Ohio Department Of Public Safety, Emergency Managment Agency

The Ohio Department of Public Safety, Emergency Management Agency Division, operating as the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, is a U.S. state government entity that serves as Ohio's central coordinating body for emergency preparedness, response, and disaster mitigation. Registered in SAM.gov since October 2003, the agency receives substantial federal grant funding to strengthen the state's capacity to manage emergencies, natural disasters, hazardous materials incidents, and security threats. Ohio EMA functions as the primary state-level administrator of federal emergency management and homeland security grants, coordinating the distribution of funding to local governments, counties, cities, tribal associations, and nonprofit organizations throughout Ohio's 88 counties to implement critical preparedness and resilience initiatives.

Ohio EMA has received over $150 million in federal grant awards across multiple disaster preparedness, cybersecurity, nonprofit security, and hazard mitigation programs administered by FEMA and the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Primary grant programs include the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) exceeding $18 million annually for planning, training, exercises, and personnel support; the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) totaling approximately $21 to $40 million for emergency preparedness and critical infrastructure protection; the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program providing over $27 million to enhance governmental cybersecurity capabilities and reduce cyber vulnerabilities; the Nonprofit Security Grant Program exceeding $40 million for physical security enhancements including surveillance systems, access controls, and secured entry points for at-risk religious institutions, community centers, schools, and healthcare facilities; and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program providing hazard mitigation funding for infrastructure hardening and disaster resilience projects. Additional programs include the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for post-disaster recovery infrastructure repairs, Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) supporting flood control and property elevation projects, the Interagency Hazardous Materials Public Sector Training and Planning Grants program for emergency responder training related to hazardous materials transportation safety, and the Emergency Operations Center program supporting construction and equipping of a secure emergency operations center in Columbus. Through these grants, Ohio EMA frequently distributes sub-awards to county emergency management agencies, municipal governments, nonprofit organizations, and other eligible entities to execute localized emergency preparedness projects, conduct vulnerability assessments, develop emergency operations plans and procedures, deliver first responder and emergency management training, implement security infrastructure improvements, and execute infrastructure resilience and mitigation initiatives across the state.