About the Department
Emergency Management is the judicious planning, assignment and coordination of all available resources in an integrated program of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery for emergencies of any kind, whether from attack, man-made, or natural sources.
Department Services
Bradford County’s fifty-one local municipalities have Emergency Management Agencies. The County Emergency Management Agency assists the local municipal emergency management agencies in developing their Emergency Operation Plans, provides training for the local emergency management coordinators, and when more than one municipality is involved in a disaster or emergency, provides direction.
The County Emergency Management Agency also coordinates with the State and Federal Emergency Management Agencies during times of disaster or emergencies.
The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is also under the jurisdiction of the County Emergency Management Agency. The LEPC is comprised of members of the local SARA Title III Planning Facilities, other facilities that have chemicals, fire, EMS, police, and local government officials. The LEPC is responsible for maintaining the Facility Off-Site Response Plans. The LEPC collects $50.00 per chemical and $100.00 for each response plan. This money is used to provide training to local emergency responders and equipment for response to hazardous materials incidents. Bradford County has sixteen Planning Facilities.
Bradford County is a member of the North Central Counter Terrorism Task Force which includes six other counties: Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan, Tioga, and Union. The mission of the Task Force is to foster cooperation and facilitate preparation among officials and agencies in the seven counties in order to safely recognize, respond to and manage situations resulting from terrorist activity, as well as provide assistance to other regions in mutual aid situations.
The National Weather Service and State Officials declared Bradford County a Storm Ready County on November 3, 2000, under a nationwide program to help communities guard against the ravages of severe weather. Bradford County has gained the skills necessary to survive severe weather, both before and during the event.
Director of Public Safety
 Robert S. Barnes:
Robert Barnes has served as a Volunteer Firefighter and Fire Officer, a County Emergency Manager and Fire Coordinator, as Chief of Department for the City of Oneonta Fire Department, and as City Emergency Manager for Oneonta New York.
Barnes is a New York State Fire Instructor, an Adjunct Instructor at the NYS Fire Academy in Montour Falls, and regularly teaches incident command and NIMS classes for NYS Emergency management. Recently Barnes has delivered I-100, 200, 700 Train the trainer certifications for the Department of Homeland Security and OFPC. Barnes also served as Municipal Training Officer for his Department.
Barnes holds an AA Degree in Liberal Arts from SUNY Cobleskill, attended SUNY Brockport and graduated from the National Fire Academy Executive Fire officers Program.
Emergency Management Office
 John Ambrusch:
John Ambrusch is a native of Montgomery County, PA where he was born and raised. He began working for Bradford County Emergency Management Agency on September 7th, one day prior to the TS Lee disaster began.
John has served in many facets of the public safety service and comes to Bradford County with a great deal of experience and training. He has been in the fire service since 1992, served eight years in the United States Army with an honorable discharge in 2005, served almost 7 years as a senior police dispatcher in Montgomery County and has volunteered two years as a municipal emergency management coordinator in Douglass Township, PA.
John's education includes graduation from Souderton Area Senior High School, a technical degree from Lincoln Technical Institute, an A.A.S. in Fire Science from Montgomery County Community College, where he was also inducted into the National Honors Society, and over 80 professional development courses with FEMA's Emergency Management Institute.
John holds active memberships with the Keystone Fire Instructor's Association, the National Association of Fire Investigators, the National Fire Protection Association and is a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Among John's major credentials are PEMA's Basic municipal emergency management coordinator certification and is certified by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress as a Firefighter II, Fire Instructor I, Fire Investigator and Hazardous Materials Technician.
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Emergency Management Agency 
