For a little more than three months, the Racine County Office of Emergency Management operated without a permanent emergency management coordinator, but the Board of Supervisors in late June filled the void.
Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Alexander Freeman, who received an appointment from Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave, was confirmed as the new emergency management coordinator at a June 27 Racine County Board meeting.
He replaces James “Jay” Kerner, of Mount Pleasant, after his predecessor was terminated on March 22 amid multiple child abuse charges.
Delagrave, meanwhile, touted Freeman’s experience and expertise in a statement.
“Alex has consistently demonstrated his leadership and communication skills during his tenure with Racine County,” Delagrave said. “With a proven track record in developing incident management and hazard planning, he has played a vital role in maintaining the continuity of operations and essential functions of the Emergency Operation Center.”
Freeman, who came from Waukesha County, joined Racine County in December 2021 as deputy emergency management coordinator.
According to Freeman’s resume, he prepared and exercised disaster response plans, conducted public awareness campaigns and supported major incident response.
Additionally, he helped Racine County update the comprehensive emergency management plan, reviewed and maintained internal emergency plans and delivered general safety training as well as collaborated with volunteer organizations while managing multiple state and federal grants.
From January 2018 through December 2021, Freeman served as the emergency management planner of Waukesha County Emergency Management, where coordinated with numerous stakeholders through the COVID-19 pandemic as well as responding the Waukesha Christmas Parade attack.
Freeman began as a telecommunicator with Waukesha County Communications, processing emergency and non-emergency calls for service among other tasks, according to his resume.
He attended Milwaukee School of Engineering from 2005 through 2007, University of Wisconsin-Waukesha from 2011-2014, and UW-Green Bay.
Freeman wrote in his resume that he looks to strengthen the foundation of Racine County’s Office of Emergency Management and continue to build its capabilities.
“Alex’s dedication and expertise make him an asset to our community’s safety and resilience.”
See the July 13 print edition of the Standard Press for the full story.
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