Union County Emergency Management

What Union County Emergency Management does

Union County Emergency Management (Union County EMA) is a county government agency headquartered at 705 E. Taylor St., Creston, Iowa, mandated by Iowa Code Section 29C to coordinate emergency preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery across Union County, Iowa. The agency was established in 1989 and is governed by a Commission composed of the County Sheriff, one member of the Board of Supervisors, and an elected official from each city or town in the county. It serves all residents of Union County plus seven incorporated municipalities (Afton, Arispe, Cromwell, Creston, Lorimor, Shannon City, Thayer), and coordinates with partner organizations including Greater Regional Health, Creston Community School District, East Union School District, and Southwestern Community College.

The agency's core service offerings include 9-1-1 address issuance and sign installation, floodplain permitting, county-wide Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan administration, hazard mitigation planning (updated every five years), and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer coordination. Its primary technology dependency is the Smart911/Alert Iowa emergency notification platform, which delivers weather, civil, and hazard warnings to registered residents via text and voice channels. Approximately 10 staff are employed, with day-to-day operations effectively led by a single coordinator.

Funding flows through the Union County government budget via annual appropriations approved at Commission meetings and public hearings, supplemented by minimal direct fee revenue: $120 per 9-1-1 address issuance, free emergency notification registration, and no floodplain permitting fee. There is no commercial revenue model; the agency's outputs are public services delivered under Iowa Administrative Rules 605 and federal-state emergency management partnerships with Ready Iowa, Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and the National Weather Service.

Name

Union County Emergency Management

Legal name

Union County Emergency Management

Website

https://ucema.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Union County Emergency Management is a county government agency in Iowa providing 9-1-1 addressing, Smart911 emergency notifications, floodplain permitting, and hazard mitigation planning across Union County and seven municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Management Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Management & Incident Command (EOC/ICS) (EDALAEAD), Emergency Response Team (ERT) Staffing & Incident Management Support (BPABANAD)

Keywords

• Emergency management services
• Emergency alert notifications
• Hazard mitigation planning
• 9-1-1 addressing
• Floodplain permitting

Headquarters

HQ city

Creston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. County Government Funding: Funded through Union County government budget, with annual FY budget approved through the Commission and public hearing process. FY 2026 budget was discussed in February 2025 meeting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Union County Emergency Management is a county government agency mandated by Iowa Code Section 29C to coordinate emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation across Union County, Iowa. It delivers services including 9-1-1 address issuance, emergency alert notifications via the Smart911/Alert Iowa platform, floodplain permitting, hazard mitigation planning, Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan administration, and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer coordination. The agency serves all residents and municipalities within Union County, Iowa.

Product overview

Union County Emergency Management is a government agency providing emergency management services to Union County, Iowa. The organization operates through its official website as the primary public-facing platform, offering services including 9-1-1 address assignment, emergency alert notifications via Smart911, floodplain permitting, hazard mitigation planning, and the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. The agency also coordinates Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer programs. All services are coordinated through the office at 705 E. Taylor St., Creston, IA 50801.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union County Emergency Alert Notifications (Smart911/Alert Iowa) Free emergency alert notification service for Union County, Iowa residents, delivering weather, civil, and hazard warnings via text messages and voice calls to residential phones as they are issued. Users can customize notification types and select multiple counties for alerts.
• 9-1-1 Addressing Address assignment and sign installation service for all structures with utilities in Union County, Iowa. The $120 fee covers address issuance and sign installation by Union County Secondary Roads; replacement signs are available for $40.
• Floodplain Permitting Permit processing service for new structures or significantly improved structures located in floodplains, covering County, DNR, and ACOE requirements. No associated fee.
• Hazard Mitigation Planning Comprehensive hazard mitigation planning service for Union County and seven municipalities, Greater Regional Health, school districts, and Southwestern Community College. Plan is updated every five years.
• Union County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan County-wide emergency operations plan mandated by Iowa Code, providing the framework for emergency preparedness, response, and recovery across Union County, Iowa.
• Volunteer Programs (CERT) Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) recruitment and volunteer coordination for disaster response, Emergency Operations Center operations, and professional services volunteers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Emergency notifications reach all registered residents across Union County
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ready Iowa / Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal and state emergency management partnerships for resources, guidance, and coordination. Iowa Code mandates county-level emergency management.
• National Weather Service - Des MoinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeather monitoring and warning coordination for Union County
• Alert Iowa / Smart911coreTechnology or IntegrationEmergency notification technology platform used for delivering weather, civil, and hazard warnings to Union County residents

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Story County Emergency Management Agency: Central Iowa county EMA delivering hazard mitigation, 911 addressing support, and community preparedness programs under identical Iowa Code mandate. Directly comparable rural-IA operating model and service mix.
• Polk County Emergency Management Agency: Iowa's largest county EMA, providing the same statutory county-level emergency-management functions (alerting, planning, EOC activation) for Polk County under Iowa Code Section 29C. Directly comparable role, governance, and service portfolio to Union County EMA.
• Scott County Emergency Management Agency: Quad Cities region Iowa county EMA delivering emergency notification, floodplain management, and comprehensive emergency planning under identical Iowa Code Section 29C authority.
• Linn County Emergency Management Agency: Eastern Iowa county EMA operating under the same Iowa Code framework, providing EOC operations, hazard mitigation planning, and public alerting services through comparable governance.
• Dallas County Emergency Management Agency: Iowa county EMA with analogous statutory charge, Commission governance structure, and emergency notification responsibilities. Directly comparable mission and grant-funded preparedness programs.
• Adair County Emergency Management Agency: Adjacent rural Iowa county EMA sharing Union County's southern border; operates an essentially identical service model (alerting, addressing, floodplain, HMP) for an even smaller population base, making it a close functional peer.
• Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Agency: Western Iowa county EMA with parallel statutory authority and service portfolio including EOC coordination, hazard mitigation planning, and Smart911/Alert Iowa integration.

Broad incumbents

• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency): Federal umbrella that drives national emergency-management doctrine, HMP standards, and disaster funding flows down to county-level agencies like Union County EMA. Adjacent in mission but vastly broader in scope and authority.
• Iowa Homeland Security & Emergency Management Department: State-level authority that funds, oversees, and sets policy for all 99 Iowa county EMAs including Union County. Provides Alert Iowa/Smart911, training, grants, and HMP guidance, making it the broader incumbent umbrella organization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/union-county-emergency-management

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Union County Emergency Management