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Pender County Commissioner Jacqueline Newton Completes the 100 Counties Prepared Emergency Preparedness Training for County Commissioners

Mike Sprayberry, Brock Long Among Presenters at Inaugural Training

Cabarrus County, N.C. – Pender County Commissioner Jackie Newton completed the 100 Counties Prepared Emergency Preparedness Training for County Commissioners at the NC Association of County Commissioners’ (NCACC) 115th Annual Conference in Cabarrus County on Aug. 11.

Commissioner Newton attended the inaugural training for this Emergency Services Training for Commissioners which was developed by and the vision of Brunswick County Commissioner Frank Williams 100 Counties Prepared initiative during his past year as President of the NCACC who saw the need for further training of elected officials in their responsibilities and duties during times of emergency.. “County governments perform a number of important functions, but the stakes are higher during an emergency,” said NCACC Past President Frank Williams.

Commissioner Newton said the state of Pender County’s Emergency Services Management team is strong.

“As a County Commissioner, I have seen first-hand how necessary it is in a time of disaster to have relationships in place with key stakeholders to effect an immediate and productive response to a disaster event,” Newton said. “Pender County is fortunate to be led by our EMS Director Tommy Batson who has shown great leadership in the past and with the EMS team, continues to build the relationships with strategic stakeholders that will affect a positive outcome for our citizens when the next disaster arrives.  This training has strengthened my ability to provide effective leadership assistance to our EMS team and strategic partners at the appropriate time.”

Attendees heard from N.C. Director of Emergency Management Will Ray who gave the keynote address in which he thanked NCACC under the leadership of NCACC President Williams and the “100 Counties Prepared” task force for the important work done on this critical initiative.

“This training course is a vital piece to continuing the sustainment and improvement of emergency preparedness across our state. We know that we will continue to have events and incidents that impact North Carolina that will be across all hazards, and we will need counties’ continued partnership, standing shoulder-to-shoulder together as we continue to serve our communities.”

The Emergency Preparedness Training for Commissioners included:

  • Presentation by Kate Van Tol, N.C. Emergency Management Legal Fellow how reviewed the statutory provisions, roles and responsibilities.
  • A panel discussion regarding the role of Commissioners in the emergency management process led by Commissioner Randy Thompson and Commissioner Ann Keyes, both of whom are retired, county-level emergency managers.
  • Consultant Julie Parker of Julie Parker Communications and Meagan Kascsak, Brunswick County’s Director of Communications spoke on communications during emergency events.
  • Former N.C. Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry and former FEMA Director Brock Long led a panel discussion on practical applications and best practices of emergency management.

For more information about the 100 Counties Prepared initiative, please visit www.100countiesprepared.com.

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