Orange County, like many communities throughout our nation, is very concerned about the possibility of a bird or avian flu outbreak. As with any emergency, Orange County takes an active role in being prepared for such a threat. Learn about the Avian Flu and precautions you can take to help protect you and your family. Find valuable links containing tools for planning and preparation.

Through the Community Alert menu page, citizens of Orange County and Central Florida can find out about events that might be of critical importance to them. Examples of alerts include boil-water notices, road closures, pandemic information, storm information, etc.

Emergency planning is designed to help the community effectively prepare for and respond to many types of emergencies through a comprehensive county plan.

Emergency Services includes all departments and divisions that handle emergency operations:

• 9-1-1 Communications
• Emergency Management 
• Emergency Medical
• Fire Rescue
• Public Safety

Hazardous substances may be in a liquid, gas, or solid form. Orange County has established clear safety guidelines for citizen protection in the event of a hazardous material accident.

Homeland Security involves the development and implementation of a local and national strategy to make the United States safe from terrorist threats or attacks.

Through the Domestic Preparedness Program, the goal is to ensure that at a local and national level, citizens are prepared to respond to a terrorist attack involving nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons (weapons of mass destruction).

Mitigation may be defined as "sustained action that reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards and their effects". It also describes the ongoing effort at the Federal, State, local, and individual level to lessen the impact of disasters on our families, homes, communities and economy.

Emergency management training classes for emergency response personnel are conducted on a continual basis. We also sponsor, assist and directly participate in a variety of emergency management training exercises in conjunction with local, state, and federal, agencies.

These classes and exercises ensure that the emergency response personnel in Orange County are prepared to respond to any type of emergency or disaster we may be called upon to handle.