Photo: Courtesy Baxter County Government. Baxter County’s director of Office of Emergency Management Jim Sierzchula(second from left) has retired after 10 years. Among those joining him to congratulate him on his retirement were (from left) Mountain Home Mayor Hillrey Adams, Mountain Home Fire Chief Ken Williams and Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass.
A new director for Baxter County’s Office of Emergency Management has been selected with the retirement of Jim Sierzchula.
Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass says Phillip Johnson, who now serves as the operations supervisor for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency in the Nashville area, will assume his new role in late April. Judge Pendergrass says TEMA is the equivalent of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, the state’s homeland security and preparedness agency.
As operations supervisor, Johnson is charged with notifying state agencies of emergencies, serving as a liaison between an incident scene and agencies providing potential support and coordinating emergency response, as well as other duties.
In addition to his role with TEMA, Pendergrass says Johnson serves as a volunteer firefighter in Columbia, Tenn.
Johnson was selected as Baxter County’s new OEM director from among over 100 applicants.
Sierzchula leaves the county after 16 years, with the last 10 in the role of OEM director.
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