Jones County’s new Emergency Management Director is not new to the job or the people she works with, having worked in the department for more that 15 years.
Karen McMichael’s journey to the leadership role has been underway for decades, and her knowledge of Jones County Fire Rescue and EMA reflects that. She has been a volunteer firefighter since 1985 and was one of the first women firefighters in the county.
In an Aug. 14 interview, McMichael recalled she was hired by former EMA Director Allan Green as an administrative assistant in 2008. She said the first thing he asked her was if she was scared of a computer.
Her first project was inputting Jones County’s Local Emergency Plan for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, a document containing hundreds of pages.
McMichael worked for Green for a year and then worked with Don Graham when he was named director in 2009. She officially took over the role of EMA Director when Graham retired July 1.
“It’s always been my goal,” the director said.
Karen said her husband Glenn started with the fire department a couple years before she did, and she began volunteering in a support role. The night she decided to become a firefighter was an unexpected turn of events.
“Glenn went to a fire call, and I followed to take water to the fire scene. When I got there, they were really shorthanded,” she recalled.
Karen said she went to the fire station and found a set of turnout gear. She remembered the boots were so big that she kept her shoes on to make them fit.
When asked how she helped with that fire, Karen said she stood in one spot and held the hose. Firefighter training came soon after.
At that time, the Juliette fire station on Round Oak-Juliette Road was shared with Monroe County, and Glenn McMichael was the station chief. He remained chief until 2006.
Karen said, when she went to work in the EMA office in 2008, it was a dream come true.
“I enjoyed working for both directors,” she said.
The director said she was required by GEMA to take classes, and the county offered a raise if she became certified. She started taking classes for certification in 2011 and received her EMA certification in 2015.
The certification is required by GEMA for filing reports, applying for disaster relief and grants.
Karen said Jones County is a Storm Ready Community, which means it is eligible for extra benefits.
The director said she has been working with Thomas Coleman, who is now the Jones County fire chief, for 12 years. Coleman was the training chief for the department before stepping into the top role when Graham retired.
McMichael will have 40 years as a firefighter next year and had actually planned to retire when Graham did. When the Jones County Board of Commissioners agreed to try the plan pitched to them by the volunteers that included Coleman becoming chief, she saw another path.
“Tommy is not EMA certified, and I agreed to take on the role as EMA director,” she said.
Karen said Coleman suggested she could work out of Station 3, the Juliette fire station that is close to her home, and that has worked well. She has her computer, a large screen monitor and radios.
The director said she comes to Gray a couple of times a week and checks in with the county administrator. She said the next big project is updating Jones County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan that will be due in 2026.
McMichael was born and raised in Jones County. She attended grade school in East Juliette and graduated from Jones County High School in 1968.
“Going to school in Gray was a big deal. It included riding the bus and changing classes,” she said.
Karen and Glenn have two sons, six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
The director said Jones County Fire Rescue and EMA is a family affair.
“Everyone helps each other. If you’re are not family when you start volunteering, you become family,” she said.
