Be Ready Brookings (BRB) is a preparedness website created by the Brookings County Pandemic Planning and Coordination Committee (PPCC). The PPCC is a partnership of the Brookings Health System, Brookings County Emergency Management, the city of Brookings, the Brookings County Chapter of the Red Cross, 3M, the South Dakota State University, and faith-based/community organizations working with public health agencies.
The Brookings County PPCC is continuously developing and evaluating disaster planning and preparedness training/education resources for our communities and special needs populations.
After preparing yourself and your family for potential disasters or emergencies by getting a kit, making a plan and being informed, take the next step and get involved in preparing your community. You may have learned through your planning and preparation that there are businesses or organizations that do not have an emergency or disaster plan. Step-up and ask how to get the process started. Learn how faith-based and volunteer organizations are prepared to respond to disasters and ask if there is a role for you in their response plan.
The Brookings County Emergency Management Office has programs to help citizens and organizations prepare for disaster.Robert Hill is the Brookings County Emergency Management Director and Richard Haugen is the Deputy Director. The operations in their office include Brookings County Local Emergency Planning Committee, and Citizens Corp. Log onto their websites to learn more about these groups and how you may become part of them to aid in a county response to a disaster.
If you log onto the Brookings County Emergency Management website you will notice a link for National Incident Management System (NIMS.) NIMS is a system that will provide a consistent nationwide approach for Federal, State, local, and tribal governments to work effectively and efficiently together to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity. It is important to be familiar with NIMS and also ICS or Incident Command System as it is under this system that our county, state and nation will respond to disasters.
NIMS/ICS is the backbone of the Brookings County Pandemic Plan and South Dakota Department of Health Pandemic Response Plan. Roles and Responsibilities are clearly defined in these plans to avoid communication and response failures. The Brookings County Pandemic Preparedness Coordination Committee members have been trained in NIMS/ICS. NIMS/ICS training is essential for any person or organization involved in disaster planning and response.
