After two months on the job, Paul Long, Gloucester County’s emergency management coordinator, said his time in the county has been "absolutely fantastic." He has spent much of January and February meeting with as many residents as possible and improving the visibility of the department.

Before coming to Gloucester, Long served as deputy emergency management coordinator for York County for four years and has a combined 20 years’ experience in firefighting and emergency services efforts.

Long said it didn’t take much time before he saw the true character of Gloucester residents come to light. While still working for York County, Long assisted former Gloucester emergency services coordinator Emily Ashley in the aftermath of the April 16, 2011 tornado that cut a path across Gloucester, leaving three dead and dozens of homes damaged and destroyed.

"It was amazing how the community rallied around itself and picked up what needed to be done," Long...