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What’s New in Emergency Management? |
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Summer Preparedness |
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Plan for the Worst, Hope for the Best |
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Teton County Emergency Management |
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Along with the changing seasons, the focus of Teton County Emergency Management (TCEM) changes as well. As opposed to focusing on blizzards, road closures, and avalanches, TCEM now concentrates on floods, wildfires, and other summer hazards. To help keep tabs on the potential flood situation, for instance, TCEM has been visiting creeks and rivers in the County and checking various remote instruments over the internet.
Along the lines of remote monitoring, TCEM has recently installed the first of several County-owned weather stations in the valley. This first station is at the Moran firehouse and reports temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. You can see the weather information, which updates every 10 minutes, here.
In conjunction with Teton County Public Health, TCEM has also recently participated in the Statewide Pandemic Influenza Response Exercise (SPIRE). This was an exercise that emergency response agencies across Wyoming participated in that simulated a pandemic flu outbreak. TCEM specifically exercised its EOC activation procedures and automated callout systems. The feedback from the exercise was very productive and resulted in some changes to EOC procedures and fixes to our automated callout systems.
In September, emergency services in the County, including TCEM, will be participating in a full scale disaster exercise at the Jackson Hole Airport. This exercise will test standard operating procedures, emergency response, and disaster skills of the various emergency services in Teton County. Disaster exercises allow agencies from local, state, and federal government to practice alongside one another and prepare for real-world situations. Stay tuned to our next newsletter for more information on the JH Airport Disaster Exercise. |
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Volume 2, Issue 3, Jul 2008 |
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Teton County Emergency Management has sandbags available for local homeowners and businesses on a first-come, first-serve basis during potential flood situations. Bags are provided at no charge, but you must find your own sand and erect your own dikes. Call Emergency Management at 733-9572 if you believe you need sandbags or for more information. If it is an emergency and you need sandbags after hours, call TCSO Dispatch at 733-2331 and ask for Emergency Management. |
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New weather station at Moran |
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Questions or comments? Email us at em@tetonwyo.org or call 733-9572 |
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Important Websites |
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Summer in the Tetons means rafting, hiking, and yes, wildfires. Fire is a natural part of the ecosystem in many parts of the Rocky Mountain west. Some of the many examples of local organisms that depend on fire are: · Lodgepole pine needs fire to open some of its serotinous cones and release seeds. · Snowbrush ceanothus needs fire to scarify its seeds that lie dormant in the soil until fires come through. Snowbrush also sprouts vigorously from its root crown following a fire. · Mountain bluebirds are strongly attracted to early post-fire (1-2 years) communities, particularly those with standing dead trees. The woodpecker activity in these areas following a fire provide many nest cavities for the bluebirds. Although fire is part of the natural cycle, it does pose problems here in Teton County due to our urban-wildland interface. This interface is where many people like to live due to the proximity to forested land and all of the recreational opportunities that it provides. If your home is in the urban-wildland interface, there are some steps you should take to make your property more resistant to wildfire: · Roofs should be made of Class-A asphalt shingles, metal, cement, or concrete products. Although they are aesthetically pleasing, cedar-shake roofing should be avoided. · Remove “ladder fuels” (low or dead tree branches and shrubs) on your property that can allow a ground fire to more easily “climb” a tree and become a crown fire. Crown fires are unpredictable and very difficult to fight. They can also easily move to the roof of your home. · Be sure that street signs are easy to read and that your house number is easily visible from the road. Your driveway should be at least 12’ wide with 15’ clearance to allow access for emergency vehicles. Firefighters will protect the homes that have the best chance of surviving a fire, so any steps you take in advance can help to save your property. Learn about more wildfire mitigation tips for homeowners at www.firewise.org. You can also contact Jackson Hole Fire/EMS at 733-4732 for more information or a wildfire mitigation inspection of your property where fire inspectors will tell you what you can do to make your home more wildfire-resistant. |
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Wildfire Season is Back |
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Although Teton County didn’t receive much rainfall this spring, the runoff from the 2007-2008 winter of heavy snowfall made for a relatively wet spring. Several creeks in Teton County were running high, but they are now dissipating. If you live near a creek or river, you can use the same tools that Emergency Management does for potential flood monitoring if you have internet access. Check out these links that Emergency Management uses on a daily basis: · National Weather Service - Riverton - Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) · Bureau of Reclamation Reservoir Levels—Upper Snake River Basin Most of these pages have help files to aid in understanding the data, but if you have further questions email Emergency Management. |
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A Wet Spring |
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USGS stream gage on Fish Creek in Wilson, WY |
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September is National Preparedness Month, and this year Teton County Emergency Management is a National Preparedness Month Coalition Member. In order to be a Coalition Member, Emergency Management had to promise to spread the emergency preparedness message through the month of September. One way that Emergency Management spreads this message is through their website (www.tetonwyo.org/em), which contains information on preparedness, disasters, and other topics. Check Emergency Management’s website and calendar from now through September to learn about upcoming preparedness activities such as Weather Spotter courses, public preparedness classes, and more. There are four simple steps that you can take to prepare yourself and your family: 1. Get a Kit 2. Make a Plan 3. Be Informed 4. Get Involved Also, if you have an organization that would like to have a preparedness talk from Teton County Emergency Management, call 733-9572 or email to learn more about scheduling speaking engagements. |
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National Preparedness Month |
