Councils and Committees

Oregon Emergency Management participates in and facilitates several councils and committees that assist with preparedness, response and mitigation of hazards in our state. These include:

Agencies participating in the Oregon Emergency Response System Council provide cooperative assistance within their resources and authority in responding to mitigating hazards that threaten the State of Oregon.

The Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission (OSSPAC) was established after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California. It is tasked with promoting earthquake awareness and preparedness in Oregon through education, research and legislation. OSSPAC meets bi-monthly.

State Interagency Hazard Mitigation Team (IHMT) coordinates recommended strategies to lessen loss of life, property, economic and natural resources when natural hazard events affect technological systems and critical infrastructure. The team meets on a quarterly basis.

Section 151 of House Bill 2927, ordered by the Senate on June 25, 2021, established the Emergency Preparedness Advisory Council within the Office of the Governor. The mission of the council is to facilitate policy recommendations for catastrophic disaster preparedness, mitigation and response, recovery planning, procedures, and protocols with special emphasis on outreach to representatives of designated state and federal emergency support functions.

Section 152 of House Bill 2927, ordered by the Senate on June 25, 2021, established the Local Government Emergency Management Advisory Council (LGEMAC). The council provides advice and recommendations to Oregon Department of Emergency Management regarding emergency preparedness and response functions.

The Oregon Homeland Security Council (OHSC) was created by House Bill 2101 in the 2005 legislation session. Placed within the Oregon Department of Emergency Management, this council receives briefings on security matters for which the department is responsible at least annually from state agencies and organizations as determined by the council.

The Safe Media Access to Disaster Sites Committee (HB4087) was established in 2022 to ensure safe and equitable news media access to wildfire and other disaster scenes on Oregon public lands. House Bill 4087 directs Oregon Emergency Management to convene a collaborative committee of news media and public safety agency stakeholders to develop and implement a safety training and media access credentialing plan. The plan is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2023.

The Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris (JTMD) task force was created in the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake in 2011 to manage the marine debris washing up on Oregon shores. The final meeting of the JTMD task force was held on Oct. 29, 2014.