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The Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB) Office of Emergency
Management (OEM) was established
by ordinance for coordination of disaster management between the Borough, the State of
Alaska, other municipalities, and response and recovery organizations. The OEM also
provides administrative support to the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC).
The KPB has experienced earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
avalanches, floods, tsunami, fires and winter storms. Brochures, fact sheets and
checklists are available from the links on the left or by contacting our office. We
hope you will familiarize yourself with emergency preparedness.
The KPB OEM has the primary
responsibility for disaster management programs and activities. The overall objectives for
OEM are disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery to all disaster
incidents, whether natural or man-made. The KPB is an active location for natural
disasters.
The Local
Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is made up of Borough citizens from all walks of life including
industry, local government, retail outlets, police and fire chiefs and others concerned
about emergency preparedness at all levels.
The OEM works in conjunction with the LEPC to keep the KPB Emergency
Response Plan as a working document which provides a system to manage the preparation for,
mitigation of, response to, and recovery from disaster emergencies. The KPB plan has
been recognized as one of the most proactive plans in the country. The plan is divided
into four zones to accommodate the large geographic area of the Borough. The North Zone is
centered around Kenai and Nikiski, the South Zone Homer and surrounding area, the Central
Zone is Soldotna, Sterling and other areas of the central Peninsula and the East Zone
includes Seward, Moose Pass and Hope.
The KPB, in cooperation with FEMA and the
Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, has completed
installation of a new all hazard warning
siren system in Homer, Seward, Nanwalek, Port Graham and Seldovia.
The KPB was the first government in the State of Alaska to offer the
Community Alert Network (CAN). CAN merged with American
Emergency Notification (AEN), which is now RapidNotify. This computerized phone warning system allows the Borough to notify many residents
simultaneously of an impending disaster, or to provide other information.
The OEM is currently working on the upgrade of the Enhanced 911 system which makes efficient
dispatch of the nearest emergency response resources such as fire, police and emergency
medical services.
The OEM prepares and distributes emergency preparedness information to the
public, informing them how to prepare for emergencies and the suitable actions that should
be followed after emergency situations.
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