Under New Hampshire law, each community is required to have an Emergency Management Director who is responsible for coordination of a response to an emergency through a state-wide Incident Command System. In Canaan, the Emergency Management program is also responsible for the management of any emergency within the Town. The Director is responsible for planning to prevent disasters and pre-planning for resources in the event of a disaster. Canaan has used its Emergency Management Program to prepare plans for a wide variety of disasters including fires, floods, ice storms, droughts, health epidemics, spills and explosions.

The following individuals make up the command structure for Emergency Management in Canaan:

• Emergency Management Director – Chief Bill Bellion
• Assistant Emergency Management Director – Chief Sam Frank
• Alternate Director – Sergeant Todd Baravalle
• Other members of Town Government, including firemen, highway employees, FAST Squad, Water and Sewer and Administration, participate.

Activities may include planning for and delivering medical care, sheltering, food, water, transportation, evacuation, reopening roads, removing power lines, flood management, drainage improvements, rescue and education.

For regional events, all activities are coordinated on a state-wide basis.