program, activation levels and public-notification tools including Code Red and zoned outdoor warning sirens.
Jim Davidver, director of Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management, told the Hickman City Council on Aug. 26 that county emergency planning focuses on prevention, protection and mitigation while ensuring response and recovery capabilities are in place.
Davidver said the county’s Local Emergency Operations Plan applies countywide once adopted by the Lancaster County Board and noted the department relies on a mix of four paid staff and volunteers: “We identify a primary and an alternate each month. They’re trained to a higher level to assist me and my paid staff.”
The director walked the council through the National Incident Management System and the incident command structure the county uses for scalability and accountability. “No matter how large or how small the incident is, you’ve got to have somebody that’s in charge,” he said, describing roles for operations, planning, logistics, and finance and administration.
Davidver explained the county’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activations range from routine monitoring for severe-weather events to full-scale activations after tornadoes and widespread flooding. He said the county averages roughly 17 activations per year and that volunteers provide most of the roughly 600 annual staff-hours the office tracks.
On public warning systems, Davidver confirmed his office is the primary point for outdoor siren activation in Lancaster County and described a zoned system of 103 sirens divided into five areas. He summarized the three activation criteria used: a National Weather Service tornado warning for Lancaster County, confirmation of a tornado by two trained storm-spotters, or another immediate life-safety concern. “I’m the siren guy,” he told council members when asked who activates the system.
Davidver also described tools for public notification and accountability: a Code Red account and Wireless Emergency Alerts for mass notification, and a RapidTag credentialing system used to issue colored access cards to residents, volunteers and media during a response so the county can both control access and document volunteer hours.
The presentation closed with an overview of the disaster declaration process, including the county’s role in preparing incident status reports for the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, and the damage-assessment thresholds used to determine federal assistance eligibility. He said the county’s thresholds and processes conform to state and federal guidance and invited municipal staff to participate in upcoming exercises and a countywide threat and hazard identification and risk assessment workshop in October.
The council asked several follow-ups, including how siren activations are zoned and a request for details on tabletop and full-scale exercises. Davidver said he will work with local public-works and emergency staff to coordinate training and exercises and stay available to support Hickman-specific planning.
