Emergency Management


April 12, 2019

Today, Friday, April 12th, as part of Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week in Wisconsin, there are planned MOCK/TEST Tornado events.

Here is the schedule of MOCK/TEST events for this afternoon, April 12, 2018:

  • 1:00 P.M. CDT - a mock/test tornado watch is issued for all of Wisconsin by the Storm       Prediction Center. This will include Milwaukee County and the City of Greenfield.

  • 1:45 P.M CDT – National Weather Services Offices will upgrade the Tornado Watch and issue a mock/test Tornado Warnings. This warning will include Milwaukee County and the City of Greenfield.  Outdoor Tornado Warning Sirens and NOAA Weather Radios will be activated for this mock/test Tornado Warning
  • 6:00 P.M. CDT - a mock/test tornado watch is issued for all of Wisconsin by the Storm     Prediction Center. This will include Milwaukee County and the City of Greenfield.

  • 6:45 P.M CDT – National Weather Services Offices will issue the first ever early evening mock/test Tornado Warnings. This warning will include Milwaukee County and the City of Greenfield.  Outdoor Tornado Warning Sirens and NOAA Weather Radios will be activated for this mock/test Tornado Warning
**During the mock warnings, Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management will also test their new Wireless Emergency Alert system. This system should activate cellular phones within the Milwaukee County with a test emergency message.

Terminology:

  • A tornado watch is issued to give you advance notice that the development of tornadoes is possible in your area.  This gives you the time to make plans for moving to a safe shelter quickly if a tornado is sighted.

  • A tornado warning is an urgent announcement that a tornado has been reported by a person or is imminent due to Doppler Radar information. Take immediate action.  Move quickly if you are in the tornadoes path. Seconds can save your life.

Take time to make a plan. Families should:

  • Discuss and practice taking shelter.
  • Consider buying an Emergency Weather Radio.
  • Create an Emergency Preparedness Kit.

Click or go to for additional info.

The purpose of this section is to inform Greenfield residents about procedures that are followed when there is an emergency that affects the entire community. Emergency Management is the city agency responsible for all aspects of local emergencies, including preparing, response, recovery, and mitigation.

Phases of Emergency Management

The process of emergency management involves 4 phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

Mitigation

Mitigation efforts attempt to prevent hazards from developing into disasters altogether, or to reduce the effects of disasters when they occur. The mitigation phase differs from the other phases because it focuses on long-term measures for reducing or eliminating risk.

Preparedness

In the preparedness phase, emergency managers develop plans of action for when the disaster strikes. Common preparedness measures include:
  • Communication plans with easily understandable terminology and methods
  • Proper maintenance and training of emergency services, including mass human resources such as community emergency response teams
  • Development and exercise of emergency population warning methods combined with emergency shelters and evacuation plans
  • Stockpiling, inventory, and maintain disaster supplies and equipment
  • Developing organizations of trained volunteers among civilian populations

Response

The response phase includes the mobilization of the necessary emergency services and first responders in the disaster area. This is likely to include a first wave of core emergency services, such as firefighters, police and ambulance crews.

Recovery

The aim of the recovery phase is to restore the affected area to its previous state. It differs from the response phase in its focus. Recovery efforts are concerned with issues and decisions that must be made after immediate needs are addressed and are primarily concerned with actions that involve rebuilding destroyed property, re-employment, and the repair of other essential infrastructure.

Implementation of Emergency Management

In the event of a local disaster or emergency, Greenfield Emergency Management will work collaboratively with Milwaukee County Emergency Management. The city may also need to coordinate with Wisconsin Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.