Champaign County Emergency Management Agency

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The Champaign County Emergency Management Agency serves the county of Champaign from its location in downtown Urbana. It is responsible for preparing for, warning about, and responding to natural and manmade disasters such as floods, fires, tornadoes, and hazardous materials spills; it is also tasked with responding to such diverse situations as civil unrest, tactical operations, and even large municipal celebrations such as the Fourth of July.

The agency maintains and operates warning sirens, organizes storm-spotter volunteers, assigns addresses, and runs a heavily IT-centered Emergency Operations Center, or  "E-1" van, a mobile command that enables information and communication among first responders in the case of an emergency, as well as carrying equipment necessary to coping with emergencies such as large fires, floods, and tornado aftermath. 

Moreover, the Champaign County Emergency Management Agency shares office space with the main Champaign County 9-1-1 service, called Metcad; this enables both essential sets of first responders to work closely together, thus lessening response time to natural and manmade disasters. 

Beyond their work as first responders, the EMA's website also offers information on such diverse topics as cyber security and safety preparation for school-age children. 

Additional Contact Information

The Champaign County EMA maintains a Facebook page with information about the organization as well as security and safety tips. However, the page is not monitered for emergencies; if you have an emergency,  please call 9-1-1.

In addition to Facebook, the EMA maintains a Twitter feed; once again, while the feed has useful information, it is not monitored 24 hours a day. In case of emergency, please call 9-1-1.

The EMA can be reached by email at ema@co.champaign.il.us. 

Its main office phone number is 217-384-3826. Its fax number is 217-384-3794.

Residents can sign up for emergency text alerts through the CCEMA; these alerts, depending on user choices, can include everything from extensive weather alerts to nuclear emergencies or child abduction alerts. 

Champaign County EMA at Work!

The Champaign County EMA advertises a Flickr page called EMA on Scene; the page showcases the agency and its first responders on the job, throughout Champaign County. 

Champaign County EMA in the News!

"EMA leaders prepare for disasters," an article in the News-Gazette by reporter Tim Mitchell

"Colleges join emergency-readiness effort," also from the News-Gazette

Origins of this Page

This CU wiki entry began as a UIUC research project.  For more on that see Study of UC2B Anchor Institutions' Technology Use