Incident management team is 'here to help'
July 11, 2024
The All-Hazards Incident Management Team helped local officials in Jackson, Minn., document damage, like this flooding near Jackson City Hall.When an emergency hits, it is immediately all hands on deck for local public safety officials. But sometimes, like during the flooding in Jackson County or the aftermath of devastating Iowa tornadoes, they need some extra hands. That's where the All-Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT) comes in.
The AHIMT is a team based in Anoka County whose work is coordinated by our Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) division. HSEM facilitates the team's missions both in Minnesota, such as when the team responded to flooding in Jackson County this summer, and out of state, like when the AHIMT helped Iowa respond to deadly tornados the last week of May.
“We know that no one community, agency, state or territory has all the resources to respond to a major event," said Jacob Beauregard, HSEM Emergency Management Assistance Compact coordinator. “Teams like this let us help our neighbors, knowing that someday they'll help us in return."
Anoka County Emergency Management Director Terry Stoltzman has been a member of AHIMT since its inception in 2006. During that time, the team has been dispatched 59 times to help both in and out of state. While they sometimes help during special events, the majority of their deployments are to assist local communities during an emergency, like a hurricane, flood or tornado.
“We're here to help, whether it's in Minnesota or out of state. It's kind of in our blood stream as public safety professionals," Stoltzman, who is now the team commander, said.
While members of the AHIMT have full-time jobs at home, 16 of them took time away from their families to help residents of Greenfield, Iowa. They spent May 27 through June 8 in the community following a tornado that killed five people and destroyed more than 200 homes. The team was there to support the local leaders, helping the people on the ground get a handle on the situation. Team members were able to assist with planning and logistics, as well as getting important updates to area residents, such as where they can get needed resources and where they could volunteer to help the recovery.
Just weeks later, June 22 through 28, the team was called to Jackson County in Minnesota to prepare for flooding and help the community response. Eleven team members brought their expertise in emergency management and put it to use helping the local leaders organize the chaos surrounding the flooding.
In Jackson County, the team helped plan evacuations, protect key resources like the local grocery store and make sure the local emergency management teams were documenting the damage, which is vital when it comes to organizing and funding recovery work.
Stoltzman describes the team's role as “turning unknowns into knowns." They share their experience and expertise with local emergency responders, making sure they have the information they need to keep their communities safe.
