WQIO Ohio's Super Station
The Knox County Emergency Management Agency is under new leadership following action by the Knox County Board of Commissioners, who appointed Amy Seward as the county’s new Emergency Management Agency director.
Seward officially assumed the role on June 15, succeeding James T. DeChant, who resigned after leading the agency and has since returned to the Fredericktown Police Department. Seward previously served as the agency’s deputy director and spent more than a year with Knox Public Health as the emergency preparedness and Safe Communities coordinator before joining EMA in 2023.
Along with appointing Seward, commissioners approved a restructuring of the agency designed to reduce operating costs while maintaining emergency preparedness services.
Rather than filling the deputy director position as a full-time county employee, commissioners will contract with Knox Public Health to provide those services for 16 hours each week. County Administrator Jason Booth said the agreement is expected to save the county between $50,000 and $60,000 annually, reducing the amount of general fund support required for the agency.
Commissioners also announced long-term plans to relocate the Emergency Management Agency from its current location at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office to the new Knox County Transit Center on West Chestnut Street once construction of the facility is complete. Officials say the move will provide the agency with updated space while allowing it to continue coordinating emergency response, disaster planning and preparedness efforts throughout the county.
The Knox County Emergency Management Agency works closely with local police, fire departments, EMS, public health officials and other emergency response partners to prepare for severe weather, hazardous materials incidents, public safety emergencies and other disasters affecting Knox County.
County officials say the leadership transition and organizational changes position the agency to continue providing effective emergency management services while operating more efficiently and reducing costs for taxpayers.
