About Our Agency

Duxbury Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), formerly known as Duxbury Civil Defense, is located in the Central Fire Station at 668 Tremont Street (Rte. 3A) in Duxbury.  Although the terms of the Civil Defense Act included disasters in general, the term “Civil Defense,” as the name implies, was coined when the threat of an international nuclear attack was a concern after World War II.  The agency was developed to provide information and protection to civilians should such an attack occur.  Most local Civil Defense Agencies were renamed “Emergency Management” agencies as this threat diminished.  The agency took on a more encompassing role that handles both man-made and natural disasters such as hurricanes, coastal flooding, winter storms, power outages, and wind damage, all affecting the Town of Duxbury and coming within the realm of Emergency Planning and Preparedness.
The planning for such events takes place in the administrative office of DEMA.  The actual command center while in the midst of a disaster, is in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in the Fire Station.  It is a fully-functional facility that allows town officials and affected department heads to brainstorm, discuss and determine what steps need to be taken in the course of a particular event.
Not everyone is aware that all towns have emergency plans required by the State.  In Duxbury, such a plan is called the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP).  This document includes information needed to aid in mitigating the effects of any hazard, preparing for measures to be taken which will preserve life and minimize damage, to respond during emergencies and provide necessary assistance, and to establish a recovery system in order to return the community to its normal state of affairs.