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Emergency Management

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The Davison County Office of Emergency Management’s mission is to protect lives, property, and the environment through direction and coordination of state and local government; through the Preparation, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery from damages sustained by emergency or disaster events.

Emergency Management

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Jeff Bathke

Email: jeffb@davisoncounty.org

Phone: (605) 995-8640 or (605) 995-8615

Cell: (605) 999-2863 Fax:(605) 995-8642

Mailing Address:

Davison County Courthouse

200 EAST 4TH AVE.

MITCHELL, SD 57301

 

Administrator: Jeff Bathke

Office: (605) 995-8640 or

(605) 995-8615
Office Location: Davison County Courthouse, 1st Floor

Cell: (605) 999-2863
Email: jeffb@davisoncounty.org

Fax: (605) 995-8642
Deputy Administrator: Mark Jenniges

Office: (605) 995-8640 or

(605) 995-8615
Office Location: Davison County Courthouse, 1st Floor

Cell: (605) 630-6848
Email: markj@davisoncounty.org

Fax: (605) 995-8642
Like us on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/DavisonCountyEmergencyManagement
Follow us on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/DavisoncountyEM

Jeff Bathke has served as the Davison County Emergency Management Director since October, 2013. Jeff is a graduate of Plankinton High School and the University of South Dakota.

He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology and a Master of Science Degree in Administration, with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership.

Jeff’s past experience includes 17 years working in counseling programs, Department of Corrections facilities, and Private Research. Jeff is also a licensed counselor in the state of South Dakota.

Current & Upcoming Events:​​​​​​​​​​​​

  • June 1, 2018                Mitchell Siren Testing @ 10:00 A.M.
  • June 2, 2018                Mt. Vernon and Ethan Siren Testing @ 10:00 A.M.
  • June 3, 2018                Search and Rescue Meeting @ 6:30 P.M.
  • June 13, 2018             LEPC Meeting @ 10:30 A.M.
  • July 6, 2018                 Mitchell Siren Testing @ 10:00 A.M.
  • July 7, 2018                 Mt. Vernon and Ethan Siren Testing @ 10:00 A.M.
  • July 8, 2018                 Search and Rescue Meeting @ 6:30 P.M.
  • July 11, 2018               LEPC Meeting @ 10:30 A.M.

PURPOSE:

The Davison County Office of Emergency Management involves principles and concepts, such as organization and planning applied to emergency and disaster situations. These include the four phases of Emergency Management:

  • Mitigation-The reduction or lessening of the effects of emergencies and disasters.
  • Preparedness-Getting ready for those events that may and will happen.
  • Response-Effectively responding to those events as a jurisdiction.
  • Recovery-Repairing and replacing damages to pre-incident conditions.

BURN BAN INFORMATION: There is currently no burn ban in Davison County.

SEVERE WEATHER: The 2017 Severe Weather Spotter Training can be found @  Weather Awareness Training 4-11-18

The 2-27-2018 Township Presentation can be accessed @ P&Z and EM Presentation-Township Board Meeting-2-27-2018

Warning Sirens: The Davison County Office of Emergency Management works closely with the 911 Dispatch. Sirens will sound ONLY for the following Severe Weather: 1. Tornado Warnings issued by the National Weather Service. 2. Cloud rotation observed by a trained weather spotter. 3. An actual tornado observed by a trained weather spotter. NOTE: Sirens are NOT activated for Severe Thunderstorms.

Siren Information for your Community:
Mitchell– Nine warning sirens are located within the City of Mitchell area and will sound according to the guidelines stated above. The Mitchell sirens are tested at 10:00 AM the first Friday of each month. The Mitchell Police Department Dispatch is responsible for sounding the sirens during the event a warning is issued. There is one designated Emergency Storm Shelter in Mitchell, which is the Courthouse. If you are in need of shelter, the courthouse will be open anytime the siren is sounding. There are also six pre-designated disaster relief shelters in Mitchell to be used after a disaster, to include: The Davison County 4-H Fairgrounds Building, James Valley Community Center, Salavation Army, First United Methodist Church, Mitchell Recreation Center, and the Corn Palace.

Ethan– One siren is centrally located in the City of Ethan and will sound according to the guidelines stated above. The Ethan sirens are tested at 10:00 AM the first Saturday of each month. The Mitchell Police Department Dispatch is responsible for sounding the City siren during the event a warning is issued. There is one designated Emergency Storm Shelter in Ethan, which is the Ethan Public School. If you are in need of shelter, the school will be open anytime the siren is sounding. There are three pre-designated disaster relief shelters in the Ethan area to be used after a disaster, to include: Ethan Public School, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, and Ethan United Methodist Church.

Mt. Vernon– One siren is centrally located in the City of Mt. Vernon and will sound according to the guidelines stated above. The Mt. Vernon sirens are tested at 10:00 AM the first Saturday of each month. The Mitchell Police Department Dispatch is responsible for sounding the City siren during the event a warning is issued. There is one designated Emergency Storm Shelter in Mt. Vernon, which is the downtown gym on First and Main. If you are in need of shelter, the gym will be open anytime the siren is sounding. There is one pre-designated disaster relief shelter in the Mt. Vernon area to be used after a disaster, which is the Mt. Vernon Public School.

Severe Weather Awareness Week is April 24th-28th, with a test tornado drill held on the 26th @ 10:15 AM. The Office of Emergency Management distributed Winter Storm and Tornado Alert books, narrated by Tommy the Turtle to all 2nd grade classrooms in the county. The latest edition, Rising Water, will be sent out soon. All three books can be found at the links below:

http://bready.sd.gov/docs/Winter%20Weather%20Book.pdf

http://bready.sd.gov/docs/TornadoBook.pdf

http://bready.sd.gov/docs/Flood%20Book.pdf

You can also monitor the flood gages in the area. For three miles south of Mitchell, click here.

For fifteen miles north of Mitchell, click here.

Emergency Management Links, Documents & Sites:

 

Major Programs:

Davison County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). SDCL 33-15-26 County Emergency Management Organizations, requires “Each organized county of this state shall establish a local organization and develop an emergency plan for emergency management in accordance with the state emergency management plan and program.” The Davison County Office of Emergency Management is responsible for the coordination of the Davison County LEPC, which meets the second Wednesday of each month @ 10:30 A.M. in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the Davison County Courthouse. The main purpose of the LEPC is to bring representatives together from various government, private, and non-profit agencies on a monthly basis; in an effort to address possible emergency situations. It is also an opportunity to form professional relationships among agencies to increase cooperation, coordination, and interactions that will be necessary during major incidents.

A Table Top Exercise and a Full Scale Exercise is conducted each year. To see the After Action Report for the 2017 Full Scale Exercise, click on Region 6 AAR-IP-2017 Ravine Lake. You can also view the Master Scenario Events List @ Region 6 MSEL-2017-Lake Ravine. Members of the Committee are appointed by the Davison County Board of Commissioners and include: elected state and local officials, Law Enforcement, Fire, Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, Public Health Professionals, Environmental Personnel, Hospital and Transportation Officials, Volunteer Agencies, Facility Representatives, Community Groups, Military and the Media. For contact information, please see the LEPC Roster.

Agendas, attachments, and minutes for current and past LEPC Meetings can be found below:

James Valley Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Team The Davison County Office of Emergency Management is responsible for the coordination and administration of the James Valley Critical Incident Stress Management Team (CISM). The Davison County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) serves as the Governing Board of this Team. Emergency response personnel operate under a variety of stressors; the uncertainty of the next call, the human tragedies involved, the hazards associated with a rescue, the fear of doing something wrong. Often responders can cope with these stressors and consider them “part of the job”. Some situations, however, cause lasting impressions and can challenge the ability to function on the job and at home. They can cause emergency service workers to abandon involvement with their service and cause physical and emotional illness. Situations, which produce these unusually strong reactions, are referred to as critical incidents. The service is confidential and participants can speak freely. This is not group therapy and not a critique of the event. During the session, participants may describe their thoughts, actions and reactions to the stress event or participants may just listen. CISM will assist the participants in understanding the thoughts, emotions and behaviors that occurred during and after the incident. It is time devoted to helping the participants understand how a powerful event has affected them. In general, critical incident stress management promotes a more rapid recovery from the incident and facilitates normal integration back into home and work routines. Contact the Mitchell Police Department Dispatch Center @ 995-8400 to activate the James Valley CISM Team. The Team is available for calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Team is available to conduct debriefings and defusing for Emergency Response Personnel when requested.

Davison County Search & Rescue Team (located @ the Highway Shop)

The Davison County Search & Rescue Team falls under the Office of Emergency Management. Their mission is to provide an organized response to emergencies and disasters in and around Davison County, in an effort to search and provide aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The Team consists of a Captain, who assumes the leadership of the Team, two lieutenants who manage logistics and operations, and several additional Officers. The Team assists local law enforcement with traffic control during planned events or emergency situations, assists as Severe Weather spotters, searches for lost persons, and supports other emergency response personnel and agencies in the Davison County area. The team is equipped with the Davison County Mobile Emergency Operations Center (MEOC), a water rescue boat & dive team, snow rescue equipment, and a variety of other gear used in emergency situations. If you would like to be a member of Search and Rescue, please fill out a S.A.R. Application.

Search and Rescue Documents:
Search & Rescue Administrative Manual & By-Laws-Revised 1-8-2017
S.A.R. Application

Search and Rescue Members, Access Report Forms Here

S.A.R. Agenda and Past Minutes:

 

Contact Us

emailDavison County
200 East Fourth Ave.
Mitchell, SD 57301

Telephone: (605) 995-8615 or (605) 995-8640
Cell: (605) 999-2863
Fax: (605) 995-8642
email: jeffb@davisoncounty.org or markj@davisoncounty.org

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