CITY OF BRIDGEPORT'S OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT (OEM) / LOCAL EMERGENCY PLANNING COMMITTEE (LEPC)

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the OEM/LEPC is to protect the lives and property of citizens in the City of Bridgeport. This is done by providing 24-hour emergency assistance by mobilizing and deploying personnel and resources, updating emergency operations plans and strategies, training emergency personnel, managing the emergency operations system, and warning and informing the public of emergencies and disasters.

ORGANIZATION

The OEM/LEPC is headed by a Director, Scott T. Appleby, who reports to the Mayor of the City of Bridgeport. Audrey Blair, who is the part-time Administrative Assistant makes up the primary OEM/LEPC staff The various City of Bridgeport's Departments, Offices, and Agencies such as the Mayor's; Fire; Police; Public Facilities; Ambulance; Harbor Master; Health; Public Information; Board of Education; Water Pollution Control; the American Red Cross; Salvation Army; Utility Companies; Hospitals; Laidlaw Bus Company; and other private agencies make up the overall staff of the OEM/LEPC.

The OEM/LEPC can be defined as following a four phase approach to a Comprehensive Emergency Management system. These four phases are mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. These four phases can be visualized as having a circular relationship to each other. Meaning, each phases results from the previous one and establishes the requirements of the next one. Because a disaster or emergency knows no beginning or end, these approaches must work to protect a community.