MISSION

Pickens County Emergency Management will coordinate and integrate all activities necessary to build, sustain, and improve the capability to prepare for, protect against,  respond to, recover from, or mitigate against threatened or natural disasters, acts of terrorism or other manmade disasters. 

Pickens County has a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) that is approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This plan is updated annually, or as needed. Components of this plan include: Response to Terrorism Plan, Mass Causality Plan, Mass Fatalities Plan, Hazardous Material Response Plan, Fixed Nuclear Response Plan, Animal Disaster Relief Plan, Disaster Assistance Plan and Continuous Operations Plan for Inclement Weather Occurrences.

The Emergency Operation Center (EOC) is equipped with various communications systems - radio and telephone, displays and maps, weather monitoring systems, and siren encoder for the Oconee Nuclear Sirens. The EOC has the capability of staffing 24/7 should a disaster occur. The EOC staffing is composed of representatives from various county departments, state government and industry. This facility is equipped with generator backup power and an uninterupted power supply (UPS) system which enables the EOC to function during power outages.  Pickens County endorses and integrates the training, concepts and doctorine of the National Response Framework (NRF), the Incident Command System (ICS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

DIVISIONS OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)
Hazardous Materials Response Unit (HAZMAT)
Chemical, Ordinance, Biological, Radiological (COBRA) Response Team (Terrorism Response)
Volunteer Rescue Squads
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES) Communications (Amateur Radio Operators)
Dive Team
Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT)

Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)

Chairperson - Mrs. Wendy White

The committee is composed of members from government, local industry, fire, HAZMAT, Law Enforcement and volunteers. The LEPC meets quarterly at the EOC. The LEPC maintains all reporting of hazardous chemicals used by industry or other operations within the County under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) Title III Federal program.

Hazardous Materials Response Unit (Haz Mat)

Coordinator - Don Crowl

The HAZMAT unit operates under the guidance of the LEPC. Approximately 20 personnel from various county, municipalities and volunteers compose the response unit. The unit is trained for containment and control of hazardous material spills that could occur at fixed locations and transportation accidents. The unit is also equipped to perform confined space rescues. Donations from industry and county funding have equipped the response vehicle that is based in Easley. The LEPC has conducted transportation analysis of both Railway and Roadway in order to have an idea of chemicals that are transported through the County.

Chemical, Ordinance, Biological, Radiological (COBRA)

COBRA Coordinator - Keith Park
Assistant COBRA Coordinator - Roy Holcombe

The COBRA team has a committee that oversees the program. The Pickens County COBRA team is a “Basic” team that is being equipped and trained through Federal Grants from the Department of Homeland Security.

COBRA Coordinator is Keith Park, and Assistant Coordinator is Roy Holcombe. The team has a committee that oversees the program. Pickens County COBRA team is a Basic team that is being equipped and trained through Federal Grants from the "Homeland Defense" program.

Team members are composed of personnel from Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, HAZMAT, hospitals and Emergency Management. Pickens County has two, 27- member teams- a primary and a secondary which serves as a back up. These teams are capable of responding to terrorist events and other incidents within, and outside of the county.

Volunteer Rescue Squads

Rescue Coordinator - Wade Simmons
Assistant Rescue Coordinator - Bob Donald; John Nealy

Pickens Chief - Tommy Smith
Easley Chief - Steve Cothran
Liberty Chief – Kevin Campbell
Central Chief - Joshua Smith

Pickens County has four volunteer Rescue Squads located in Pickens, Easley, Liberty and Central. The squads members are on call 24/7 and respond to vehicle accidents with entrapments, drownings, search and rescue, EMS assistance calls, and other calls of need in the community. Squad personnel have training in CPR, other"First Responder", vehicle extrication and related rescue needs. Each squad is equipped with an Automatic External Defibrillator for Cardiac Arrests (AED).

RACES (Amateur Radio Communications)

Communications Coordinator - Cliff McLeod

Emergency Management has a Mobile Command Unit that is equipped with various radio communications including Amateur Radio. The fixed-EOC, located at 1509, Walhalla Highway in Pickens, SC, 29671, also has Amateur Radio equipment that is operated by the volunteer RACES members.

Dive Team (SCUBA)

Captain – David Watson

The western side of Pickens County has Lakes Joccassee, Keowee and Hartwell. Also there are numerous streams, rivers and ponds across the county. Water rescues and drownings occur annually. The Dive Team is equipped with 15 divers, County owned pontoon, portable air cascade system and diving equipment. All members are volunteers.

Citizen Emergency Response Teams

Coordinator- Lisa Merck

Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services may not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors as number of victims, communication failures, and road blockages may prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment's notice through 911.The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recognizes the importance of preparing citizens for disasters. Accordingly, Pickens County Emergency Management initiated a "CERT" training program which teaches the basics of Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS and Emergency Management to citizens within the county. This program is designed to teach anyone who is interested in assisting during a disaster situation. Many times during emergencies, the local population wants to provide assistance. However, without proper training volunteers can actually hamper the operation. The intent of this program is not to train to professional responder standards, but instead to provide a basic knowledge of response operations. This program is funded by grants.