Office of Emergency Management

Preparing for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Read CDC's Interim guidance is to help household members plan for community transmission

FEMA's "Are You Ready,
A Guide To Citizen Preparedness"

• Get a copy sent to you — Call 800-480-2520
• Read online

What You Need to Know

The next time disaster strikes, you may not have much time to act.
Please prepare now for a sudden emergency.

Woodland Park emergency managers, working closely with federal, state, county and local officials have put together a checklist to get you started as you plan ahead for emergencies that can occur in our area.

Emergencies can be broken down into three categories.

1) Those that can cause you to take shelter in your home for days, even weeks.

A weather emergency or disaster and its after-effects can last for days, during which you may be without heat, water, power, or telephones.

Use the Emergency Preparedness Checklist below to make sure you have everything you need to stay inside your home for as long as a week, if necessary.

2) Those that cause you to evacuate your home.

To prepare for an emergency that requires you to evacuate your home:

   •  Make arrangements to stay with a relative or friend who lives 10 to 50 miles away, in case you have to evacuate your home during an emergency.
   •  If you cannot make these arrangements, locations of temporary shelters where you can stay during an emergency can be obtained from the American Red Cross or the Woodland Park Office of Emergency Management.

3) Those that can trap you in your vehicle or a sheltering place away from your home.

An "All-Purpose" Checklist:

Use the following checklist to be sure that your family is prepared for any type of emergency:

• Warm clothing that can be worn in layers
• Extra blankets/sleeping bags
• Portable radio / flashlight / extra batteries
• First Aid kit & prescription medications
• An extra pair of eyeglasses, and lists of items and important family papers to take with you
• Non-perishable, high-energy food that can be eaten without cooking
• A supply of drinking, cooking and bathing water
• Extra towels or paper toweling
• Extra baby supplies, if caring for infants
• Extra prescription medications and supplies, if caring for elderly or infirm
• Extra food and supplies for pets
• A fully-charged fire extinguisher
• Battery-powered smoke detectors that work

The Emergency 9-1-1 telephone system should be used "When Seconds Count." In other words; ONLY if Life or Property is threatened.

For Non-Emergency questions and information concerning the preparations for an emergency, please call the appropriate number during business hours, Monday through Friday.

The Woodland Park OEM is responsible for implementing, reviewing, and updating the Emergency-Operating Plan. The Emergency Operating Plan (EOP) contains annexes for each borough department delineating what their responsibilities are in the event of an emergency or disaster. Where Borough departments cannot provide specific support services, outside agencies, such as the American Red Cross and Salvation Army, are contracted through verbal and written agreements to provide the service needed.

The Emergency Operating Plan is reviewed and approved every 4 years by the New Jersey State Office of Emergency Management. Annexes in the plan must be tested through functional, tabletop, and full-scale exercises. The Borough’s Emergency Operating Center (EOC) is located in the basement of the Municipal Building at 5 Brophy Lane. 

The Municipal Complex, including the Municipal Building, the Police Dept. and the Emergency Operations Center, is fully covered by an emergency generator and can remain operational throughout a power outage.

In times of crisis, all members appointed to the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), along with representatives of local, county and state public safety departments respond to the EOC and meet to address the emergency. The Mayor and the OEM Director review the anticipated or present situation and a plan is implemented with the cooperation of the agencies responsible for the safety of the Borough's residents and businesses.

OEM oversees 4 basic phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The Mayor and Council work very closely with OEM to provide the support that is needed to be effective in all phases.

View websites, social media and TV/radio broadcast for immediate information.  And, visit ready.gov, ready.nj.gov and state.nj.us/nj/safety for information about preparing for terrorist, weapons of mass destruction (WMD), or natural disaster situations.

Call us, if you would like to volunteer for our local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).