Director of Emergency Management
SGM Robert F. Higgins Sr., USA (Ret.)
Somerset County Emergency Management Agency
Robert F. Higgins, Sr.
Primary Responsibilities
Under the delegation of the County Commissioners, following guidelines established
in the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Annual Work Plan, the Emergency
Management Agency (EMA) Director plans, organizes and directs the EMA programs
of the County and acts as chief county representative on all EMA matters. The
Director coordinates activities of the County EMA with other Federal, State,
County and local agencies that have EMA responsibilities.
I. Representative Duties and Responsibilities:
1. To plan, organize and carry out EMA activities, conferring as necessary
with MEMA and with neighboring County and Local community Emergency Management
Agencies to ensure its activities are an integral and coordinated part of the
overall County, State and national programs;
2. To keep the County Commissioners fully and regularly informed on all EMA
matters and acts as their personal representative with other governmental and
private organizations concerned with EMA;
3. Directs a public information program to keep all citizens of the County informed
as to the activities of the EMA, and of the part which each citizen should play
in the EMA program;
4. Establishes and maintains an emergency warning system throughout the county,
as well as an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) with appropriate/adequate volunteer
staff for the county;
5. Coordinates a training program to prepare the local EMA organizations within
the county for emergency operations;
6. Coordinates participation of the local EMA’s within the county for
National, state, County and local emergency exercises;
7. Develops and coordinates effective Emergency Operations Planning for each
municipality within the county, conforming with State law and to assist departments,
agencies and municipalities involved in EMA activities;
8. During emergencies, coordinates county resources, reports county and local
emergency response activities conditions to the MEMA and requests assistance
as needed;
9. Coordinates damage assessment activities throughout the county and promptly
reports all damage assessment results to MEMA and assists FEMA/MEMA/Local preliminary
damage assessment and damage survey activities;
10. Conducts annual review and update of the County Emergency Response Plan,
the County All-Hazard Mitigation Plan, and provide copies to MEMA in accordance
with the MEMA annual work plan;
11. As County Emergency Hazardous Materials Coordinator, is responsible to the
Board of Commissioners and MEMA for decisions and actions taken, and coordinates
county activity and participation in the Central Maine WMD/HAZMAT Regional Response
Team (CMRT).
12. Advises the County Commissioners on the needs of EMA and is responsible
for preparing the county EMA budget and participating in the Federal Financial
Assistance Programs.
13. Responsible for the oversight of the Enhanced 911 (E-911) implementation
in the 83 Unorganized Territories of Somerset County; responsible for reporting
and updating the county commissioners on all E-911 Addressing activities and
issues; serve as the supervisor of the Primary E-911 Addressing Agent for the
Unorganized Territories while acting as the secondary Addressing Agent in his
absence; and assists in the development and presentation of the E-911 Addressing
portion of the Unorganized Territory budget requirements;
14. Serves as Chairman of the Somerset County Safety Committee to inform the
County Commissioners of identified safety issues and ensures that the fire evacuation
plans for each county building are reviewed and updated annually;
15. Coordinate the Somerset County Citizen Corps Council activities and efforts
with the various programs of the National Citizen Corps and the State of Maine,
through the Department of Homeland Security;
16. Responsible for coordination of mass feeding and sheltering requirements
with MEMA and American Red Cross, required to meet County, Regional, and Local
needs;
17. Coordinates and manages county agency activities between the Local Emergency
Planning Committee (LEPC), MEMA, and the State Emergency Response Commission
(SERC) with supporting grants and stipends, for the annual review and update
of the County LEPC Plan and the Extremely Hazardous Substance (EHS) facility
plans using the SERC/OSHA guidelines required by MEMA;
18. Coordinates technical planning assistance to county municipalities and facilities
for “All-Hazard” vulnerability, to include “Homeland Security”
vulnerability assessments, of identified potential threats areas;
19. As the State designated County National Incident Management System (NIMCAST)
Assessment Coordinator, updates the county assessment tool as required, and
ensures of designated community coordinator appointments and access to ensure
community compliance;
20. Coordinates and provides accessibility and training, to the allowable county
agencies, to the Emergency Management Agency access to the Department of Homeland
Security Information Network (HSIN).
21. Coordinates Homeland Security planning and grant activities in the county,
and monitors, processes and tracks all County of Somerset Homeland Security
and Citizen Corps Grant Awards issued through the County Emergency Management
Agency.
22. May serve as a representative in various capacities on various organizations
and committees as appointed (examples: Eastern Maine Medical, Northeastern Regional
Resource Center; and State of Maine Homeland Security Grant Review Committee,
i.e.
Biographical Information: Director
As a Certified Emergency Manager in Maine, I have been employed as the Somerset
County Director of Emergency Management since January 2003, coming to the agency
after retiring from an active duty tour as the Engineer Operations Sergeant
Major for the Maine Army National Guard with over 23 years credit of active
duty and over 35 years of total military service.
I am not a stranger to emergency services or emergency management, having been a volunteer fireman with the Dennys River Fire Department, and involved in law enforcement for 13 1/2 years as well. I started in law enforcement as a dispatcher and then patrolman/investigator in Old Town in 1970, and ended my law enforcement career in 1983 during the Cold War build-up in the Regan Era, resigning as the Sheriff of Washington County to take the active duty tour as full-time support personnel with the military.
The years of various military leadership positions and assignments also helped provide me with the tools and experience necessary for this position of extreme responsibility.
Personal Interests
I am a Licensed Chief Instructor and ATV Rider Course Instructor for the ATV
Safety Institute (ASI), a subsidiary of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America
(SVIA) from Irvine, California, and have been teaching ATV Safety Rider Courses
in Maine since 1994. I used this experience to volunteer to serve as the SVIA/ASI
representative on the Governor’s ATV Task Force for the “Solutions
for The ATV Crisis in Maine” in 2003.
I also am a volunteer Tread Lightly Trainer for Tread Lightly!, Inc. of Ogden, Utah, teaching an Outdoor Ethic for people to recreate responsibly to assist in changing behavior and attitude and enjoy the outdoors responsibly through education, restoration, and research to protect our environment.
I try to maintain my carpenter skills whenever I can, and am an avid outdoorsman in fishing and hunting, enjoying my wife, children, and grandchildren whenever possible, by involving them all together in enjoying life to the outmost.
I am a Licensed Ham Radio Operator, holding a 2 meter Technician License – N1SXT, and am integrating RACES into my Agency Operation.