Poughkeepsie, NY … Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino announced today that Commissioner of Emergency Response, Dana Smith, is stepping down after eighteen years of service with the County to pursue other opportunities. His resignation is effective December 31, 2024.
County Executive Serino said, “We appreciate the many contributions Dana Smith has made during his service with Dutchess County. His commitment to emergency preparedness is unwavering and he has helped to see our community through many emergencies over his tenure. We wish him much success in all of his future endeavors.”
During Smith’s tenure, the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response (DCER) has coordinated response to a multitude of emergency events – from significant weather emergencies such as Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Sandy and several major winter weather events, many of which required disaster declarations where DCER coordinated with FEMA to provide assistance to residents.
Under his leadership, training has been a critical priority to ensure readiness for the more than 200,000 emergency calls handled annually by the Dutchess County 9-1-1 Communications Center, as well as prepare for events that are difficult to imagine. Thousands are trained annually at the Emergency Response campus in the Town of Hyde Park, including firefighters, EMS and law enforcement professionals and volunteers. Many exercises and simulations are coordinated each year ranging from Point of Distribution exercises to terrorism response and Active Shooter Hostile Event Response simulations. Citizen Preparedness Training has also been at the forefront for residents to be prepared for emergency situations, including specialized training for families with disabilities as well as animal emergency preparedness.
Dana Smith stated, “Emergency preparedness has always been and will always be a passion for me. It has been a privilege to serve the people of Dutchess County as Emergency Response Commissioner. I am proud of the work we have done, together with community partners, to ensure the safety and security of Dutchess County residents and I look forward to moving on to new chapters.”
Deputy Commissioner Shawn Castano will serve as Interim Commissioner as a search committee is launched. The search committee will include representation from the police, fire and EMS community to identify a qualified successor for the continued improvement of public safety and emergency preparedness of our community.
Serino continued, “Emergency response has been a top priority for my administration, and we remain committed to protecting public safety and enhancing emergency preparedness. I look forward to working with the search committee to identify the next leader for this important work.”
