Local offices of emergency management (OEMs) and related programs can play a much larger role in correctional readiness and response than many facilities realize. From planning and training to real time incident support, OEM partners can strengthen a facility’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies of all kinds.
This webinar breaks down what local emergency management actually does, not in theory, but in the day to day, boots on the ground, work that supports and strengthens correctional preparedness and response operations. Presenters will explain how “left of boom” or activities that occur before an emergency event, such as all hazards planning, continuity planning, hazard specific procedures, and training and exercises contribute to facility readiness. They will also outline OEM responsibilities “right of boom,” or activities that occur after an emergency, including resource coordination, situational awareness, mass care support, and recovery operations.
Participants will also learn how corrections and OEM can work together more effectively. Topics include equipment procurement support, joint exercises with local responders, mitigation efforts, and the practical benefits of building relationships before an incident occurs.
The webinar concludes with a clear message: Strong partnerships between correctional facilities and local OEMs can lead to better planning, smoother coordination, and more successful outcomes during emergencies, both inside and outside the fence.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify the core roles and responsibilities of local OEMs across preparedness, response, and recovery.
- Explain key “left of boom” activities, including all hazards planning, continuity planning, hazard specific procedures, and training and exercises — and how they strengthen correctional facility readiness.
- Describe “right of boom” functions, such as resource coordination, situational awareness, mass care support, mutual aid, and recovery operations.
- Recognize opportunities for collaboration between corrections and OEM, including equipment procurement support, joint exercises, mitigation efforts, and coordinated planning.
- Apply strategies for building and maintaining OEM partnerships that improve planning, coordination, and outcomes during emergencies inside and outside the facility.
Everyday Correctional Emergency Management Webinar Series
The Everyday Correctional Emergency Management Webinar Series is a quarterly, virtual educational initiative designed to support the continued development of emergency management capability of the U.S. correctional system. The series is primarily intended for correctional professionals working in federal, state, county, local, and tribal prisons and jails, with secondary relevance to community corrections staff and leadership. Its central purpose is to strengthen a shared understanding of nationally recognized emergency management principles and to explore how those principles can be meaningfully integrated into everyday correctional operations, leadership practices, and decision-making processes. The series is framed at a strategic and organizational level and avoids institution-specific procedures or sensitive operational details, consistent with publicly available federal emergency management doctrine.
