Emergency management outlines training, mutual aid and flood outlook; weather‑spotter classes April 8

Andrew, the county’s emergency‑management representative, reported on recent preparedness and coordination efforts at the March 24 meeting.

He said the county has revised mutual‑aid planning and has a new path forward after reviewing feasibility with local fire chiefs; CodeRED signups have improved after outreach to radio stations. Andrew also described an ICS overview he delivered to the National Guard and a subsequent roundtable at the county EOC to clarify how the Guard would integrate into local response operations.

Staff prepositioned shelter trailers in advance of a forecasted winter storm tied to a large local event and coordinated with the Red Cross and state shelter resources. Andrew said lessons from that response were captured to avoid repeating gaps.

He announced two public weather‑spotter training sessions on April 8 (1 p.m. and 6 p.m.) at the Extension Center and said each session will last about two hours. Andrew added that the National Weather Service’s spring hydrologic outlook shows a lower‑than‑normal flood chance this spring.

Andrew also said he and staff applied for the federal Homeland Security grant program and for the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grant for next year. Commissioners thanked him and asked no follow‑up policy questions during the meeting.