Sandwich Emergency Management Agency (SEMA)
SEMA Mission Statement:
Sandwich Emergency Management Agency's task is to educate upon, prepare for, and assist in the mitigation of and recovery from emergency situations, whether naturally occurring or man-made, within the City of Sandwich and beyond. We are ready to provide these services anywhere, anytime, and under any conditions, without hesitation or regard for personal hardship. We train relentlessly, prepare meticulously, respond promptly, and perform flawlessly. Our appearance is neat and appropriate for duty when responding to our citizens' needs. Our professional conduct and personal manner is beyond question, as we present ourselves as a credit to our city. We have chosen to perform these tasks not for reward or recognition, but to help keep our city a fine place in which to live.
WE ARE A COMMON PEOPLE WHO DO UNCOMMON THINGS FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COMMUNITY.
About Us:
The Sandwich Emergency Management Agency is a department within the City of Sandwich and is responsible for coordinating the management, mitigation, response, and recovery in the event of an emergency or declared disaster. We work together with the local city and county resources as well as neighboring cities, counties and emergency organizations. This includes the DeKalb County Emergency Services Disaster Agency (ESDA) organization among other government and private organizations to help ensure the safety of our citizens.
SEMA is led by one EMA Director as well as an Assistant Director and our volunteer residents. We manage and maintain a central Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to ensure the ability to mitigate and recover from emergency situations and ensure local city governmental continuity. We maintain a watchful eye for severe weather (both in summer and winter) and are responsible for the six (6) outdoor warning sirens for the City of Sandwich. We support various other community activities such as the Sandwich Freedom Days parade, the Sandwich Fair, and several other events to ensure the support and safety of not only our residents, but also our local businesses.
The Sandwich Emergency Management Agency is not a replacement for the local police, fire, or other emergency response groups. If you are experiencing an emergency, please dial 911 for further assistance.
Severe Weather Alerts and Emergency Preparation and Mitigation:
We maintain a social media Facebook page that is used to communicate helpful community information, emergency preparedness, emergency mitigation, and severe weather information and alerts (summer and winter weather.) Click on the Facebook icon in the upper right hand of this page to view this information and alerts. While you are there, feel free to join the SEMA group to get notified when valuable information is posted.
Contacting Us:
If you need to contact the Sandwich Emergency Management Agency or are interested in volunteering please contact reach out to us:
Phone: (815) 786-2261
Email: ema [at] sandwich.il.us (ema[at]sandwich[dot]il[dot]us)
