Degear named Director of OEM

Degear began work on January 10after resigning from his position as DeRuyter Town Supervisor.

WAMPSVILLE, N.Y. >> Madison County recently welcomed a new Director of the Office of Emergency Management (OEM).

Dan Degear, former Supervisor for the Town of DeRuyter, has filled the position previously held by Ted Halpin who retired on January 9, 2020, according to a news release from Madison County officials.

Degear served as the Town Supervisor for DeRuyter for 12 years and as the Vice-Chairman of the Madison County Board of Supervisors for 8 years. During that time, he was instrumental in the inception of the department.

“After the flooding that occurred in 2013 and the deadly tornado that hit Smithfield July 2014, it was evident that Madison County needed to be better prepared to respond to emergencies,” said Degear. in the news release. “I am grateful for all of the work that Ted and his team have done to bolster our county’s emergency preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities. I am honored to be chosen to continue leading this effort into the future and to serve the people of Madison County.”

According to the release, Ted Halpin was hired as Director in April of 2015 to lead the newly formed department. Halpin created the department and made it what it is today by bringing in experts in emergency management training, EMS and Fire to support the local municipalities and agencies.

The department not only assists with response, but also fo-

cuses on mitigation, training and citizen preparedness. Through Halpin’s leadership, officials said the Department became one of 6 New York State Accredited programs.

Officials noted that one of the programs that Halpin was passionate about was being able to provide free smoke detectors for the citizens of Madison County. He secured grant funds to not only provide smoke detectors, but also carbon monoxide detectors.

Degear began work on January 10 after resigning from his position as DeRuyter Town Supervisor on January 9. He was unanimously chosen by the Board of Supervisors to become Director.