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About VDEM  

Agency Structure

Finance Division • Human Resources • Local Support Services Division • Office of Training and Exercises • Operations Division • Preparedness Division • Public Affairs Office • Recovery and Mitigation Division • Technological Hazards Division

Operations Division

Whether in "disaster mode" or conducting "business as usual," Operations Division staff perform critical coordination, communications, and response tasks to maintain the state's readiness and capability to meet the demands of a major emergency or disaster.

Disaster operations involve coordination with many components of local, state and federal government as well as private and volunteer organizations. During these events, representatives from key state and federal agencies and private and volunteer organizations join a trained cadre of VDEM agency and reservist staff to make up the Virginia Emergency Response Team (VERT) in support of response and recovery operations.

Timely communication and coordination are critical to saving lives and reducing property loss in crisis situations. The division maintains the well-equipped and staffed Virginia Emergency Operations Center (VEOC) with a round-the-clock communications and warning system in the Watch Center.. As the State Primary Warning Point, the VEOC:

• Receives, analyzes, and acts upon a variety of situational information on events in and around the Commonwealth
• Transmits National Weather Service and other warnings to localities and other stakeholders
• Operates a variety of complex and redundant communications systems
• Acts as the primary entry point for almost all state-level crisis information into the Commonwealth.

In addition to operational direction and control at the VEOC, disaster activities also include disaster resource prioritization, information gathering and situational/damage assessment, mission assignment and tracking, resource management, legislative liaison, community outreach, public affairs, and executive coordination. In addition, the Operations Division is responsible for installation, maintenance and operation of complex radio, telephone, computer and other systems to support disaster operations in the VEOC and in the field. Some of these systems include radio tower maintenance, Emergency Alert System (EAS) participation and liaison with Amateur Radio volunteers.