Our work in the field
Response reports, community support, donations, and training from our organization’s activity log. These entries describe specific events; they are not a complete audited count of responses or volunteer hours.
2026 Activations
A look at where our team deployed this year to support Norman and the surrounding community.
Medieval Fair
Three-day activation supporting one of Oklahoma's largest outdoor festivals.
- Staffed a First Aid Trailer and Cooling Station/Medical Tent
- Provided transport for EMSSTAT patients back to their vehicles
- Coordinated loading zones for EMSSTAT's ASAP Unit with ambulances for patients needing hospital transport
- Distributed water and Gatorade to first responders working the event
- Monitored and coordinated with the National Weather Service to ensure conditions were safe for patrons
OU Spring Football Game
Supported first responders and patrons at the University of Oklahoma's spring game.
- Distributed water and Gatorade to first responders working the event
- Side-by-side transport for patrons unable to return to their vehicles on their own
- Assisted with locating and identifying medical patients for responding first responders
Norman Music Festival
Two-day partnership with EMSSTAT providing mobile medical support at the Norman Music Festival.
- Side-by-side support to assist EMSSTAT with locating patients in crowds
- Provided basic first aid to event attendees
- Distributed water and Gatorade to first responders working the event
- Monitored and coordinated with the National Weather Service to ensure conditions were safe for patrons
Small Animal Decon Exercise
Volunteers participated in a training exercise alongside the Oklahoma Small Animal Response Team.
- Participated in a Small Animal Decontamination Exercise at OSU
- Trained alongside the Oklahoma Small Animal Response Team
Severe Weather Activations
Activated four times throughout the month in response to severe weather events, serving both remotely and from the Emergency Operations Center.
- Monitored and tracked four separate severe weather events
- Activated remotely and/or at the EOC to support emergency operations
- Coordinated with the National Weather Service during active events
Residential Fire Responses
Responded to two residential structure fires in support of Norman Fire Department operations.
- Provided hydration support to Norman Fire Department personnel on scene
- Coordinated Red Cross assistance for two displaced families
Luke Combs My Kinda Saturday Night Concert
Supported first responders and patrons at the Luke Combs concert at OU Memorial Stadium.
- Assisted with locating and identifying medical patients for responding first responders
- Side-by-side support to assist EMSSTAT with locating patients in crowds
- Provided basic first aid to event attendees
- Distributed water and Gatorade to first responders working the event
- Niagara Water, one of our Elite Donors, provided hydration support for first responders working the event
Straightline Wind Event
Activated in response to a straightline wind event that devastated Norman, OK.
- Completed damage assessments across affected areas
- Provided traffic control for closed roads
- Provided traffic control for a crane removing a tree from a residence
- Distributed bottled water, Gatorade, and Liquid I.V. to citizens of Norman and first responders, thanks to donations from Niagara Water, Pepsico, and Liquid I.V.
29th Norman Conquest
Partnered with the Cleveland County Health Department to support riders and staff at the 29th Norman Conquest.
- Set up with the Cleveland County Health Department to hand out water and Gatorade, thanks to donations from Niagara Water and Pepsico
- Handed out snacks to riders and staff
- Ensured riders and staff stayed hydrated throughout the ride
Harrah Fire Department Water Donation
Donated 40 cases of water to the Harrah Fire Department during peak wildfire season, thanks to the Niagara Water Cares Program.
- Donated 40 cases of water to the Harrah Fire Department
- Supported firefighters during peak wildfire season
- Made possible through the Niagara Water Cares Program
Norman Grass Fire — Largest Deployment of the Year
Our largest deployment of the year, responding to a large grass fire threatening multiple residences and the Norman Water Treatment Plant.
- Established rehab for first responders, thanks to donations from PepsiCo in Edmond and the Niagara Water Cares Program
- Evacuated residents where their homes were threatened by the fire
- Provided water, Gatorade, and food to displaced residents at the wildfire and the apartment fire
- Provided aerial support for Incident Command to assist with tactical decisions and tracking the progression of the wildfire
- Established a food rehab at the Norman EOC, feeding and hydrating the Fire Department so they could return to battling the fire
- Responded the same night to a multi-family apartment fire to assist with hydration
- Assisted apartment fire residents with getting help from the Red Cross for housing
American Indian Exposition Hydration Support
Donated 20 cases of Niagara Water to the OKRMC unit running the Cooling/Hydration station at the 2026 American Indian Exposition, helping keep patrons and volunteers safe in extreme heat with heat indexes in the 110s.
- Donated 20 cases of Niagara Water to the OKRMC unit
- Water distributed to patrons and volunteers at the Cooling/Hydration station
- Helped keep everyone safe and hydrated in extreme heat with heat indexes in the 110s
- Made possible thanks to a generous donation from Niagara Water
Niagara Water Wildfire Support Donation
Our Elite Donor, Niagara Water, donated an additional 3 pallets of water to help local firefighters battle extreme heat and wildfire conditions.
- Niagara Water donated 3 pallets of water to support local firefighters during extreme heat and wildfire conditions
- One pallet delivered to Norman Fire Station 3
- 10 cases delivered to Norman Fire Station 6
- 10 cases delivered to Norman Fire Station 9
- Made possible thanks to Niagara Water, one of our Elite Donors
Norman Downburst Damage Assessment
Assisted Norman Fire with ground and thermal drone damage assessments after the northeast side of Norman experienced two downbursts during severe weather.
- Conducted ground-based damage assessments across affected areas
- Provided thermal drone support to aid in damage assessment
- Assisted Norman Fire Department with post-severe-weather operations
Cleveland County Wildfire Response
Assisted multiple fire departments with rehab and drone support during a wildfire in Cleveland County.
- Provided rehab support to firefighters battling the wildfire
- Provided drone support for situational awareness and fire monitoring
- Assisted Little Axe Fire Department
- Assisted Cedar Country Fire Department
- Assisted Slaughterville Fire Department
- Assisted Lexington Fire Department
- Assisted Noble Fire Department
Bridge Creek Fire Department Water Donation
Donated 50 cases of water to the Bridge Creek Fire Department for distribution to other Grady County Fire Departments during extreme wildfire conditions in late August, thanks to a generous donation from Niagara Water.
- Donated 50 cases of water to the Bridge Creek Fire Department
- Water distributed to other Grady County Fire Departments to support firefighters during extreme wildfire conditions
- Made possible thanks to a generous donation from Niagara Water
Cedar Country Mutual Aid Residential Fire
Provided mutual aid rehab support at a residential fire requested by Cedar Country Fire Department, with mutual aid from Little Axe, Lexington, Slaughterville, EMSSTAT, and Norman Fire Departments.
- Provided rehab support to firefighters on scene
- Mutual aid departments assisted: Little Axe, Lexington, Slaughterville, EMSSTAT, and Norman
- Supplied 12 bags of ice, 3 cases of Niagara Water, and 4 cases of Gatorade
- Made possible thanks to generous donations from Niagara Water and PepsiCo
Little Axe Wildfire Mutual Aid
Provided mutual aid rehab and drone support at a wildfire where approximately 4 acres burned, requested by Little Axe Fire Department.
- Provided rehab support to firefighters on scene
- Provided drone support for situational awareness and fire monitoring
- Mutual aid agencies assisted: Norman Fire, Norman Emergency Management, Little Axe Fire, Slaughterville Fire, Cedar Country Fire, and Cleveland County Sheriff's Office
- Approximately 4 acres burned
- Hydration support made possible thanks to donations from Niagara Water and PepsiCo
PepsiCo Hydration Donation
PepsiCo donated 20 cases of Gatorade and 10 cases of Aquafina to support OU Football response for first responders and patrons, as well as first responders rounding out the peak wildfire season.
- PepsiCo donated 20 cases of Gatorade and 10 cases of Aquafina
- Will support OU Football response for first responders and patrons who become dehydrated
- Will support first responders rounding out the peak wildfire season
- This donation has been a blessing for all of the wildfires we have had
- Made possible thanks to a generous donation from PepsiCo
OU Home Football Game vs. UTEP
Supported first responders, patients, and fans at the OU home opener against UTEP, handing out Gatorade and water throughout the event.
- Handed out 8 cases of Gatorade and 14 cases of water to first responders, patients, and fans who needed extra hydration
- Gatorade and Aquafina provided thanks to PepsiCo
- Bottled water provided thanks to Niagara Water
McLoud Wildfire
Our volunteers served as Rehab/Staging Managers for a large wildfire operation, establishing and running a staging area, fuel site, reunification center, and rehab for over a dozen departments.
- Arrived and located a staging and rehab area, then set up the area for operations
- Served as Rehab/Staging Managers for the event
- Ran a fuel site, reunification center for residents, rehab, and staging
- Used 8 cases of water donated by PepsiCo and 9 cases of Gatorade donated by PepsiCo
- Provided water, Gatorade, and pizza to first responders and displaced residents affected by the wildfire
- Worked alongside Lincoln County Emergency Management and Pottawatomie County Emergency Management to get everything needed
- Thanks to the American Red Cross for filling the gaps we left open
- Large operation with over a dozen departments — an amazing opportunity to work with partners we don't typically get to work with
Noble Wildfire
Set up rehab and coordinated hot food with the American Red Cross, while providing aerial overwatch for fire crews with both of our UAS operators and thermal drones.
- Set up rehab for firefighters battling the blaze
- Coordinated hot food with the American Red Cross, which provided 20 pizzas from Domino's
- Provided overwatch for fire crews with both UAS operators and thermal drones
- Supplied multiple units with rehab supplies on multiple vehicles to take deep into the fire area so units could stay hydrated while battling the blaze
Norman Target Gift Card Donation
The Norman Target donated a $100.00 gift card to help with rehab supplies for our team. Thank you, Target!
- Norman Target donated a $100.00 gift card to help with rehab supplies
- Will be used to purchase rehab supplies to support first responders during operations
- Thank you to Norman Target for your generous support
OU Home Football Game vs. New Mexico
Supported first responders, patients, and fans at the OU home football game against New Mexico, providing hydration, patient transport, and crowd control with 80,000 fans present pregame.
- Handed out 8 cases of Gatorade and 14 cases of water to first responders, patients, and fans who needed extra hydration
- Gatorade and Aquafina provided thanks to PepsiCo
- Bottled water provided thanks to Niagara Water
- Patient transport — helped patrons back to their car if their loved ones were being transported by ambulance to the hospital
- Provided crowd control for emergency vehicle egress into the security perimeter with 80,000 fans present pregame
Niagara Water Donation
Our Elite Donor, Niagara Water, donated 6 pallets of water to our organization to keep us ready for our next deployment, with 2 pallets shared with the Absentee Shawnee Tribe for their members when water is needed.
- Niagara Water donated 6 pallets of water to our organization
- Water staged to get our team ready for our next deployment
- 2 pallets were given to the Absentee Shawnee Tribe to help their tribal members when water is needed
- Big shoutout to Absentee Shawnee Emergency Management for transporting this donation with their box truck
- Made possible thanks to Niagara Water, one of our Elite Donors
2026 Training Completions
- Oklahoma Certified Emergency Manager (OCEM)
- NFPA Certified Electrical Safety Compliance Professional (CESCP)
- ICS-300: Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents
- ICS-400: Advanced ICS Command and General Staff
- L103: Planning Operations Class
- IS-1190: The National Oil & Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan and the National Response System
- IS-29.a: Public Information Officer Awareness
- IS-15.b: Special Events Contingency Planning for Public Safety Agencies
In the News
Recognition & Coverage
Emergency Management — Norman Response Volunteers Featured
Emergency Management worked year-long to increase community preparedness. During 2025, community partners continued to rely on the support and services offered by Emergency Management and the Norman Emergency Response Volunteer programs (Norman Response Volunteers and the Norman Medical Reserve CORPS) to fill gaps in areas not met by normal public safety channels.
Support ranged from providing basic medical first aid, event lighting, cooling stations, as well as providing community service through outreach activities. Emergency Management continued to support OU Athletics during sporting games and other campus events like the National Weather Festival.
Emergency Management also strives to ensure emergency response volunteers have the training needed to enhance response capabilities, engaging in opportunities to interface with the Oklahoma National Guard and other community partners. They also participate in mental health training focusing on Physiological First Aid, Stop the Bleed, and CPR.
The Division's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle team also continued to provide valuable aerial support to Norman responders by responding to several mutual aid requests for fire support, manhunts and lost people. They were instrumental in the recovery of a lost victim of the Moore flooding.
In 2025, the team worked diligently to occupy and prepare the new Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for daily operations and for emergency operations. The utility of the space to support public safety efforts was put to the test during wildfire and severe weather operations.
Emergency Management looks forward to a robust 2026 by promoting ongoing efforts as well as exploring new opportunities for promoting community preparedness and resilience.
Excerpted from the City of Norman Annual Report — Emergency Management Division, 2025.
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