Richmond VA Emergency Management and 911

Preparedness is a team effort! 🤝

Yesterday, DECPR held a regional functional exercise that brought together agencies and partners from across the region as we continue preparing for America’s 250th events happening this summer. During this exercise, we worked through real-world scenarios designed to test our communication, coordination, resource management and emergency response across multiple agencies.

Thank you to our Training, Exercise and Preparedness Manager David Calkins for leading the exercise and to all participating partners for their continued commitment to ensuring that Richmond is ready, resilient, and effective! 🫡 🇺🇸

From critical public safety information to severe weather, get emergency alerts directly from the City of Richmond.

📲 Sign up for Richmond Ready Alerts today: Text ‘RVAREADY’ to 888-777 to receive a registration link straight to your cell phone.
🔗 Visit rva.gov/richmondreadyalerts to learn more.

Last Friday, DECPR proudly celebrated the graduates of the 49th Basic Dispatch Academy, marking the end of an intense journey and the beginning of a meaningful career in public safety.

Every emergency begins with a call and these individuals are prepared to guide, support, and dispatch lifesaving resources to keep our community safe. Please join us in celebrating them and this incredible accomplishment.🎉

Stay cool, Richmond!

Not every role in public safety is heard over the phone, but every role matters in keeping our city safe!

Behind the scenes the work of our teams ensure every call, every response, and every resource is where it needs to be!

This week, we're proud to recognize their impact and dedication.🚨📞🫡

April 12-18 marks National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, and here in Richmond, our 911 Emergency Communications Center is often the first point of contact the community has with public safety when they need help most.

Strong leadership helps keep that work moving every day and we’re kicking off the week by recognizing the leaders behind it. Swipe to learn more about the Department of Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response leadership team! 👉📞

Power outages can quickly become a food safety issue.🤢

Your refrigerator only keeps food safe for about 4 hours without power, and a full freezer for up to 48 hours if unopened.

A little knowledge can prevent a lot of risk. When the unexpected happens be sure to:

✔ Keep doors closed
✔ Check food before eating
✔ When in doubt, throw it out

Never take chances with food safety!

Important news Richmond!

🔥DYK? Virginia’s 4 p.m. burning law is in effect until April 30. 🚨

From our partners at the Virginia Department of Forestry:

Virginia’s 4 p.m. burning law is in effect until April 30. Note that some localities may have even more restrictive regulations on outdoor burning, so check with your locality before starting any outdoor burning.

🔥 Open-air burning is banned prior to 4 p.m. if the fire is within 300 feet of the woods or dry grass which could carry fire to the woods.

🔥 Burning is allowed between 4 p.m. and midnight as long as the burner takes proper precautions and attends the fire at all times.

Check out more info here: https://bit.ly/3FbZ7BR

The City of Richmond will be closed on Friday, April 3 in honor of the Good Friday holiday.

We will reopen on Monday, April 6 at normal hours.

Today, our team connected with local high school students to share what it’s like to work in Richmond’s Emergency Communications Center.

Students learned they can begin a career in public safety at 18, with comprehensive paid training to to answer emergency and non-emergency calls, gather critical information, dispatch resources, and provide life-saving instructions.

This role is a vital part of public safety, serving as the first point of contact in emergencies, with strong benefits and opportunities for growth right here in Richmond!