Director's Biography
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Charles Platt |
Mr. Platt was named director of the S. C.
Emergency Management Division in July 2009.
Under his direction, the division provides oversight
and coordination for emergency/disaster and
terrorism consequence management planning, response, and recovery for the state of South Carolina. Mr. Platt is also responsible for the coordination efforts with emergency management personnel at the local and national levels.
A veteran of the South Carolina National Guard,
Mr. Platt’s last assignment was an active duty tour
at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, VA, where he served as Chief, Concepts and Special Projects. While at the Bureau, he served as liaison officer for the CBERNE Consequence Management Response Force (CCMRF) mission. He was also liaison officer for the U. S. Secret Service Multi-Agency Communications Center and was the liaison officer responsible for coordinating Pre-Set Mission Assignments (PSMAs) and Gap Analysis with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He also served as Assistant Deputy Director for the North Dakota Flood Response.
Mr. Platt served as Director of the South Carolina National Guard’s Domestic Operations Military Support for four years where his responsibilities included planning, rehearsing, implementing and executing emergency operations and disaster recovery throughout the state, FEMA Region IV, and the United States. He solicited, designed, implemented and led the Vigilant Guard 2008 exercise in Beaufort and Horry counties consisting of 84 training lanes conducted by civilian responders in accordance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) doctrine. The exercise involved over 3,500 Guardsmen from four states and 500 responders. To date, it is the largest joint military/civilian exercise conducted in the United States. Additionally, he hosted the annual nationwide National Guard Hurricane Gap Analysis Workshop for the Bureau at Hilton Head Island.
Mr. Platt retired from the South Carolina National Guard with the rank of Colonel. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and holds a Masters Degree in Business from Touro University, Vallejo, California. He is also a graduate of the “Leadership South Carolina Program.” Mr. Platt resides in Columbia, South Carolina, with his wife, Leslie, and children, Sara, Libby, and Charlie.