Wood County Emergency Management Agency
Wood County Courthouse & Office Building
One Courthouse Square Bowling Green, Ohio 43402
Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Office Phone: 419-354-9269
Office Fax: 419-354-6382
Office Email: woodcountyema@woodcountyohio.gov
After-hours/holidays emergency contact: Call the Wood County Sheriff’s Office at 419-354-9001
EMA Director: Jeff Klein
Deputy Director: Erin Konecki
Administrative Assistant: Suzette Hall
Volunteer Public Information Officer (PIO): Bradley J. Gilbert OCEM
The Wood County Emergency Management Agency is under the authority of the Wood County Board of Commissioners and in proud partnership with all political subdivisions of Wood County.
The concept of Emergency Management evolved in the 1970’s out of the very important and successful era of Civil Defense. The Wood County Civil Defense utilized many dedicated volunteers to perform numerous essential emergency services to residents across the County. The concept of Emergency Management began to formalize and streamline how communities managed disasters through the four phases of Emergency Management: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. The tragic attacks on September 11, 2001 in the United States reinforced the importance of the Emergency Management concept and guided Emergency Management into a new era of an “all-hazards” approach to the four phases of Emergency Management.
Emergency Management exists at all three levels of government in the United States which includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), State Emergency Management Agency (Ohio EMA), and local Emergency Management Agency. In Ohio, the Revised Code requires all local governmental entities to have an established emergency management program. For efficiency, local governmental entities typically contract with a countywide emergency management agency which is the case here in Wood County.
The Wood County EMA is responsible for maintaining the County All-Hazards Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The EOP provides basic guidance to all first responders, organizations, agencies, and officials of general responsibilities and how everyone will work together in a disaster or a large scale emergency. The EMA is also responsible for managing and maintaining the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in a state of readiness. The Wood County EOC is located in the Office Building of the Wood County Courthouse; however, equipment and supplies are also maintained that would allow the EOC to move to a secondary location or to co-locate with a single event on-site incident command post. In a disaster response, the EMA assists first responders with securing needed resources and provides other support as needed during the “response phase.” The EMA, along with Ohio EMA, will take the lead and work closely with local officials in the “recovery phase” of a disaster. Other day-to-day activities of the EMA include the management of various grant funds, assists with training opportunities, assists with drills/exercises of emergency plans, and public outreach to residents and businesses in emergency preparedness.
The Wood County EMA’s goal is comprehensive collaboration with our first responders, local officials, and many other agencies and organizations to create an effective emergency management network. The EMA is proud to be active members in the following organizations:
- Wood County Fire/EMS Chief’s Association
- Wood County Firefighter’s Association
- Wood County Law Enforcement Executives Association
- Wood County Mayor’s Association
- Wood County Township Trustee’s Association
- Wood County Emergency Preparedness Committee (Co-Chair)
- Emergency Management Association of Ohio (Northwest Sector and North Central Sector)
The EMA provides general “ALERTS” and emergency preparedness information for the public via social media on Facebook and Twitter. Please visit and “Like” us at Wood County Emergency Management Agency.
CodeRED Community Enrollment Link:
https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BFAB7B074BCD