Overall Town Response to Emergency Planning

The Madison Emergency Operations Plan outlines the Town's planned response to threats to public health, life and property from emergencies of natural or human origin. It is modeled after a state-provided template but has been customized for the Town's needs to some extent. The plan consists of an overall Operations Plan followed by Annexes that describe plans and actions in a more detailed manner for certain functions. The main plan and the annexes follow a consistent format, namely:

• Situation and Assumptions (basic information about the Town or about the specific function)
• Concept of Operations, including:
  • Mitigation Phase (actions taken prior to disasters to reduce hazards or prepare for them)
  • Increased Readiness Phase (actions to take when an emergency is imminent)
  • Emergency Phase (actions to take during the actual emergency)
  • Recovery Phase (actions taken after the immediate emergency situation has ended)
• Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities (list of tasks for each emergency official)
• Administration and Logistics (details of how actions in the plan or annex will be carried out)
• Plan/Annex Development and Maintenance (how, when and why this plan will be updated)
• Authority and References (state statutory and Town Charter legal authority supporting the plan)

Ongoing Updates

The Emergency Operations Plan is (and may always be) a work in progress, as the nature of emergencies and response capabilities will change over time. The first draft has been sent to various emergency partners, including fire, police and selected town agencies for comment leading to revision. The plan will be regularly updated, as a result of new information and experience gained from real emergency situations and exercises/drills.

It is important to remember that the final product of Madison's emergency planning efforts will not be the plan itself, but a heightened awareness within the community that would make the town response more effective. The plan is related to, and to some degree embedded in, regional, state and federal emergency management plans. But its goal is more closely related to the Madison Emergency Guidelines (available on this website), which outlines individual and family response to various kinds of emergencies.

Emergency Planning & Volunteering

There is no question that the best possible municipal preparation for any emergency is a populace that is prepared to act in its own best interest. Those who are well prepared will be more available to help others, becoming part of the solution rather that part of the problem. We encourage all residents to start their emergency planning at home and then to register as volunteers we could contact to help in an emergency. Volunteer applications (PDF) are available and the Town maintains a secure database of volunteers we could call quickly if needed.