Office of Emergency Management

The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) coordinates the activities of volunteer, public and private agencies in all phases of emergency management (Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation). The OEM develops plans and exercises, and coordinates emergency management training for the City of Dallas and allied agencies. The OEM obtains assistance and resources to accomplish their mission from federal, state, local and private agencies.

The Office is charged with assuring timely and adequate public warning of potential or imminent disaster events, and providing disaster-related safety information to the public and media. The Office of Emergency Management is available on a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week basis.

The Civil Defense Act of 1950 created offices of "Civil Defense" in cities throughout the United States, including the City of Dallas.  Up until 1972, the Dallas office was a City/County organization, and was primarily focused on planning for a Nuclear Attack.  In the late 1970s, the focus of planning changed to more of an "all hazards" approach, so that the office began to concentrate more on the day-to-day types of emergencies such as severe weather, hazardous materials, large fires, plane crashes, etc.  The name of the office evolved as well, with the original office being called the Office of Civil Defense, changing to the Office of Emergency Preparedness, and finally to the current name, which is the Office of Emergency Management.

The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) also assists City, State, and Federal officials and their respective constituents with disaster preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery programs. Because a close working relationship with elected officials is crucial to the success of our mission, the Agency serves as a repository of information concerning hazard identification and mitigation procedures. OEM also provides the public and media organizations with accurate and timely information regarding emergency management programs and issues in the City of Dallas.