• Amelia Courthouse Sanitary District
• Animal Control
• Board of Supervisors
• Building Department
• Clerk of the Circuit Court
• Commissioner of the Revenue
• Commonwealth's Attorney
• County Administrator
• County Attorney
• Department of Economic Development
• Department of Emergency Management
• Department of Environmental Services
• Department of Social Services
• Erosion and Sediment Control
• Finance Department
• Fire Department
• Historical Society
• Library
• Parks & Recreation
• Planning Department
• Public Schools
• Public Works
• Registrar
• Sheriff
• Treasurer
• Virginia Cooperative Extension Service

Kent Emerson
Director of Emergency Management

Office Hours
Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
(on call as needed)

The Amelia County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) coordinates efforts to ensure that the County is able to mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from any type of natural or man-caused disaster. Amelia County uses an all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness, which means that planning efforts consider all types of man-caused disasters that could occur in the County or Region.

The Department of Emergency Management encompasses the entire County and the Director works in collaboration with other Community Groups and/or Agencies, including The Amelia County Fire Department, The Amelia County Sheriffs Department, The Amelia Emergency Squad, the Red Cross and all Regional and State Emergency Services providers.

The Department was created in July of 2008 and Mr. Brian "Kent" Emerson was hired in February 2009 as Amelia County's first Director of Emergency Management.

Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather

Getting too hot can make you sick.  You can become ill from the heat if your body can't compensate for it and properly cool you off.  Heat exposure can even kill you: it caused 8,015 deaths in the United States from 1979 to 2003.

Summer temperatures in Virginia normally climb into the upper 90’s and even reach over 100 degrees at times.  People can suffer ill health effects when their body temperature control system is on overload.  A person’s body temperature can shoot up when normal sweating cannot cool it quickly enough in extreme heat.  Damage to the brain or other vital organs can result from very high body temperatures.

Summer sun can also present a health challenge.  Recent research indicates that among Virginia adults, the number of deaths from and new cases of melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, have increased even as more adults report using sunscreen.  This suggests that some people may not take proper measures to protect themselves from skin cancer.  While you enjoy the outdoors this summer, remember to use sunscreen, seek shade, and wear sunglasses, a hat, and sun-protective clothing.  Use a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor, or SPF, of 15 or higher.  As sunscreen wears off, reapply if you stay out in the sun for more than 2 hours and after you swim or do things that make you sweat.

These are the main things affecting your body's ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather:

·         High humidity.  When the humidity is high, sweat won't evaporate as quickly, which keeps your body from releasing heat as fast as it may need to.

·         Personal factors.  Age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use can play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather.

What you need to know:

·         Heat Stroke - When the body cannot control its temperature anymore because of high external temperatures, the internal temperature rises quickly, sweating stops and the body is unable to cool down.  Body temperatures can go as high as 106 degrees in 15 minutes.  Death or permanent disability can result without emergency treatment.

·         Heat Exhaustion - When the body loses too much water and salt from sweating due to the high external temperature, heat exhaustion can result.

·         Heat Cramps - When people sweat profusely during physical activity, painful muscle cramps can result as the body depletes its salt and fluid.  Muscle cramps in the stomach, legs or arms are symptoms.  If they occur during swimming, the results can be dangerous.

Here are some facts about which people are at greatest risk for heat-related illness and what protective actions to take to prevent illness or death:

·         People who are at highest risk are the elderly, the very young, and people with mental illness and chronic diseases

·         But even young and healthy people can get sick from the heat if they participate in strenuous physical activities during hot weather.

·         Air-conditioning is the number one protective factor against heat-related illness and death.  If a home is not air-conditioned, people can reduce their risk for heat-related illness by spending time in public facilities that are air-conditioned.

You can take these steps to prevent heat-related illnesses, injuries, and deaths during hot weather:

·         Stay cool indoors.

·         Drink plenty of fluids.

·         Replace salt and minerals.

·         Wear appropriate clothing and sunscreen.

·         Schedule outdoor activities carefully.

·         Pace yourself.

·         Use a buddy system.

·         Monitor people at high risk.

·         Adjust to the environment.

·         Do not leave children in cars.

·         Use common sense.

For more information, see http://www.cdc.gov/Features/ExtremeHeat/, and http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/PressKits/Summer/.

TRAINING ANNOUNCEMENT

AWR-148: Crisis Management for School-Based Incidents: Partnering Rural Law Enforcement and the Local School System

Friday, October 1, 2010 OR Saturday, October, 2, 2010

AWR 148: Crisis Management for School-Based Incidents – Partnering Rural Law Enforcement and the Local School Systems is an 8-hour DHS approved course designed to educate rural law enforcement personnel as well as school administrators and staff on the elements that would allow for an effective response to school-based emergencies. Schools in small, rural, and remote areas across the country account for almost 23 percent of the total student population (more than 11 million students). Rural schools, law enforcement, and other emergency responders are often limited in resources, so it is imperative that all potentially affected parties collaborate on planning, preparing, communicating, responding, and recovering from a school-based incident.

For more information about the course, contact Liz Goodman at or 419-434-4353.

Preregistration is MANDATORY.  To register, please contact Kent Emerson at 804-561-3914 or .  Please provide Name, Course Date that you prefer, Position, Agency, Address, Phone, Fax, and Email.

Information

Local Emergency Services Organizations

Amelia County Sheriff's Office
P. O. Box 463
Amelia, VA 23002
804-561-2118
804-561-2269 Fax
ameliaso @ tds.net

Amelia County Volunteer Fire Department
P. O. Box 307
Amelia, VA 23002
804-561-1369
804-561-3332 Fax
acvfdfire @ yahoo.com

Amelia Emergency Squad
P. O. Box 888
Amelia, VA 23002
804-561-3336
804-561-5897 Fax
aesrescue @ tds.net

Links

• Amelia County Volunteer Fire Department
• Ready Virginia
• Virginia Department of Emergency Management
• Virginia Department of Fire Programs
• Virginia Department of Forestry
• Virginia Department of Health Office of EMS
• Virginia State Police

Slideshow