Click here for a download of our Command Structure

Emergency Management

Cattaraugus County Emergency Manager - Christopher Baker

We are the "One Stop Shop" for all emergency planning, response, and management within Cattaraugus County.  County Emergency Plans, such as the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), are created and maintained within the office and individual municipalities' emergency plans are forwarded to us for review and filing.  We assist all towns, cities, and villages with emergency planning and coordination, as well as leading the County emergency operations.

Our staff is highly trained in National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) principles and, therefore, serves as the backbone to the County Emergency Operations Center (EOC).  Emergencies and planned events can be managed in our primary EOC, any of our several alternate EOCs throughout the county, and even from our Mobile Command Post trailer.

We also work closely with the State Office of Emergency Management Office (SOEM), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as all other Cattaraugus County agencies involved in emergency management, including the Fire Service and Emergency Medical Services.

Fire Service

Cattaraugus County Fire Coordinator - Christopher Baker

There are 37 fire departments in Cattaraugus County, only 2 of which are career (paid, staffed) departments.  Within the Office of Emergency Services are the County Fire Coordinator and five Deputy Fire Coordinators, one for each county fire district (made up of multiple fire response districts/ fire departments) in Cattaraugus County.  These Coordinators oversee and direct fire service activity including response to multi-agency emergencies and training requests.

Emergency Services staff, in conjunction with State Fire Instructors employed by the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, coordinates fire service training for the county.  Click here for more information about Fire Service training.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Cattaraugus County EMS Coordinator - Robert Kuhn

Emergency medical services includes the 33 State-certified ambulance and first response agencies in Cattaraugus County.  Of the 33, 22 are organized within a fire department, while the remaining 10 are independent organizations.  Only those independent EMS agencies are able to bill for service.

Cattaraugus County is the basic life support EMS course sponsor for the county, meaning that we coordinate all certified first responder (CFR) and emergency medical technician (EMT) training.  Click here for more information about EMS training.