Marshall County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Jack Garner provided the Commissioners with his quarterly report for October through December 2023.
Garner has completed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) professional development courses. He was required to complete the training within a year of hire – he has currently been employed for five months.
In addition to that credential, Garner also toured the Emergency Operations Center and learned how to collaborate with them in local emergency situations.
Garner also attended the week long Emergency Management Alliance of Indiana (EMAI) Conference in Indianapolis which included workshops, learning sessions, FEMA classes and networking.
He attended and passed the one day Incident Command System / Emergency Operations Center Interface Course and attended St. Joseph County’s one day Damage Assessment Class.
Garner reported that Marshall County passed the 2023 County Readiness Assessment.
He reported that the BRIC Grant has been reimbursed and FEMA has approved the 2023 Marshall County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. The approval of that plan increases other grant funding opportunities over the span of the next five years.
Garner submitted the final program and fiscal report for the 2022 Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG).
He also applied for the 2023 Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) at the maximum amount allowed. That grant agreement was signed on November 28.
Multiple incidents and responses took place from October through December including the first snow of the season on Halloween, a major vehicle crash on US 6, a large field fire near Bourbon, a field fire near LaVille School, a burn ban issued by the Marshall County Commissioners in response to field and grass fires, dry conditions and gusts of wind, that burn ban was lifted on November 21, and a lake effect snow event on December 18.
Garner’s community outreach has included continued updates on the Marshall County EMA social media pages. He has maintained strong relationships with the media through continued situational awareness press releases as needed. He also added an “Elections” page to the Marshall County app which was active prior to the Municipal Elections.
Garner was a guest on WTCA’s “What’s Your Opinion” show on November 15. He also conducted a virtual interview with the Pilot News about Winter Weather Preparedness Week for a feature.
He has made presentations to local students, attended the October Community Table meeting at the Marshall County United Way, and has engaged in multiple other community outreaches.
He has attended multiple public meetings including but not limited to the “10-4” day held at the Plymouth Wesleyan Church presented the Indiana Public Safety Commission, the Solar Eclipse Planning Team meeting, the District II Healthcare Coalition meeting, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Northwest District Winter Operations meeting, and the Kankakee River Basin and Yellow River Basin Development Commission meeting.
Garner conducted a Winter Operations Briefing with the Commissioners, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department (MCSD), the Marshall County Highway Department and Human Resources to determine winter roles and expectations.
He emailed all Department Heads to obtain updated contact information and explain winter cancellation roles.
Garner hosted the November COOP meeting and added Zach McGuigan, MCSD Communications Supervisor, to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) WebEOC Board and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Plan website.
Garner submitted the Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) compliance reports before their respective due dates.
