973-635-0674
54 Fairmount Avenue
Chatham, NJ
OEM Coordinator
Steve Davenport
862-214-4554
sdavenport@chathamborough.org
Senior Deputy OEM Coordinator
Sam Francis
973-417-3042
sfrancis@chathamborough.org
The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is responsible for providing Chatham Borough with mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and coordination for large-scale emergencies, both natural and human-caused, for the purpose of saving lives and preventing property damage.
Register Ready – New Jersey’s Special Needs Registry for Disasters allows New Jersey residents with disabilities or access and functional needs and their families, friends, caregivers and associates an opportunity to provide information to emergency response agencies so emergency responders can better plan to serve them in a disaster or other emergency.
Mitigation
Mitigation activities are those that lessen the undesirable effects of unavoidable hazards. Examples include public-education programs, the establishment of building codes, flood-plain management, pruning tree branches that overhang power lines, and taking down trees in danger of falling.
Chatham Borough collaborates with Morris County’s Office of Emergency Management to maintain the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Preparedness
OEM is responsible for writing and updating Chatham Borough’s Emergency Operations Plan, outlining the functions and responsibilities of all Borough departments and agencies during emergencies or disasters. In addition, OEM executes preparedness exercises to enhance readiness. These exercises simulate emergencies involving all first-responder agencies and all levels of government, allowing challenges to be addressed before a real emergency occurs.
Response
During a large emergency, OEM provides overall coordination for Borough-wide response efforts. Such coordination may involve the activation of the Emergency Operations Center at Borough Hall, where centralized coordination is managed by representatives from Borough departments and partner agencies. These representatives facilitate resource coordination, mutual aid, and policy decisions.
Recovery
After an emergency, OEM assists in the coordination of both short-term and long-term recovery functions. Short-term recovery efforts begin immediately following an emergency, as the Borough works to restore basic services and functions. Long-term recovery involves restoring economic activity and rebuilding the community’s quality of life.
Federal Agencies
State and County Agencies