County Emergency Management

County EM Overview

Because disasters start locally, county emergency management coordinators and agencies have a vital role in preparation for, response to, and recovery from disasters – both natural and man-made. Local emergency management agencies are the backbone of the state’s emergency management system. They provide coordination of local resources and work in partnership with HSEMD to ensure the emergency management and response communities have adequately planned, and are well-equipped, trained, and exercised.

Local Commissions

County boards of supervisors, city councils, and the sheriff in each county must establish a commission to carry out the provisions of Iowa law (Iowa Code, Chapter 29C). These local commissions each appoint an emergency management coordinator, who is responsible to fulfill the commission’s duties. Two or more county commissions (with the approval of their respective boards of supervisors and cities) may enter into an agreement for a multi-county emergency management agency.

6 Planning Districts

Iowa is made up of six different homeland security planning districts. Each district has its own board, chair, and vice chair.

The Iowa Emergency Management Association (IEMA) has divided the state into six emergency management planning districts, which are geographically the same as Iowa HSEMD’s homeland security planning regions. Check out IEMA’s district information.

Each homeland security region/emergency management district is assigned a different HSEMD planner to assist the coordinators in their emergency plan development and other related needs.

• County Coordinator Contact List 
• Grants for Coordinators
• National Incident Management System (NIMS)

District Contact Information

District 1 and 3

District 1 Counties: Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Dallas, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Marshall, Polk, Poweshiek, Story, Tama, Warren, Webster

District 3 Counties: Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Ida, Lyon, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sac, Sioux, Woodbury

District 2 and 6 

District 2 Counties: Allamakee, Bremer, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Howard, Humboldt, Kossuth, Mitchell, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Worth, Wright

District 6 Counties: Benton, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Cedar, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Iowa, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Scott

District 4 and 5

District 4 Counties: Adair, Adams, Audubon, Cass, Clarke, Decatur, Fremont, Guthrie, Harrison, Madison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby, Taylor, Union

District 5 Counties: Appanoose, Davis, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Lucas, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Muscatine, Van Buren, Wapello, Washington, Wayne