Dawn Cook, the director of this unsung agency since 2012, tries to anticipate and prepare for the worse. She acknowledges that most county residents know little about what she and a close-knit group of volunteers do at EMA. But she is working to change that. In the meantime, she plans and collaborates across the 658 sq. mi. of Tazewell County to make sure local governments, organizations, and residents are prepared.

“We’re finding that a lot of people in the community may not know about us or how we fall into government,” Cook said. The broad picture, she explained, includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), and EMA at the county level. They all have a role to play in emergencies, whether it is severe weather, flooding, a missing person, a terrorist attack, a public health crisis, or some other emergency.

Cook said the highest priority for EMA is to protect the public, environment, and critical infrastructure through preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery. From the most rural parts of the county to population centers like Pekin and East Peoria, the agency delivers critical emergency services and promotes public awareness and resiliency.

The agency’s roots go back to the Federal Civil Defense Agency of the 1950s. FEMA was created in the 1970s to streamline and coordinate overlapping federal programs, then FEMA was merged into the Department of Homeland Security in 2003. Locally, the Emergency Services and Disaster Agency (ESDA) were restructured into the EMA in 2009.

The EMA operates with a limited staff consisting of Cook, plus a part-time deputy director and a receptionist/administrative assistant, all at the Operations Center, 21304 Illinois State Rt. 9, just west of Tremont. The Tazewell County Health Department and Animal Control are on the same property, which was once a county nursing home.

In addition to the staff there are volunteers, currently about 47 of them, who are organized into teams: Communications, Unified Command Post, Search and Rescue/Drone, and the newest team, Digital Engagement and Outreach.

“As we come into this age of all things digital, there’s a lot that we could be doing that I feel like I would like to be doing, there’s just not enough time in the day, nor do I have all the capabilities,” Cook said. 

Formed in February, the Digital Engagement and Outreach Team includes eight volunteers with expertise in graphic design, videos, and social media. They have been working to strengthen engagement with the tax-paying public and raise awareness of what the agency does to protect the lives and property of county residents.

“There is a level of coordination that we’re trying to do here in the county,” Cook said. “That’s what I feel like our agency is all about — communication, coordination, collaboration and bringing all the people together.”

Thankfully, disasters don’t happen every day. But Cook said teams do regular training to make sure they are ready when something does occur.

“We need to be able to rely on those teams to step up when they’re needed. Training keeps them engaged and ready,” she said.

Monitoring and reporting on weather conditions is one of the EMA’s most frequent activities. In a room packed with computer monitors and communication equipment, EMA volunteers monitor National Weather Service radar in Lincoln and the Quad Cities, tracking storms as they move into the region. Trained weather spotters are sent to areas of the county where severe weather historically occurs. Anything they see or experience is reported back to the Communication Center. If a dangerous storm or tornado is spotted, EMA notifies local authorities, who then activate early warning systems like sirens and mass cell-phone notifications.

Cook is quick to differentiate EMA spotters from celebrity storm chasers on television and social media. The primary responsibility of an EMA spotter is to report visual information back to the Operations Center and then get out of the way of the storm.

“We’re spotters, not chasers,” she said.

Depending on the severity of a weather event, EMA is also critical in damage assessment and reporting after a weather system has passed. Cook said the state is always looking for information, like how many homes and businesses were damaged and the severity of any injuries. EMA volunteers may be sent out to document damage with photos and written descriptions.

“We get a situational report to the state as soon as possible,” she said. The National Weather Service may also send out a team to determine the strength of the storm and assign a rating using the familiar F0 to F5 scale, which measures the level of damage to vegetation and structures.

Incident response may require the Unified Command Post (UCP), a mobile unit packed with equipment and staffed by volunteers who are experts in radio communication. It can go wherever it is needed and is particularly effective when other forms of communication are down. Cook said the state gave the UCP vehicle to the county to manage and make available when the situation warrants. Using equipment in the UCP and at headquarters, volunteers can communicate with authorities anywhere in the world.

Although it covers all of Tazewell County, Cook said EMA is careful not to go into a jurisdiction unless it is invited by representatives of the local government, law enforcement, or fire department. Many have their own emergency response plans and are prepared for most situations. But if the local jurisdiction is overwhelmed and needs assistance, EMA encourages them to call the county. If the EMA doesn’t have what they need, Cook said they would reach out to other partners or the IEMA. If they can’t provide what county needs, it might be necessary to reach out to the federal government.

The Search and Rescue/Drone Team may be activated when a missing person report has been filed, but Cook said there are other situations where they assist law enforcement. For example, a deputy might come upon a car accident but there are no people on the scene. Finding them quickly could be a matter of life and death. She said EMA has also been called to help search for elderly persons who have wandered away from a care facility. The Search and Rescue Team now uses video-equipped drones to quickly search large areas, and special training to work with Alzheimer’s patients, children with autism, and other special needs.

Funding for EMA comes to the country through state grants. Private donations, though rare, are also accepted, Cook said. The Marquette Heights Men’s Club has made donations for specific needs, and Enbridge, operator of a pipeline that traverses Tazewell County, recently awarded a grant to the agency. She said they continue to seek grants to strengthen and expand the agency’s services.

Anyone interested in volunteering with EMA is encouraged to call (309) 925-2271 or email [email protected] for information on the application process. Applicants must be 18 or older, have no felony convictions, be a resident of Tazewell County, and have a good driving record. Cook encourages county residents to learn more about the agency by following it on Facebook: at facebook.com/tazewellcountyema.