When a group of emergency management officials from more than 7,000 miles across the world was looking to see how their counterparts in the United States went about the business of managing weather emergencies and other disasters, one of four agencies they visited was York County Emergency Management Agency.

The group of 10 fire chiefs and EMS professionals from the island of Taiwan came to the United States in early May as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, and hosted locally by the World Affairs Council of Maine. They visited Miami and San Francisco, and to gain a rural perspective, met with representatives of the Maine Fire Chief’s Association, Red Cross of Northern New England, York Village Fire Department and York County Emergency Management Agency.

“They asked a lot of great questions,” said York County Emergency Management Agency Director Art Cleaves, noting the delegation’s keen interest in how emergency management works here. In Taiwan, he said, an island with a population of 23 million, emergency management is more centralized.

“They respond to disasters by corresponding government sectors rather than the all-hazards approach of the U.S.,” Cleaves said.

While at York County Emergency Management Agency, the Taiwanese leaders took part in a facilitated discussion with agency staff about shared challenges, toured the York County Emergency Operations
Center, and witnessed a demonstration from the UAS Drone Team.

“Even though we face different natural hazards and are miles apart, this was a valuable opportunity to learn more about emergency management best practices,” said Cleaves.

“The group was incredibly impressed with York County Emergency Management Agency and how effectively the department is managed,” said World Affairs Council of Maine Executive Director Allison Hodgkins. “They particularly appreciated the ways in which (the agency) cultivates cooperative relationships across the different municipalities in York County in order to leverage limited resources and ensure high levels of response. They also appreciated hearing from all the different department heads, and seeing how all the parts work together.”

Goals of the visit, as described by the International Visitor Leadership Program, were to see the Taiwan delegation acquire an in-depth understanding of U.S. emergency preparedness and crisis response capabilities at the national and local level; learn how the Federal Emergency Management Agency administers its role as the main coordinating federal agency for disaster response and recovery; explore local government level crisis response resources and how governmental agencies cooperate and coordinate during a disaster, and to understand how all levels of government and nonprofit organizations support disaster response efforts.

“It is always wonderful to see how easy it is for professionals from around the world to make immediate connections based on shared experiences and commitment to public safety,” said Hodgkins. “The World Affairs Council of Maine thanks everyone at the York County Emergency Management Agency for being such topflight ambassadors for Maine and the USA.”

Tammy Wells is media specialist for York County Government.