Gene L. Wriggelsworth, Sheriff

Emergency Services

Ingham County Emergency Management Coordinator, Sheriff Gene L. Wriggelsworth

Emergency Management Program Manager, Sergeant Mike Perez, PEM

Telephone Number: (517) 676-8223

Mission: “In partnership with the citizens of Ingham County, it is the mission of the Ingham County Sheriff, through its Office of Emergency Services, to provide a comprehensive Emergency Response Plan. The Office of Emergency Services will provide our citizens with an efficient and comprehensive response in emergency situations, which is designed to save lives, prevent property damage, and protect the environmental resources. These services will be provided at the highest possible standards, while respecting the rights of all people.”

In 1997, pursuant to Public Act 390 of 1990, also known as Michigan’s Emergency Management Act, the Ingham County Board of Commissioners appointed Sheriff Gene Wriggelsworth as the Emergency Management Coordinator for Ingham County. Sheriff Wriggelsworth has appointed a command sergeant to the position of Program Manager to administer the day to day responsibilities and management of the Emergency Services office itself.

All governmental municipalities within Ingham County fall under the guidance of the Ingham County Emergency Operations Plan with the exception of the City of Lansing, which maintains its own Emergency Operations Plan and management staff.

The Program Manager’s responsibilities include:

Develop and annually update the Emergency Operations Plan and annexes
Prepare plans for population protection, evacuation, sheltering, and emergency services
Coordinate disaster response and recovery programs
Provide emergency management training opportunities
Conduct exercises to test the different phases of the emergency operations plan
Promote public awareness of hazards and encourage individual preparedness
Coordinates homeland security grants and activities

The program manager focuses planning activities on the four phases of emergency management listed below:

Mitigation: activities aimed to eliminate or reduce the probability or occurrence of an emergency or disaster. It also refers to activities designed to postpone, dissipate, or lessen the effects of a disaster or emergency. Examples include strict regulations on the transportation of hazardous materials in urban areas or warning sirens to alert the public of impending severe weather.
Preparedness: plans to ensure the most effective and efficient response to an emergency or disaster and to lay the ground work for response operations. Preparedness is essential because it is impossible to completely mitigate against all types of emergencies.
Response: the first phase directly after the onset of the disaster or emergency. It is intended to provide emergency assistance, sheltering, medical care, search and rescue, damage assessment, and or other measures to enhance future recovery operations.
Recovery: continues beyond the emergency and focuses on returning all systems back to normal. Short term recovery activities include returning vital human services to minimum operating standards, such as providing crisis counseling, food, clothing, heat, water, and power. Long term recovery could include offering redevelopment loans, legal assistance, community planning, and government financial assistance.

A model of the emergency management cycle:

Local (Emergency Management) Resources:

City of Lansing Emergency Management

Local Resources:

State Resources:

Federal Resources:

International Resources:

World Health Organization

Personal Preparedness:

Volunteer Organizations:

Weather: