LEPC schedules evacuation training, Zoo Town tabletop and wildfire summit for partner agencies

Missoula County emergency management and partners briefed the LEPC on a slate of upcoming trainings and exercises intended to improve coordination for events and incidents.

Nick Holloway said the county is compiling a multi‑year training and exercise plan based on agency‑level input and requested that agencies complete a short survey by the end of the week. Planned events include an evacuation strategy and planning training in Missoula on June 10 aimed at law enforcement and emergency management cooperators, and a Zoo Town tabletop exercise for the promoter and contracted staff tied to a July music festival at the county fairgrounds.

Randy Ocon said the Zoo Town tabletop (scheduled for the tenth) will invite agency partners — including the weather service, health department and ambulance services — to discuss incident command and control should an event‑related emergency occur; about 50 attendees were expected. Shane Coleman of Northwestern Energy described a two‑day Northwest Energy Wildfire Summit May 29 in Helena, with an internal utilities session followed by a day for agency partners to learn utility procedures and how they can support public‑safety power‑shutoff planning.

Missoula County will also hold a flood stakeholders meeting in mid‑to‑late April to pre‑game flood season roles and coordination, and a geohazards workshop will be held in Kalispell in May.

Ending: Organizers urged agencies to complete the training survey and to contact OEM staff to be added to exercise invitations.