Emergency Management has grown out of the "old" civil defense days of the 1950s. Changes to the federal and state laws have brought new concepts and responsibilities to the office including consideration and planning for all hazards.
In the late 1980s, the implementation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act created a repository for documenting the storage of hazardous materials in the community. In conjunction with these laws, the Local Emergency Planning Committee was formed to help identify priorities and provide oversight to local emergency planning. Most recently homeland security issues have become an additional focus for planning activities and resource development.