The Crider Family is well-known in the Shippensburg area. From Crider Meats, to the mom-and-pop shop called “Get the Good Stuff.”
Recently, the name Crider has become well-known in Franklin County, as well. Jacob “Mike” Crider is currently serving as the Director of the Franklin County Department of Emergency Services.
Jake, as his co-workers in Franklin County call him, has been with the Franklin County Department of Emergency Services since 2016. He is the county’s emergency management coordinator and served as assistant director of the department before being promoted to director in March. He has retained his position as EMC.
Prior to joining the department, Crider served as a Pennsylvania State Police trooper for 28 ½ years. He retired in August of 2010 with the rank of Captain. Prior to his retirement from the PSP, he had accepted employment at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he served as the Associate Director of Operations for the Department of Public Safety. He served in that position for 5 ½ years before deciding he wanted to serve his community and work closer to home.
In his current position as director of Franklin County DES, Crider oversees all daily operations of the department, including the 911 dispatch center and the emergency management agency section of the department including the budgetary and fiscal components.
According to Crider, “the county emergency management agency (EMA) section consists of a hazardous material specialist unit, planning unit and an operations and training unit. The department of emergency services (DES) also has an emergency operations center (EOC), which can be activated to assist first responders and municipalities with coordination and resource requests during an emergency or disaster.” He said the most common emergencies are usually weather related such as blizzards or severe thunder/rain/windstorms. As the EMC, he oversees the EOC during activation.
The overall scope of Crider’s position is to make sure 911 emergency calls and other calls for help are answered as quickly and professionally as possible by the 911 dispatch center so a person in distress gets the help or recourse they need. “My job is also to make sure our first responders, including fire personnel, EMS personnel and law enforcement personnel, have all the pertinent information necessary so they can get to the scene safely and expeditiously to help the person in need,” Crider explained. “It is also DES’ responsibility to have plans in place for all county emergencies, to be able to identify and respond to any hazardous material type of incident while also ensuring proper resources are utilized to mitigate the hazmat and to provide and assist in coordinating training for first responders and citizens.”
Crider said he thoroughly enjoys going to work each and every day. “Working at DES has been a great opportunity for me and I love coming to work every day,” Crider noted. “It is awesome having Franklin County management know the importance of emergency management and the 911 dispatch center, as well, and having Franklin County management’s support in providing the best possible service for the Franklin County citizens and visitors.” He said his favorite part of working at DES is working with and seeing all the dedicated DES employees pull together as a team and ensure the best possible service or help is being provided quickly to a person in need in what might be the worst day of their life.
Does Crider have plans to officially retire anytime soon?
“Well, I plan to retire someday, but not really anytime in the foreseeable future,” he replied.
Crider loves his job, and having the support of his wife and family goes a long way in keeping him happy and grounded. “My wife, Adrianne, has been a constant support throughout our marriage. She has made sure our home was stable when I would be working various shifts while with PSP, as well as working weekends and being called out,” he said. “She never once complained, and I would not be where I am today without her!”
Outside of work, Crider said both he and Adrianne are very active members of the Shippensburg Church of the Brethren, and he added, “I am an avid Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens fan, and we both enjoy going to Disney World. In fact, we are looking forward to being able to go back to Disney World with our family (especially with my two granddaughters).”
Reflecting on his long career in the area, Crider said, “I have
worked for and with a lot of great people in my life who have influenced me. I have been very blessed and fortunate to have had the opportunities that I have had. I thank God and my family for being there along the way.”
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