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Committee: Emergency Management

2026 Emergency Management Committee Chair
Scott Gerber
[email protected]

 

2026 Mission: 

The mission of the Emergency Management Committee is to provide a liaison between the association, the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and County and local emergency managers, in order to encourage and assist association members to be involved in their local emergency planning process, and to provide feedback to the association on pertinent emergency management issues and information.

2026 Report:
The Emergency Management Committee meets regularly throughout the year and addresses issues as directed by the board of directors. During the past 12 months we have met in a hybrid fashion. We have been able to meet in person and utilize the virtual option to allow more effective participation for committee members located across the state. The committee continues to be active with issues that affect all departments in Minnesota. We know that Minnesota continues to have its share of disasters and in 2026 this continued to be the case.

Some of the specific areas the Committee worked on in 2026 include:

  • We have continued our work with the FAST Team and helped to deploy fire officers across the state to various situations.  
  • Discussed the use of virtual platforms for emergency situations and EOC use.  City of St. Paul Emergency Management provided an overview of their current systems to the committee.  
  • Statewide Mutual Aid Plan and Planning
           o We have continued to monitor and maintain the Intrastate Mutual Aid plan. 
           o The Plan was used in 2026 with response to wildfires, wind events, flooding events, and other unique fire/emergency scenes, 
              non-line of duty deaths, and line of duty deaths. 
           o Ongoing plan education and plan maintenance are key components as we progress forward.  The system and process identifies and
              guides people on the following matters:
1. Mutual aid use in day to day response
2. Mutual aid use in regional response
3. Mutual aid use in Statewide Disaster scenarios
4. Mutual aid used outside of Minnesota (EMAC)
• A Field Operations Guide (FOG) for the Statewide Mutual Aid Plan is available.  Itwas last updated in 2019.  If you do not have an updated FOG and would like them for your department, please reach out to a committee member or a State Fire Marshal Division Fire Safety Specialist.  
• Ongoing Participation in various State and Local Committees and Task Forces
• Continued development and encouragement of Fire Chiefs involvement in the emergency management process.
 

Our relationship with the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) and its representation on our committee has enabled our committee to stay in the forefront in reference to homeland security.  

The Committee has had an active liaison with the Association of Minnesota Emergency Managers (AMEM) for several years, Chief Stuart Glaser, Stillwater Fire.  With the retirement of Chief Glaser in 2026, we currently do not have an AMEM liaison.  

The Emergency Management Committee consists of members that serve as representatives of numerous fire service and emergency management organizations throughout the state of Minnesota.  Additional organizations represented include: HSEM, DNR, State Fire Marshal, MSP airport, and AMEM/MEMA.  This cross section of talent on the committee enhances the wide variety of experiences and skills.  I would like to thank all the EM Committee members for their hard work this past year and we will stand ready to face challenges in the future.  

Our committee attempts to provide our members with timely information referencing emergency management issues throughout the state of Minnesota.  If any of the MSFCA members are interested in serving on the Emergency Management Committee, please contact Scott Gerber at 952-949-8336.  

Emergency Management Committee File Library