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Welcome to Boone County Ready, our community preparedness campaign. Choose from one of the above menu items to learn more about how you can become Boone County Ready.
The mission of the Boone County Ready campaign is to enhance community preparedness, foster collaboration and build resilience by engaging our citizens in actively preparing for emergencies and disasters.
Our office believes you, our citizens, can offer valuable insight into what works, what's missing and what the future of this preparedness campaign and webpage could look like. Please contact us with your feedback on Boone County Ready.
*Nominations Now Being Accepted!*
The BCOEM has announced the nomination period is officially open for the 2nd annual Tom S. Hurley Public Safety Service award, honoring the memory and legacy of the late OEM Director. This award seeks to recognize an individual, paid or un-paid, agency or organization which embodies the qualities and spirit of Tom S. Hurley, in their championship of, and service to, the community. The recipient of this award goes above and beyond their day-to-day work or duties before, during or after times of disaster to provide a lasting effect, and/or impart significant contributions to fostering preparedness, responding to emergencies, or building community resiliency.
Nominations are currently being collected until July 31st. The selected awardee will be presented the award at the 2nd annual preparedness fair, the Boone County Ready Festival on September 1st, 2022.
An informed citizen knows:
The below resources can empower you to become an informed citizen and Boone County Ready.
Boone County Ready Alerts is the official emergency notification and alerting system used by the Boone County Office of Emergency Management (BCOEM) and Boone County Joint Communications (BCJC). The emergency notification system, Boone County Ready Alerts, is powered by Smart911 and includes various tools for all entities of our community. Click on each link below to learn more about what each tool offers our community.
Sign up now to receive alerts, notifications, and timely safety information from the Boone County Joint Communications (BCJC) and the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) via text message, email, and/or voice message by texting Smart911 to 67283 and download the Smart911 app. Get emergency information directly from Boone County officials and 911. You choose the notification method and topics you want to hear about.
Type: Alert
What: Threats to life and propery, active shooter, severe weather, traffic information
How: Text, email, phone call, app
The Boone County Office of Emergency Management offers a wide variety of trainings, exercises and educational programs. Check our calendar for upcoming training opportunities or request one for your organization. We'll work with you to tailor information to meet your needs.
Our partners throughout the community also offer trainings to citizens, schools, businesses and other organizations. Types of training available in the community include:
Download our guides to get you, your household, business, school, and community ready for any emergency or disaster.
Having an emergency kit ready for your home, car, and workplace is essential. Additionally, if you need to evacuate, you will need to pack additional items for your "Go Bag". We have available a printable version of the Household Disaster Kit.
These are items you will need if there is an emergency or disaster where you must shelter in place.
These are items you will need if there is an emergency or disaster that forces you to evacuate.
These are items you will need if there is an emergency that causes you to be stranded in your vehicle for extended periods of time.
Making a plan is one of the most fundamental and crucial steps of preparedness. Make a plan today. Know how you'll contact those in your household and reconnect if separated. Establish a meeting place that's familiar and easy to find.
We would love to work directly with your organization to better prepare you, your organization and its members. E-Mail or call us today at 573-554-7900.
Plan ahead for emergencies to make sure your business is resilient.
A Business Emergency Kit is a collection of basic items your workplace may need in the event of an emergency. In addition to having an emergency kit for your business, you should also have emergency numbers and procedures clearly displayed throughout the facility, evacuation routes planned and communicated, and special accommodations for those with disabilities.
Talk to those in your house about what everyone will do during an emergency before it happens.
Go over what to do during emergencies that could happen in Boone County.
Talk to your kids about what to do during an emergency and practice your plans together as a family.
Go over what to do during emergencies that could happen in Boone County.
As a community or faith leader, you can help your community members prepare for emergencies
Before, during and after an emergency, help disseminate information to people in your network. Sign up for emergency alerts and notification from Boone County Ready Alerts so that you are able to stay up to date with what's happening around you. Assist members of your community or congregation who are elderly, have medical conditions, or are without internet access to sign up for the Special Needs Registry and create a Smart911 profile.
Consider receiving additional training such as CPR, Stop the Bleed, or Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). You can also encourage those in your community or congregation to receive life-saving training as well be hosting a training locally. Request a training from the Boone County Office of Emergency Management.
We understand that your pet is part of your family and want to enable you to plan for them, too.
Shelter in place with your pet
Don't leave your pet outside or in the car for extended amounts of time.
To be safe, give your pets bottled or boiled water.
If you must evacuate your home, bring your pets with you.
View our printable Are You P.E.T. Ready? Brochure and print a checklist for your pet's emergency kit.
If you have large animals, such as horses, there are additional tips for you available here.
Welcome to Boone County! Stay connected while you are here.
Sign up to receive Boone County Ready alerts to your phone or email.
Severe Weather (Tornadoes, Rain, Thunder, Lightning, Hail, Strong Winds)
Flooding
Earthquakes
Extreme Heat
Severe Weather (Tornadoes, Rain, Thunder, Lightning, Hail, Strong Winds)
Flooding
Earthquakes
Severe Weather (Tornadoes, Rain, Thunder, Lightning, Hail, Strong Winds)
Earthquakes
Freezing Temperatures
Freezing Rain
Ice and Snow
Earthquakes
As a senior or person with medical needs, there are special considerations you need to make during an emergency.
This profile helps Boone County know who might need extra assistance during an emergency.
You should sign up for the profile if you:
Register online today. If you can't sign up on your own, a family member, caregiver or friend can register for you.
There are many great ways to get involved in your community's preparedness, such as volunteering time, donating money and practicing your plan. Consider supporting our community by becoming a volunteer in one of the below programs.
Public Safety refers to the welfare and protection of the general public. The primary goal for anyone who works in Public Safety is to prevent and protect the public from danger.
If you are like us, you have a desire and passion for serving your community in this capacity. This page provides a look at the various Public Safety Careers that are available in Boone County and the education that is needed for each.
Position: 911 Dispatcher
Education: High School Diploma or GED
Training: Paid - 6 months, in-house, hands-on
Pay Range: $17.56/ hour during training; $19.16/hour after training completed
Link to apply: Boone County Human Resources
Additional Training: MACC Emergency Telecommunicator (ETC) Certification
Position: Emergency Medical Technician
Education: High School Diploma or GED and EMT Education Program
Pay Range: $11 - $17
Link to Education Programs:
Boone County Fire Protection District EMT Hybrid Course
Position: Paramedic
Education: High School Diploma or GED, EMT - Basic and Paramedic Education Program
Pay Range: $11 - $17
Link to Education Programs: MU Paramedic Course
Position: Firefighter
Education: High School Diploma or GED
Pay Range: Varies
Link to Education Programs:
Moberly Area Community College
Links to Apply:
Position: Police Officer
Education: High School Diploma or GED
Training: Become Peace Office Standard Training (POST) certified within 6 months of employment
Pay Range: $22.82
Link to Apply: City of Columbia Police Department
Position: Deputy Sheriff Trainee
Education: High School Diploma or GED
Training: Become Peace Office Standard Training (POST) certified within 6 months of employment
Pay Range: Varies
Link to Apply: Boone County Sheriff's Office
Position: Control Room Officer
Education: High School Diploma or GED
Pay Range: $16.63
Link to Apply: Boone County Human Resources
Position: Detention Officer
Education: High School Diploma or GED
Pay Range: $20.26
Link to Apply: Boone County Human Resources
Boone County Ready offers a vast array of resources to help you to stay safe and be prepared before, during and after any emergency.
Boone County Ready, powered by Smart911, allows you to create a safety profile where you enter your household's information. Having a completed safety profile that includes each member of your household, including pets, is critical in the event of an emergency at your home. If first responders need to respond to an emergency at your residence, having a completed safety profile can not only decrease response time but also assists in reducing the anxiety surrounding the incident.
Furthermore, Smart911 is recognized nationwide. That means, no matter where you are traveling - your information in your profile travels with you and will be available anytime you call 911; no matter where you are! *
*Smart911 is a trusted public safety and first responder partner. The Smart911/RAVE Mobile platform is available nationwide. Current Smart911 profiles and user information will only be available in current Smart911/RAVE Mobile participating jurisdictions
Boone County Ready powered by Smart911 is a service that residents are already paying for through tax dollars. Taking advantage of the Smart911 services available to you is fiscally and socially responsible.
Still, we understand that you may have questions before taking that first step towards taking control of your personal preparedness. You can find the answers to FAQs below. If you can't find the information you are looking for, feel free to contact us at (573)554-7900 or by e-mail.
Boone County Ready is the Boone County Office of Emergency Management (BCOEM) community preparedness campaign. This mission of the Boone County Ready campaign is to enhance community preparedness, foster collaboration and build resilience by engaging our citizens in actively preparing for emergencies and disasters.
When emergencies happen, be the first to know. Boone County Joint Communications and the Office of Emergency Management uses Boone County Ready to send official, real-time alerts to the public with information about potentially life-saving actions they may need to take to keep themselves and their families safe. By signing up for Boone County Ready Alerts, you are taking a large step toward improving your personal safety.
When an emergency occurs that meets the criteria for sending out an alert to the public, Boone County Joint Communications (BCJC) emergency dispatchers will gather the necessary information and push out an alert to the affected area. Alerts can be sent out county-wide to everyone who has opted-in to the system.
This service is provided by the Boone County Government through tax dollars; however, message and data rates may apply depending on your provider and phone services.
While Boone County Ready Alerts is an excellent system, we cannot guarantee that you will receive notification in all cases. Disasters and emergencies are chaotic and unpredictable, and notification is dependent on external providers such as your wireless carrier or email delivery service outside the control of Boone County Government. Boone County Ready Alerts will use several means of communication to try to ensure that should any one communications method, technology, or delivery option be unavailable, other methods will be used to improve the likelihood that citizens will receive the message.
Signing up for Boone County Ready is easy! Here are the options available to you:
To update you existing Smart911 preferences, login here.
Boone County Ready is available to anyone who lives, works, travels through or visits Boone County and municipalities. The address can be your home location, work location, or any other location you care about.
You can visit your local library to sign up online for Boone County Ready. You can also download the Smart911 app on your smart phone. Boone County Office of Emergency Management and Joint Communications are happy to walk you through the steps over the phone or in-person. Contact us directly if you are in need of assistance.
Emergency alerts are sent 24/7 when there is an immediate threat to life and/or property. In addition to emergency alerts, you can also choose to receive customizable community notifications. These include notifications about:
You are not able to reply to texts or emails sent by Boone County Ready powered by Smart911 unless the message provides survey or polling link. Voice messages provide a dial-back number to replay an alert message.
Once you have signed up online and confirmed your contact information within the system, you will begin receiving alerts.
Follow the below steps to change your preferences (for example, to reduce the number of messages of a certain type, or to change the contacts used for each kind of message):
The frequency for which you receive alerts depends on the addresses you provide and the types of alerts you select to receive as well as the frequency of actual emergencies. Emergency alerts will only be sent when there is an immediate threat to life and/or property. Community notifications will be sent when the criteria for sending an alert are met.This system is not intended to bombard you with information. The County will only send you alerts about the information you select to receive. To change your alert settings, login here and edit your preferences.
If a call completes and is sent to your answering machine or voice mail system, a message is left. If a phone call is not answered or busy, the system redials your number several times.
No, your information is private and will not be used or distributed in any manner. The information that you provide is exempt from public disclosure and will be used for emergency purposes only.
Personal information provided to Boone County powered by Smart911 is private and only used to notify you for official communications and to support emergency services.
Your information is not used for marketing purposes and will not be sold to telemarketers or data-mining organizations. A variety of "opt-in" mechanisms are available to ensure you are getting just the messages you want to receive, delivered via the devices and communications modes that you choose.
Boone County Ready powered by Smart911 utilizes the highest standards in physical and computer security technologies and conducts regular audits to ensure all information is kept secure. Privacy policies are also outlined in the Terms and Conditions you review when you sign up to receive Boone County Ready notifications.
Opting in for Boone County Ready alerts and notifications allows BCJC and the OEM to communicate to your cell phone, landline or email to keep you informed of severe weather, traffic alerts, emergency notifications and preparedness messaging. You can customize which alerts you want to receive and where you want to receive the alerts by using the Smart911 app for Android or iOS.
Emergency calls come from within large facilities or campuses every day, from landlines and mobile phones. Whether it is an employee, customer, student, or visitor in that location; having the information to reach their exact location within the facility as well as access points, points of contact and maps, can shorten response time. A Boone County Ready Facility profile powered by Rave can help to protect both people and places. This feature is how Boone County Joint Communications (BCJC) can obtain additional premise information for facilities, campuses and other large structures in our community during an emergency call. When a 9-1-1 call, landline or mobile, comes from within the geographical boundaries of that location (as determined by the facility profile), the profile will by immediately displayed to the 9-1-1 dispatcher. In addition, authorized individuals can search for the profile of a facility by name.
A Facility profile can include:
Emergency calls come from within large facilities or campuses every day, from landlines and mobile phones. Whether it is an employee, customer, student or visitor, having the information to reach their exact location within the facility as well as access points, points of contact and maps can shorten response time. A Rave Facility profile can help to protect both people and places.
Under Facility, another tool exists - the Rave Panic Button. This app is available for facilities to purchase for their students and/or employees and staff. The app offers more than just emergency call buttons. Upon the activation of any of the buttons, a preset notification is sent to all necessary on-site staff and safety personnel. The notification is also received by 9-1-1 in addition to details about the location of the incident, facility profile data, and more. This tool aids first responders before arriving on scene to determine the best approach to the situation.
The Staff Assist feature enables authorized employees to communicate with on-site groups or individuals without initiating an emergency call to 9-1-1.
Once a button has been activated, 9-1-1 can initiate customizable check-ins with those on-site to see who is injured, get their locations and current status of the situation to better direct first responders arriving on scene.
This FirstNet-listed platform is fully interoperable, connecting devices, 9-1-1 systems, and multi-jurisdictional local and state first responder agencies across a single platform. For school safety efforts, the Rave Panic Button also meets and exceeds the requirements of "Alyssa's Law" and has been certified by the United States Department of Homeland Security under the SAFETY Act (Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technology).
Interested in setting up a demo or learning more? Contact the Office of Emergency Management.
Sign up for Smart911 online or to downlad the Smart911 app Text SMART911 to 67283
As the nation's nonprofit clearinghouse and comprehensive reporting center for all issues related to the prevention of and recovery from child victimization, NCMEC leads the fight against abduction, abuse, and exploitation - because every child deserves a safe childhood.
Whether you are a parent or caregiver, teacher, first responder or mental health professional - NCMEC has resources available to you.
NCMEC is committed to providing training, technical assistance, education, and resources at no cost to child-serving professionals, including law enforcement and other personnel who assist with missing and exploited children cases. View their online training courses.
NCMEC provides safety and prevention resources for families and professionals focusing on child abduction, child sexual exploitation, and internet safety.
For a complete list of resources available through the NCMEC, visit their webpage.
Building informed commnities.
PulsePoint is an app that connects citizens with lifesaving information that is already available in the community. This app allows for the community to share where AEDs are located so that if someone calls 9-1-1 for a heart emergency dispatch can connect them with that tool while they wait for first responders. In addition, others in the nearby area who are CPR certified will be alerted in the event that someone calls 9-1-1 for an emergency that warrants CPR. Furthermore, anyone with the app can be alerted to all Fire and EMS calls automatically at the same time dispatch receives them.
Download the Pulse Point app for free today. To learn more about PulsePoint, visit their webpage.
As of 2019, suicide was the 10th leading cause of overall deaths in Missouri. Teen suicide is currently the third leading cause of death in youth under 15 years old. Suicide is preventable. By recognizing, talking about and treating mental health, we can work together to prevent suicide. Our community is fortunate to have a vast network of resources, many of which are listed below. This list changes as more resources become available or unavailable. Please contact our office if you see any information that is not current or to add a resource.
ONE (Our Networks Engaged) a community-wide campaign to prevent suicide launched by Burrell Behavioral Health offers free training on how to recognize mental health warnings signs, how to talk about suicide with loved ones and connect them with resources to help.
Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. In the Mental Health First Aid course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help. To view training available near you, visit mentalhealthfirstaid.org.
The STU22 Crew Foundation was created in 2010 to promote awareness for the prevention of teen suicide. For more information, view their webpage.
NAMI Ending the Silence is an engaging presentation that helps audience members learn about the warning signs of mental health conditions and what steps to take if you or a loved one are showing symptoms of a mental health condition.
Children's Grove of Columbia is a non-profit that's works to offer support for the social, emotional and mental well-being of youth. They have several Mental Health resources for children as young as preschool.
Requiem Alliance is a newer non-profit created to increase focus on mental health concerns in the service industry.