Butte-Silver Bow emergency director outlines duties, warns of funding uncertainty and cyber risks

Lisa Carey, director of Disaster and Emergency Services for Butte-Silver Bow, told the Study Commission on April 21 that her office manages planning, the Emergency Operations Center and public alerting systems and is increasingly concerned about unstable federal grants and cyber threats.

Carey, who said she is responsible for developing and implementing “a comprehensive emergency management program that aligns with the National Incident Management System,” described core duties including mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery; maintaining the EOC and a mobile command vehicle; coordinating exercises; and operating public alert systems such as IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System).

“The program integrates the core principles of emergency management, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery through multi agency coordination to protect the lives, property, critical infrastructure and the environment,” Carey said. She added that the office must remain “24/7 operationally ready” to activate the EOC and to issue emergency notifications by text, phone and social media.

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