C. Creig Moore, a former chief for the Huntington (West Virginia) Fire Department, was recently hired as Gloucester County’s emergency management coordinator.
Moore most recently has served as a public safety consultant and as an adjunct instructor with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, teaching emergency management and incident command courses throughout the state.
Moore said he is excited to be a part of the Gloucester community and said one of the most important things he wants to accomplish is having the county’s emergency operations plan updated.
Another aspect Moore said he hopes to work on is continuing the county’s practice of keeping citizens notified and up to date before, during and after an emergency situation. “If we don’t communicate to our citizens, they don’t realize what we’re putting into motion,” he said.
Citizen preparedness is also a crucial aspect to emergency management, Moore said, as well as making sure the county is prepared for all hazards, not just hurricanes and tornadoes.
Moore said he realizes that volunteers are a crucial commodity during and after an emergency situation, but understands that volunteers have to be coordinated. If volunteers are not managed and put into areas where they are needed, their time and efforts are often not used to their full potential, he said.
Initiating an emergency operations plan takes practice, Moore said, who noted that he has a long history of implementing training exercises to stay up to date and discover any potential gaps that may appear during a true emergency.
While working in West Virginia, Moore was the designated emergency services director for the city and was responsible for all emergency management activities associated with natural and man-made disasters.
Prior to his employment in Huntington, Moore concluded a 30-year career with the Newport News Fire Department as the assistant chief of emergency management, overseeing administrative and management duties at the Newport News Emergency Operations Center.
Moore has a bachelor of science degree in Emergency Systems Management from Hampton University and is a member of the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Professionals, and International Association of Emergency Managers.
During his career, Moore completed an extensive number of certifications from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, and Emergency Management Institute.
“We are delighted that Mr. Moore is joining Gloucester’s team,” said Gloucester County Administrator Brenda Garton. “We look forward to his leadership in our continued efforts to improve emergency management services to the citizens of Gloucester County.”
Moore, who began his duties with the county on Monday, said, “I am very pleased to have the opportunity to live and work in the Gloucester community and I am quite impressed with the commitment to emergency management by the leadership in Gloucester. I look forward to working with county officials and staff to ensure that the office of emergency management in Gloucester has a comprehensive plan and program to protect and prepare residents in times of a disaster or an emergency.”
After just moving to Gloucester over the weekend, Moore is already praising the kindness the community has shown him. “Everyone I met from the stores to the restaurants has been wonderful,” he said. “I’m so impressed and I’m very happy to be here.”
Garrey Curry, Gloucester’s director of public works, has been serving as interim emergency management coordinator. The county’s last full-time coordinator was R. Paul Long, who resigned in the spring after being in the position for three months.
Moore’s annual salary is $72,000, according to county spokesperson Christi Lewis.
For more information on Gloucester’s department of emergency management, call 693-1390 or visit www.gloucesterva.info/EmergencyManagement.