SKOWHEGAN, Maine — Whoever takes over the Somerset County Emergency Management Agency faces a dynamic and demanding challenge that for the most part will go unnoticed.
Even if they’re whisked away from a wildfire, plucked from a flood zone or spared the misery of the H1N1 flu, county residents might never understand the exhaustive planning and constant training that led to a life- or property-saving emergency response.
That’s the opinion of Robert Higgins, who after more than seven years directing the agency will retire Dec. 31. He said the responsibilities of his position have nearly tripled since he took over.
“It’s a fast-paced, high-stress occupation,” said Higgins during a recent interview in his office in Skowhegan, where volumes of reports, preparedness binders, filing cabinets and stacks of paperwork leave little walking room. “There is a general lack of understanding about the involvement of emergency management agencies in communities. No matter how often you try to provide the education, most people don’t know we’re there until they need us.”
Higgins’ tenure, which began in 2003, started as the whole concept of emergency management in the United States shifted toward preparedness in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. One of Higgins’ first duties was rewriting the county’s emergency operations plan, a task that has more to do with field-based research and networking than it does with writing; it’s a big job.
The agency also has a plan for avoiding disasters, designed to reduce damage to people or property when they happen. Those projects range from installing larger culverts in areas where roads repeatedly wash away to equipping emergency agencies with new communications or safety equipment. This, too, is a big job that needs constant updating.
Higgins also writes grant proposals. In his time with the county, he said, he has applied for about a dozen grants and won every one of them for a total of more than $7 million.
“That’s one thing I can leave here very proud of,” Higgins said.
Deputy County Administrator Robin Black said Higgins is known for his attention to detail and tireless work ethic.
“He will be greatly missed,” Black said. “He worked very hard at his job.”
Black said the county will interview six candidates for the position, all from Maine, on Tuesday.
Asked what prepared him for such a multitasking job, Higgins, 63, cited his more than 35-year military career, 16 years of which spent as a reservist. Higgins, who was reared in Dennysville, served as Washington County sheriff in the early 1980s and has worked for both the fire and police departments in Old Town.
“I guess that’s why I fit in so well,” said Higgins of his experience.
Besides long hours and intense projects, the next county EMA director faces an ornery constituency that has complained loudly about county budget increases in recent years. Some have even suggested eliminating the emergency management agency, but to Higgins that would be foolhardy. Besides his $7 million worth of grant victories and hundreds of volunteers who have been trained and stand at the ready because of the agency, Higgins said, his 2008 budget was only $144,000 — half of which is funded by the federal government.
“When people say we don’t need emergency management, that’s a lack of understanding and a lack of knowledge,” said Higgins. “It’s one of the worst problems I’ve had to face since I got here.”
