Emergency management is a means of responding to large-scale emergencies or disasters.
There are four phases to the emergency management model: 1) Mitigation, 2) Preparedness, 3) Response and 4) Recovery.
Mitigation: Refers to actions taken before an event occurs to prevent or lessen the impact the event has to life and property. Examples of mitigation include; building codes, zoning ordinances, grant funding, and training.

Preparedness: Refers to activities, actions, procurements, planning, training and inter-jurisdictional cooperation designed to increase response readiness to identified hazards the community faces.

Response: Mobilization of resources to meet the needs of the community in response to the nature of the disaster. Mobilization includes local, county, state and federal resources as necessary. Response is usually associated with the period of time immediately after the event and necessary to ensure life safety issues are handled. Examples include; Fire and EMS services, Search and Rescue, debris removal, public works activities and law enforcement.

Recovery: Refers to long term mobilization of support operations that work toward returning the community to its pre-event condition.

The purpose of the Office of Emergency Management is to coordinate the activities of various town departments responsible for continued operations during disasters, coordinate inter-local agreements for resource utilization, communicate with state and federal agencies, and provide education and training. Ultimately, the purpose of emergency management is to increase the town's capabilities to respond to the hazard that threaten the Town, all the while, preventing or reducing the impact of the hazards on the community.

FEMA- www.ready.gov

American Red Cross- www.redcross.org/prepare

Morris County Office of Emergency Management- www.morriscountynj.gov/oem/

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration- www.noaa.gov

Power outages can occur at any time, so it is important to prepare for them before they happen 

• Keep a flashlight, portable radio, and extra batteries handy.
• Know where your electric service panel is located. They are commonly found in the basement, in an attached garage, or other interior locations near the exterior electric meter.
• Keep an emergency supply of bottled water on hand.
• If you use an electric range for cooking, keep an emergency supply of convenience foods that do not require cooking.
• If you have a backup generator, be sure you know how to use it safely.
• Keep a plain, hard-wired telephone handy; you may need it to report your electricity is out. Many cordless or feature-laden telephones require a plug-in power source to operate, and may not work if a power outage occurs. A cell phone will work as long as its battery is charged (you may want to keep an extra charged battery handy) and the nearest cell tower has power or battery backup power. However, a plain, hard-wired phone can operate on power delivered through the phone line.

• Call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report outages immediately, or report online or via text messaging.

• Immediately report downed wires to 888-544-4877 or your local. Never go near a downed power line, even if you think it's no longer carrying electricity.

• Keep children and pets away from any wires.

• Unplug appliances like refrigerators and freezers, and sensitive electronic equipment like TVs and computers, so that they won't overload when power is restored

• When operating a generator, always disconnect the power coming into your home. Otherwise, power from your generator could be sent back onto the utility lines, creating a hazardous situation for utility workers. The proper generator should be selected and installed by a qualified electrician.

• Stay out of flooded basements, even if the power is off. Stay away from the breaker box if it's in a flooded basement.

• One (1) Blow is for a test.
• Two (2) Blows is for a First Aid Alert.
• Five (5) Blows is for a Fire Alert.
• Many blows for more than one minute is for a "Borough Wide Alert". This could be for a weather emergency such as a tornado or severe storm. It could be for a major fire, a hazardous materials accident, mass casualty event or a terrorist alert. If this is heard, the public should turn on their TV and/or radio and listen for the problem and possible instructions. This alert will only be used when officials feel that the public could possibly be at risk and has a need to know.