Northwest Central Joint Emergency Management System 

The Northwest Central Joint Emergency Management System (JEMS) is a cooperative effort by 10 communities to provide for regional, shared emergency management services. Participating communities are:

Arlington Heights • Buffalo Grove • Elk Grove Village • Hoffman Estates • Inverness • Mount Prospect • Palatine• Rolling Meadows • Schaumburg • Streamwood

Through this system, participating communities utilize the program staff to drive industry standards and best practices into regional planning training and exercises. From an all-hazards approach, JEMS staff collaborate with municipal leadership to build community-wide emergency management capabilities in all four phases of emergency management (Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation).

Responsibilities of JEMS staff includes, but is not limited to:

• Ensuring that each member community’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is appropriately maintained and ready for immediate use
• Providing training for personnel in each of those communities on topics such as EOC operations, and assisting in developing and providing local and regional exercises
• Working with the communities to ensure that all employees are trained in the National Incident Management System as required by their positions, and that the training is documented as required by federal statutes
• Assisting members with development of Incident Action Plans for planned events, assisting with emergency planning activities, and developing Emergency Management budgets
• Attending local, regional and state planning committee meetings and serving as a liaison to state and county Emergency Management agencies

The JEMS program is an example of successful intergovernmental cooperation and collaboration, allowing multiple communities to have the benefits of a professional Emergency Manager while sharing the benefits of best practices and lessons learned.