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Lancaster County Emergency Management is located in northern Lancaster County in Manheim.  We are co-located with Lancaster County-Wide Communications, the 911 Center.  Emergency Management has 6 full time employees.  The staff positions are Emergency Management Coordinator (Department Director), Deputy Coordinator, Hazardous Materials Administrator, Training Officer, Emergency Medical Services Coordinator, and Administrative Assistant.

Emergency Management, formerly known as Civil Defense, was created by the Civil Defense Act of 1950. The primary responsibility at that time was to plan and prepare for nuclear attack.  As time went on, and the threat of attack subsided, a restructuring took place.  In 1979 the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created which consolidated five Federal agencies that were dealing with several types of emergencies.  Since that time many state and local organizations, including Lancaster County, have accepted this approach and changed to the Emergency Management structure.  Along with the change came a new approach in preparedness.  No longer was planning done for single or narrowly defined categories of hazards, but towards an "All Hazards Approach" - attack, natural and technological threats.

The Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency maintains emergency plans for facilities that use or produce hazardous materials, dam failures, nuclear facilities, and for other types of man made or natural disasters.  The office also coordinates and directs actions that take place during large scale emergency situations.  This coordination is performed at the Emergency Operations Center located within our facility.  These activities are done in close cooperation with the County Commissioners, County Administrator, local Emergency Management Agencies (municipalities within the county), and emergency service organizations throughout the county.