The Olson Group, Ltd. (OGL) led the development of the 2016 update to the Sussex County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, incorporating the thirteen municipalities within the County in the process and the Plan. Through “whole community” engagement and public involvement, OGL developed a comprehensive HMP, which received FEMA approval and adoption by the County and all thirteen jurisdictions.
Following the development of the HMP, OGL was contracted to update and convert the County’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) into a more streamlines and actionable Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
OGL conducted an initial gap analysis of the CEMP. As part of the process, OGL made recommendations for re-defining not only the plan, but the emergency management structure and organization for operations. OGL incorporated the recommendations of the analysis, which included better definition and guidance for hazard mitigation and recovery based on the recently completed HMP. The resulting base EOP, and the Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Annexes have been used to guide the County’s Emergency Management activities and response to three real-world disasters in the last two years.
As a part of OGL’s multi-year contract with the State of Delaware to provide exercise planning, conduct and evaluation services, OGL has conducted nearly a dozen tabletop, functional, or full-scale exercises for Sussex County and its stakeholders. The newly developed plans were exercised in 2018 as part of the Delaware Statewide Full-Scale Exercise and as part of an Sussex County-hosted regional Active Shooter Full Scale Exercise.