FARMINGTON — Amanda Simoneau of Wilton knew after the first couple of years in emergency management she had chosen the right path for herself.

“I love the public interaction, every day is a new day, you never have two days that are the same,” the deputy director of Franklin County Emergency Management Agency said. “I am involved in so many different agencies, groups and community interaction that I feel like I am giving to my local community.”

Simoneau, who started with the county in 2012,  grew up in Livermore Falls and graduated from Livermore Falls High School in 2003.

She received the American Red Cross Community Service Real Hero Award for going above and beyond her job duties to meet the needs of residents displaced by a fatal propane explosion in Farmington on Sept. 16, 2019 and supporting the community after the disaster.

Simoneau is also balancing being acting communications director of the Franklin County Regional Communications Center.

How did you become interested in emergency management? I have always been interested in a job that allowed me to help others. My past employment was working in the medical billing department, assisting patients with medical bills and making payment arrangements. It was a rewarding job to be able to help, but this was a small contribution. When applying for this position, I was unsure of what the job truly entailed. I knew that I had skills that I could offer to the position, with the drive to ultimately learn anything necessary to be successful.

What are your duties as a deputy director? This position has significantly changed for our county since the beginning. As different events happen, it changes how we operate. I manage many grant funds for the entire county through the Homeland Security Grant Program. I organize and assist with facilitating the Student Tools for Emergency Planning Program for all fifth grade classes in the county. I manage the Facebook page and website for Franklin County Emergency Management Agency. I assist with organizing and scheduling the Local Emergency Planning Committee for Franklin County. I am involved in our local school districts on their safety committees. We support the Franklin Search and Rescue Team and the Amateur Radio Team. Franklin County EMA manages all the towers and communications equipment. We support and assist with emergency operations planning for local businesses. We are involved in emergency planning and tabletop activities including exercises with University of Maine at Farmington, Franklin Memorial Hospital, Pixelle Specialty Solutions Androscoggin Mill, nursing homes, schools and other businesses. We work closely with Central Maine Power Co. during storms to assist with road closures and safety concerns. We work with municipalities with storm recovery and assistance with grant opportunities. There are many other things that we are involved in, or do, but this is some of the most time consuming things that our EMA is involved in.

How do you stay calm during an emergency? During emergencies I tend to focus on others, which allows me the ability to really remain calm. I am always thinking about things that can be or need to be done to assist others. I am very organized and energetic – this allows me the ability to really get a lot accomplished. I feel that this is a personality trait, not all have the ability to really stay focused during chaos.

Do you consider it a priority to focus on the people affected by the emergency or disaster? I do. When you consider the tasks of each person/agency involved, everyone has a task. I feel that my task is to reach out to those who are affected but not getting the immediate support. There are different levels of care needed during emergencies – injured come first, those dealing with the injured, but there are always those who are mentally/emotionally involved, they should never be excluded. Sometimes those individuals feel left out. When I am involved I want them to know that they are all important.

What was your most important task following last year’s explosion in Farmington? Initially my role was assisting in the Emergency Operation Center. I am very organized and have assumed the role of the scribe. Documenting resources, requests and timeline of events throughout the entire incident. Once the initial incident calmed down, my main focus was to make sure those who were impacted felt that they were being cared for. I arranged for them to go home to gather personal belongings, we made meeting arrangements to assist with immediate needs, and discussed long-term needs. We educated these families and offered support in as many ways as we could. This role consumed our time. There was a small group of us who took on these tasks outside of our jobs. Searching nights and weekends for homes, and reaching out to these families to make sure they had what they needed. The recovery of such an impactful event takes months, if not longer.

Were you surprised to receive the Red Cross Community Service Real Hero Award? I was completely surprised to get such an award. I understand that through someone else’s perspective I was a hero, but for me I was just doing what I know how to do. I did not act alone, it takes a village to accomplish what we did during that event. It may not have been within my job description, but it is something that I knew needed to be done – and I was an available resource. I stepped into that role without hesitation.

After all of these past incidents, the Edgewood fire and the LEAP explosion, this lead me to initially stepping in as the interim director at the Franklin County RCC. I am always eager to take on a new task and see what I can offer. This involvement has been significant in community relationship building, and the relationship with Emergency Management and the Communications Center. I feel that my communication skills and organization have been a huge contribution to the Communications Center in getting them on the right path to success. They have, through all these events, stepped up and become stronger dispatchers because they are passionate about taking care of their community.

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