Tennessee Emergency Management Agency

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Tennessee Emergency Management Agency

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency logo.png

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Prior Logo (2003-2016).
Agency overview
Preceding
  • Office of Civil Defense
Jurisdiction State of Tennessee
Headquarters 3041 Sidco Dr.
Nashville, TN 37204-1502
Motto "Failure is Not an Option"
Employees 107 (2017)
Annual budget $13,177,000 (2012)
Agency executive
  • Patrick C. Sheehan, TEMA Director
Parent department Tennessee Military Department

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is an agency of Tennessee government tasked with preparing for and responding to natural and man-made disasters across the state of Tennessee. The agency is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. [1] TEMA is a component of the Tennessee Military Department, along with the Tennessee National Guard (Tennessee Army National Guard and Tennessee Air National Guard) and the Tennessee State Guard.

Nashville, Tennessee State capital and consolidated city-county in Tennessee, United States

Nashville is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The city is the county seat of Davidson County and is located on the Cumberland River. The city's population ranks 24th in the U.S. According to 2017 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the total consolidated city-county population stood at 691,243. The "balance" population, which excludes semi-independent municipalities within Davidson County, was 667,560 in 2017.

Tennessee Military Department

The Tennessee Military Department is a department within the Executive Branch of Tennessee State Government with four major components. The Tennessee Army National Guard and the Tennessee Air National Guard constitute the National Guard in Tennessee. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), and the Tennessee State Guard are the other major components of the Military Department.

Tennessee Air National Guard

The Tennessee Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Tennessee, United States of America. It is, along with the Tennessee Army National Guard, an element of the Tennessee National Guard.

Contents

History

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) was established in 1951 with the primary purpose of preparing civil defense plans in the event of nuclear weapons being detonated in Tennessee during a hypothetical war between the United States and the Soviet Union. This continued to be the main focus of the agency through the 1960s as the OCD prepared the Tennessee Plan for the Management of Resources, a plan designed to manage resources after a nuclear strike. In 1984, after the Waverly, Tennessee, tank car explosion, the Office of Civil Defense was renamed the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and assigned its first civilian director. [2]

Civil defense protection of the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from military attack

Civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attacks and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation and recovery. Programs of this sort were initially discussed at least as early as the 1920s and were implemented in some countries during the 1930s as the threat of war and aerial bombardment grew. It became widespread after the threat of nuclear weapons was realized.

The Waverly tank car explosion was an explosion that occurred at approximately 2:58 p.m. on Friday, February 24, 1978, in Waverly, Tennessee, following a train derailment incident days earlier. A tank car containing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exploded as a result of cleanup related to this derailment.

Organizational structure

Executive Office

The Executive Office is composed of the Director of TEMA and his assistants, Chief of Staff / Assistant Director for Administration and Mission Support, Assistant Director for Preparedness, Assistant Director for Mitigation and Recovery, and Assistant Director for Operations and Field Services. [3]

Executive Staff

The executive command staff is composed of several executive positions given the following roles and responsibilities: [3]

TEMA Divisions and Branches

PREPAREDNESS DIVISION

The division handles the planning and implementation of exercises and simulations designed to prepare first responders both inside and outside of the agency for emergency situations. The division also provides training on specific emergency management skills. [3]

Planning and Analysis Branch
Training Section
Exercise Section
Technical Hazards Branch

OPERATIONS AND FIELD SERVICES DIVISION

State Watch Point

The State Watch Point handles the coordination between different agencies during emergencies. The branch also ensures that communications are maintained during emergencies between first responders as well as the agency and the public. [3]

MITIGATION AND RECOVERY DIVISION

Mitigation Branch
Recovery Branch

ADMINISTRATION AND MISSION SUPPORT DIVISION

handles purchases and acquisitions for the agency, and supports day-to-day operations by maintaining the lands, vehicle fleet, information technology elements, and other equipment of the agency as well as managing the relationship between the agency and its volunteers and donors. [3]

Human Resource Administration
Grants and Programs Branch

The Grants and Programs Branch oversees all grants which are awarded to the Tennessee Management Emergency Agency, as well as the federal grants and funds which are processed through TEMA to be allocated to victims of disasters.

Mission Support Branch
Logistics
Communications

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References

  1. ↑ "Contact Us". Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Official Website. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Agency History". Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Official Website. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "TEMA Structure". Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Official Website. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
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